Simon Illingworth is Australia’s premier consultant in building positive culture, anti-corruption systems and assisting people make ethical decisons. Simon builds positive culture through reflection, policy guidance and motivation.
*See Simon’s latest leadership interview with the most highly regarded Business news site - www.businessspectator.com.au
Bad culture subtly drifts into a workplace and unfortunately once it festers, the heavy-handed, knee-jerk, slash and burn approach to stop it has unwanted repercussions.
- Do you want sugar with that?
Ethical business culture does not begin and end with a code of ethics or a definition of ethics. Historically, corporations that collapse due to unethical behavior had ticked the ethics box, albeit in a tokenistic way. The fact is that employees in many businesses find themselves in legal and ethical minefields with no ethical decision making framework. This puts the employee and the business at risk. Tackling ethical issues requires a solid set of business values, principles and sometimes a fair bit of courage too.
Whatever the situation, ethical culture isn’t created by slapping up a code of of ethics, it takes on-going persistence. Focussing specifically on culture is good for everyone, and yes, the long term rewards can be lucrative.
Ethics Specialist
Amongst Simon’s diverse qualifications is his selection for the Sir Vincent Fairfax ethics and leadership fellowship (1 of 14 Australians chosen in 2002). Simon has investigated and debated some of the world’s hardest ethical dilemmas, ethics theory and ancient philosophy.He was also awarded the prestigious AusDavos Future Summit Award which brings leaders together annually to map out Australia’s future.
Speeches and Training
Simon is presently one of the most sought after corporate speakers and trainers in Australia, he uses his experiences and expertise to motivate, challenge and build organisational culture. He has the capacity to switch people back on.
Simon’s clients include some of Australia’s largest corporations, sportsclubs, media outlets and schools. If you need a speech or workshop that cuts through and sticks - you need one from a person who’s been in the trenches.
Ethics, Leadership and decision making programs
Programs are made to order. Ethical Strength has built a network of carefully selected consultants and experts over 10 years. Ethical Strength is also an associate of the Mettle Group and Morgan Productions.
BLOG…
And here’s my latest Ethical Brain Tester: What should he / she do?
“I work for a multi-national company based off shore, I constantly juggle two cultures, the Australian way and the Off shore Country’s way. One country calls it a bribe, the other calls it a fee. This is a quarter billion dollar contract. The so-called “fee” in comparison is loose change. What should I do?*
*This question is real, it is also a very common dilemma for employees of large corporations. The details of the question have been altered to protect the client. It is my job to work through this type of dilemma with the client to achieve a satisfactory outcome for the employee and the corporation in the long and short term.
If TRUST is important to you and your business – read this blog of my meeting with an international money launderer.
I met Kenneth Rijock in the hotel lobby as we checked in for our presentations for the Caribbean Fraud and Anti-Money Laundering conference; Just to get to Antigua takes four connecting flights, so I carried the bare minimum luggage.
Ken took ‘travelling light’ to another level; he had a plastic bag that I assumed held nothing but a pair of underpants, a toothbrush and a tie for tomorrows conference. A risk taker.
Rijock is low profile, with a warm demeanor that is likeable and relaxed. Like most international successful fraudsters Rijock is a welcoming person. But he’s turned his hand away from crime these days. In fact he’s one of us now, a good guy.
Rijock’s expertise stems from being a Miami based lawyer who’d laundered $200 million USD for Cuban and Columbian drug lords in the 1980’s. That’s his claim to fame; he’s a former international crook whose dominant skill is his rat-cunning.
Rijock’s skills are in select company, notably that of the other US born confidence trickster, cheque forger, impostor, and escape artist Frank Abagnale of the movie, ‘Catch me if you can’ fame although Abagnale only got away with $2.5 million.
Rijock and Abagnale had long terms of imprisonment cut short when they agreed to assist the FBI and other US authorities to learn ‘the craft’ as Rijock calls it. And clearly, these men have a commodity to sell as I found during his presentation.
First, Rijock warns, ‘Beware of internet ghosts’ (a person with no internet history). “If you Google search a legitimate business person they’ll have an internet history, whether it’s a charity, school or business event they will come up.” Fraudsters can create new identities using forged documents but they can’t build an internet history; that takes time.
Many organised crime groups use ‘clean skin’ friends to open accounts for them. To counter this, Rijock suggests using Google images; this is a simple search that displays internet pictures of the person searched for.
“You’re not looking for a photo of the potential client per say but more importantly, to see who they’ve been photographed with”. Like the photo Rijock found of a potential client with his arm around a US crime boss; that internet photo saved a bank.
Rijock also says that criminal organisations targeting banks and businesses don’t stop after one attempt, they’ll try the front door, then the side door and so on; “That being the case it’s imperative not to explain how their attempts fail; you don’t want to educate them for their second and any subsequent attempts.”
Rijock finished explaining his past; laundering money for evil Columbian drug lords, whose trade kills people worldwide. But he didn’t describe it like that, he called it ‘the craft’; in a ‘clever’ kind of way that I thought, lacked remorse.
Dr Alden Cass the Psychologist to Wall Street, then presented the ‘Psychology of a white collar criminal’. He might as well have described Kenneth Rijock. You can’t just shrug off your DNA I thought.
“Ken’s a nice guy. You have no idea how a famous ex-money launderer gives us a good rep’ in business… ” Ken’s colleague told me in his American accent.
“But what about the risk he’ll return to his old tricks?” I asked.
“Nah… (thoughtful pause)… but recently I saw him driving a new Bentley.” (laughs)
“Gee, how can he afford that?” I enquired.
“I don’t know… I was wondering the same thing.” He said.
Whilst that conversation was in jest. That’s the problem for any reformed craftsman. Trust is an issue, and, just like a legitimate internet history, it takes time to create it.
But, even for a cynical ex-detective, I have to say Ken has won me over. Rijock has spent the last 21 years, since his release from prison in anti-money laundering pursuits, including concentrating during the 1990s as a lecturer, expert witness, and adviser to law enforcement, government and intelligence services in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Ken’s even worked undercover for US law enforcement, recreating his old role as a laundryman, to sting narcotics traffickers, at a substantial personal risk to himself.
Rijock has written over 5000 financial crime analysis articles, which are all available at no cost, on the World-Check website. He appears at over 30 conferences a year, and has presented on every continent on a regular basis.
That is unique, post-conviction activity of any individual.
Ken may not show remorse when he tells his personal story, but as one of the US Marshals observed prior to Rijocks guilty plea, and acceptance of responsibility, the court system couldn’t do anything more to him, he’d committed a number of crimes, and he knew that it was wrong.
There are a few crims in Australia that could take a leaf out of Ken Rijock’s book.
I’d like a ride in that Bentley one day.
Simon Illingworth
Director of Ethical Strength
Anti-Corruption and Ethics Consultant
Many people have asked my opinion about the recent crime stat’s debacle in Victoria, so I’ve written a piece that I’ve called..
STATS POLICE
The success of otherwise of a Police Force is notoriously dificult to measure. They’re all façade; no building. Even if the figures were right they still wouldn’t indicate how successful the Police are in tackling crime or the road toll for example. In reality, crime stats mean nothing, they’re certainly not a true indicator of policing.
In the 1980’s Bank robberies were the crime of choice of many criminal gangs. Some very violent bank robberies were committed, with masked men firing shots into the bank ceiling so they got what was in the vault and not just the money from the teller. And then the number of bank robberies dropped dramatically, and the police hierarchy claimed it was policing that stopped it.
What they failed to mention was the invention of pop up security screens, video surveillance cameras, dye bombs and a cashless economy thanks to ATM’s and credit cards. None of which were invented by Victoria Police. Add to those measures the fact that trafficking drugs was becoming far more lucrative for criminals.
What about drug offences then. Drug trafficking, like most organised crime is never reported. Both buyer and trafficker are happy non-reporters of their own crimes. The only drug offence reported on the police system is when someone is caught. So, one good way to reduce drug trafficking statistics – is to stop catching drug traffickers. That is not what we want.
What about the road toll? You can’t fudge the road toll figure, so that must be correct. But that is where the truth ends.
When the road toll drops, Police leaders and Gobvernments claim the credit. It’s true that some credit is due to the traffic police but a large portion of credit belongs to inventions like airbags, side impact protection systems, ABS braking, reversing cameras, superior vehicle handling and improvements in emergency patient handling in reducing the toll. One Government decision reduced the toll – the mandatory wearing of seat belts. That was decades ago.
What about car thefts? Motor cars built pre-2001 were very easy to steal, especially the Ford Falcon XF model and some of the earlier Holden commodores. That wasn’t caused by the police, nor was the car theft reduction that followed. It was car manufacturers themselves that created car alarms, anti-theft locking systems, key security, club locks, immobilisers and cut off switches. The police did not invent this technology.
Cars are so secure now, that crooks are stealing them from drivers at traffic lights. They point a gun at the driver and drag them from their car. This new crime is called ‘carjacking’, which ironically, in the 1980’s was called armed robbery.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of police hours are spent bean counting and massaging statistics. We need police on the beat, not filling in endless forms.
There should be one measure, an independent, annual survey that measures things like, ‘how safe’ Victorians feel. It’s not perfect but it works overseas.
Simon Illingworth
And now to the West Indies,
Caribbean Anti-Money Laundering and Fraud Conference… Antigua (think West Indies) a beautiful place to have a holiday, but 40 hours of flying to do a presentation?
The low down
Money Laundering in the Caribbean region has figured prominently over the years. Primarily because narcotics traders from Columbia and Cuba have taken a particular liking to the wash, fold and iron of their $USD (if you know what I mean). Hence the AML and Fraud Conference organised by a bright spark, Mr Kem Warner.
The event promised a lot, with Kem and the sponsors paying big sums to get the world’s best over there and it certainly paid off, so I’m confident the laundrymen are about to get the shock of their lives.
I managed to catch up with a few mates (other presenters).
Declan Hill is an Investigative Journo, Expert in Match Fixing and Author of ‘The Fix’ a World Best Seller. A very good book.
Declan Hill gave me a solid run down on the new challenges of match fixing around the World and specifically in Australia. Sure enough, when I arrived back home Declan’s first ‘predication’ came true (Pakistan Cricket team was about to take a dive), no-ball, $$$ no-ball … $$$
other links:
our garlic farm www.garlicworld.com.au
