☛ Why is the position open?

☛ If someone was previously in the position, what were the circumstances of his/her departure?

☛ Prior to hiring me, would you permit me to meet privately with the chair of the board or committee responsible for compliance oversight?

☛ What keeps you up at night?

☛ For any prior government sanctioned infraction, what are the lessons learned? What changes have been made?

☛ What do you believe to be the greatest regulatory compliance risks facing the company?

☛ What do you believe to be the greatest business risks facing the company?

☛ What do you believe to be the greatest geographic risks facing the company?

☛ Describe the relationship between the company and the regulators

☛ What are the main challenges for a CCO in the coming nine months?

☛ Are there any areas where the compliance program is not meeting management or board expectations?

☛ Do you believe employees are comfortable in reporting potential ethical/compliance infractions?

☛ Have you ever had an outside evaluation of your compliance program?

☛ Is there anything you believe management can do to support the compliance program?

☛ What is the budget/staffing for the Compliance function?

☛ What are the reporting lines for the role?

☛ Can the CCO veto a Due Diligence target?

☛ At what stage is the compliance department involved in establishing a relationship with a business partner?

☛ At what stage is the compliance department involved in the M&A process?

☛ Is it customary for the CCO to sit in operations meetings pertaining to new products and market initiatives so as to advise the business on risk?

☛ What role do you see Compliance playing in management meetings?

☛ What is the formal frequency of reporting to the Board and what is the policy for Board reporting on an as needed basis?

☛ Have executives in your organization ever walked away from a business opportunity for ethical and/or compliance concerns?

☛ Do you feel ethics/compliance is an essential part of a successful business or something that’s just a reality you have to deal with these days?

☛ Do you think that ethical business practices do in fact lead to a more successful business if done the right way?

☛ How do you view the compliance officer – as part of the business or an external function?

☛ What did or didn’t you like about working with their former CCO?

☛ What sort of questions have you raised to the previous Compliance Officer? Have questions been purely technical or have they extended to broader business practices?

☛ What do you and Board leadership think about regulatory compliance risk and whether it is viewed proactive or only reactively?

☛ How do you think compliance can be a strategic partner in achieving your goals? Is it more just “keep us out of trouble?”

☛ Are there ways you believe the compliance program could be a strategic advantagefor the company in terms of its health and growth?

☛ How would you describe the values of the leadership team and what does the tone at the top look like?

☛ Who has authority to fire me?

☛ What are you offering in the way of liability protection?

☛ Am I free to engage my own counsel if necessary in a response to a government investigation?

☛ Can I go to outside counsel on issues before discussing with General Counsel?