Event Compliance & Ethics

EQS Compliance Connect Chicago

Compliance, Evolved: What Works, What Matters, What’s Next.

Wednesday, October 22, 2025

2:00pm – 6:00pm CST

TBD

08/20/2025

Space is Limited: Register Now to Transform Your Compliance Strategy.

Built to Last

Leading with Resilience & Agility in an Era of Constant Change

EQS Compliance Connect is a half-day event that unites compliance officers, legal professionals, and industry leaders to discuss how to transform corporate values into tangible practices. This gathering provides a unique environment for networking and learning, focusing on strengthening organizational trust and accountability.

Agenda

2:00 – 2:30 PM

Welcome & Registration

2:30 – 2:35 PM

Welcome & Opening Remarks

Marco Goldberg
Managing Director US
EQS Group

2:35 – 2:55 PM

Keynote:The Human Altimeter: Why Empathy, Ethics, and Judgment Keep Compliance Programs Airborne

As AI and automation reshape the compliance landscape, their value is clear. Scale, speed, and precision have never been more important. But no matter how advanced the tools become, it is human insight that keeps compliance programs truly airborne.

In this opening keynote, EQS Group’s Steph Holmes explores how the real strength comes from combining both. When technology accelerates and humans navigate, we build programs that are not only efficient but also ethical, resilient, and trusted.

Steph Holmes
Director of Ethics & Compliance Strategy
EQS Group

2:55 – 3:40 PM

Building Resilient Compliance Teams for an Uncertain World

This session brings together battle-tested senior leaders who’ve navigated the perfect storm of cultural pushback, regulatory scrutiny, and organizational upheaval. Discover the real-world strategies they used to preserve team morale, protect long-term values, and emerge stronger on the other side.

	Debbie Hennelly Founder and President Resiliti

3:40 – 4:05 PM

Compliance Agility at the Speed of Change

With AI reshaping industries and global complexity creating new risk categories, traditional compliance approaches are failing. Join this strategic discussion to uncover how leading programs are reinventing themselves through adaptive strategy, flexible frameworks, and leadership models designed to thrive in uncertainty.

Announcement Coming Soon!

4:05 – 4:15 PM

Break & Refresh

4:15 – 5:00 PM

Strategic Leadership for Compliance Executives: Building Organizational Trust

This high-impact session reveals the specific strategies and communication techniques that elevate compliance executives into trusted C-suite partners. Learn how to command boardroom attention, align compliance with business strategy, and build the executive presence that drives organizational change.

	Andrew McBride CEO Integrity Bridge LLC

5:15 – 6:00 PM

Networking Reception

Speakers

Andrew McBride

CEO | Integrity Bridge LLC.

Andrew has over 25 years of compliance experience, at an international law firm and several multinational companies in the Americas, Europe and Australasia.

In his most recent role as Chief Risk & Compliance Officer at Albemarle Corporation, he built a new ethics and compliance program, and recruited a new team, against the backdrop of an FCPA investigation. The investigation was resolved by way of a Non-Prosecution Agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice and Cease & Desist Order with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. As part of the resolution, Albemarle secured a 45% reduction in penalty due to its co-operation with the investigation and the compliance program that was built, the largest FCPA % penalty reduction to date. In recognition of these efforts Albemarle was awarded Compliance Program of the Year by Compliance Week in May 2024.

In parallel to the FCPA investigation and business ethics efforts, Andrew played a key role supporting Albemarle’s commitment to sustainability including UN Global Compact membership, management of the company’s human rights framework and support for the company’s successful efforts to achieve certification against the Initiative of Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA)’s Mining Standard.

Prior to Albemarle, Andrew was Associate General Counsel Compliance at BHP, Senior Antitrust Counsel at BP and Managing Associate at Linklaters. Andrew is admitted to practice law in England, Western Australia & California. He is also a Certified Fraud Examiner.

Moderators

Steph Holmes

Director of Ethics & Compliance Strategy | EQS Group

Steph Holmes is the Director of Ethics & Compliance Strategy at EQS Group, where she partners with organizations to turn compliance programs into strategic assets that scale with the business. With a sharp focus on customer needs, she helps shape intuitive, effective solutions that empower companies to navigate regulatory complexity with clarity and confidence. As part of EQS’s Center of Excellence, Steph operates at the intersection of compliance, innovation, and program enablement — leveraging digitalization, automation, and smart design to future-proof ethics and compliance programs. She holds a Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology from the University of Denver, along with CCEP and LPEC certifications. When she’s not working , Steph recharges outdoors—often found camping, biking, or snowboarding in the Colorado mountains.

Marco Goldberg

Managing Director US | EQS Group

Marco Goldberg leads the North America business of EQS Group as the Managing Director. As an experienced Compliance professional, Marco has helped companies ranging from Fortune 100 enterprises to SMEs implement effective global compliance programs. His expertise ranges from implementing successful global Speak Up programs to policy management, conflict of interest, approval management, as well as risk management. Marco has lead the expansion of EQS Group in North America since 2016 and is located in New York City. With a background in Capital Market Compliance, he holds a Master’s Degree in International Management from the School of International Business and Entrepreneurship, Steinbeis, Berlin.

Location

TBD