Boyden's Leadership Series Features Magna's Chief Compliance Officer Joanne Horibe

Boyden features Joanne Horibe, Chief Compliance Officer at global automotive supplier Magna International. She discusses creating a culture of compliance, working within a multinational organization, auto industry consolidation, how executive search firms provide extra compliance, the importance of looking beyond traditional protocols in hiring, and the benefit of leadership activities outside of work.

Boyden: You’ve worked your way up at Magna since joining the company about 14 years ago. How has your role changed?

Horibe: It has changed in a few ways. Coming from a law firm, I was used to working on a corporate M&A deal for months and then walking away as soon as the deal closed. After closing my first deal at Magna, I recall the business leaders turning to me and saying, “Now how do we integrate this new company into Magna?” This took me off guard. As in-house counsel, a large part of the value that I provide is as a common sense sounding board. I bring my legal background, but I am also asked to counsel on topics much broader than pure legal advice.

Previously, I spent 12 years working in one of Magna’s seven product groups. Then I moved to the corporate side as vice president of ethics and compliance, and now chief compliance officer. My role is more about being proactive, and directing the creation of a program that will deal with the risks that we have today and may face in the future.

Boyden: It sounds like you’ve enjoyed being in roles that are not pure legal counsel…

Horibe: Yes, definitely. Being able to make decisions is something that law firm lawyers often lament not having enough opportunity to do. Both as an in-house lawyer and in my current role, I have a lot of decision-making opportunities. It’s been a different skill set to some extent, but one that I’m really enjoying.

The full interview is published on Boyden’s website. Read the full article.