SIFMA C&L Virtual Forum 2021 Program
Overview
The 2021 C&L Virtual Forum, hosted by SIFMA’s Compliance & Legal Society, features 23 live sessions over three packed days. In addition, participate in our digital learning labs, virtual exhibit hall, lunch & learns and networking sessions with speakers and C&L Executive Committee Members.
You will be able to view all keynotes, featured panels and concurrent sessions at the times listed or view at your leisure starting July 21st until August 23rd. You will be eligible to receive CLE credit during the on-demand period where noted with CLE. Explore the full program below to customize your experience today.

SIFMA C&L Virtual Forum 2021 Program
A gathering for regulators and industry professionals to exchange ideas and empower success
Registration Closed
Overview
The 2021 C&L Virtual Forum, hosted by SIFMA’s Compliance & Legal Society, features 23 live sessions over three packed days. In addition, participate in our digital learning labs, virtual exhibit hall, lunch & learns and networking sessions with speakers and C&L Executive Committee Members.
You will be able to view all keynotes, featured panels and concurrent sessions at the times listed or view at your leisure starting July 21st until August 23rd. You will be eligible to receive CLE credit during the on-demand period where noted with CLE. Explore the full program below to customize your experience today.
Program
View by day or download the print-friendly pdf (program as of July 9, 2021).
C&L Explore is a fun way to ensure you make the most out of your virtual experience and enter for a chance to win big prizes!
C&L Explore is an interactive way to virtually engage with sponsors. To participate: Find the C&L Explore icon displayed at various locations and complete the associated task or answer a quick question to earn points.
Our program, subject to change, offers a comprehensive review of the most critical compliance and legal issues. Confirmed speakers are reflected currently, additional speakers will be added. Stay tuned!
10:00am – 11:00am
Visit our Virtual Exhibit Hall to learn about the latest specialized products and services in Compliance & Legal, and to discover live thought leadership sessions presented via C&L Digital Learning Labs, a 15-minute presentations hosted by representatives from our sponsoring firms and packed with need-to-know information.
10:00am – 10:15am
“Amidst an ever-evolving environment—including our new hybrid or remote-first work environment—firms must adopt an agile, forward-thinking mindset to ensure they proactively address the compliance challenges of the future.
This session will share practical, actionable strategies that can be implemented at each level of the organization to drive a compliance-led mindset:
Maintain effective programs and controls, while addressing regulatory obligations and pandemic-related adjustments. With digital client engagement now viewed as table stakes, vigilance and ongoing review is more critical than ever.
Drive efficiency through a tailored lexicon and prioritized review processes, in order to maximize compliance hygiene and streamline efficiency
Develop creative, engaging content that bridges the gap until in-person meetings resume, but that also thrives in a hybrid post-pandemic world ”
Participants
Iain Duke-Richardet
Speaker

10:20am – 10:35am
Social activism drives both opportunity and an emerging risk considerations for most institutions. The levers used to effectuate change can include social media campaigns, shareholder investments and board queries/resolutions, political activism, and even litigation. Recent US Senate Banking Committee hearings highlighted the risk impact to financial institutions. Explore with us the intersection of corporate strategic aspirations/brand strategy with compliance/operations risk, counterparty risk, and litigation risk in the current environment:
• Vendor/ Counter Party risks: the impact of increasing benefits corporations certifications
• Litigation tactics: Leveraging corporate disclosures as a “smoking gun” and seeking to holding corporations to account for aspirational statements and operations targets
• Case Study – Civil actions against “Big Plastics”…can it happen to this sector?
• Mitigating the Risk: Can international NGO or governmental accreditations mitigate risk?
• Products and Services risk considerations: Aging populations, equity considerations, achieving aspirational goals
Participants
Douglas A. Thompson, Ariel White-Tsimikalis
Speakers


10:40am – 10:55am
Communications compliance technology can help firms navigate today’s regulatory and risk landscape. As technology and business needs constantly evolve, identifying and mitigating the risks of your remote workforce helps firms avoid costly fines and reputational damage, and gain strategic insight on how to tackle communications oversight.
Participants
Aaron Nelson
Speaker

11:00am – 11:05am
Participants
Lauri Scoran
Speaker

11:05am – 11:35am
Participants
Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr., Commissioner Elad L. Roisman
Moderator

Speaker

11:45am – 12:45pm
Participants
Michelle Bryan Oroschakoff, Stacey Friedman, Eric F. Grossman, Christopher Lewis, Ellen Patterson
Moderator

Panelists




1:00pm – 2:00pm
Join us for a One-Hour, Live Streamed, Lunch & Learn Session, hosted by SIFMA’s C&L Virtual Forum Diamond Sponsors. Each Lunch & Learn Session will offer an opportunity to listen to thought leadership on a topical subject, hosted on a Zoom platform and can potentially offer CLE Credits. SIFMA will also host a raffle drawing after each lunch and learn for participants who attend the entire session. Additionally, Lunch & Learn Sessions are eligible for gamification points. Space is limited to 50 per lunch & learn and it is first-come at the time of the session. More details to follow. Stay tuned!
Special Purpose Acquisition Corporations (SPACs) have exploded in recent years, far overtaking traditional IPOs as a means of going public. The pace of so-called de-SPAC transactions has also accelerated, as has the pace of lawsuits asserting securities fraud in connection with either the SPAC formation, the de-SPAC transaction, or sometimes even both.
The panel will focus on SPAC litigation trends and highlight the following topics:
• SEC commentary and enforcement activity
• The applicability (or not) of the PSLRA statutory safe-harbor to the de-SPAC
• Current state of case law
• Best practices to reduce litigation exposures
Participants
Alan I. Annex, Elaine C. Greenberg, Daniel J. Tyukody
Panelists



Join us for a discussion about the current SEC focus on ESG and sustainability, including key observations from the Division of Examinations’ Risk Alert on ESG Investing and thoughts about the Division of Enforcement’s new Climate and ESG Task Force.
We will explore how investment advisers and broker-dealers can manage SEC examination and enforcement risk in this area and will cover:
• Defining and disclosing ESG practices;
• Integrating ESG factors into the portfolio management and proxy voting process;
• Avoiding “greenwashing” and claims of inaccurate or misleading advertising;
• Developing appropriate policies, procedures, and internal controls; and
• Anticipating potential enforcement actions based on disclosure, materiality, sales practices, and fiduciary duty.
2:00pm – 3:30pm
3:30pm – 4:30pm
Concurrent Sessions: View Live Today or On-Demand (On-Demand viewing will start the following day and will be available to view at your leisure until August 20. CLE Credit will also be available for on demand viewing.
- Evolving standards of care
- Regulatory focus areas
- Complex and new products
- Cyber, privacy & remote working
Participants
Anne Tennant, Carrie Bechtold, Andrew Sidman, William St. Louis, Corin R. Swift
Moderator

Panelists




- Challenges faced in 2020
- Planning for the future – Technology/Artificial Intelligence/Robotics/Data
- Future role of Compliance: What should we focus on in a return to office/hybrid staffing model?
- Managing a global crisis from a financial services perspective (How prepared are we?)
- Compliance Officers of the Future – Skills, acumen and diversity considerations
Participants
Nancy Swift, MaryBeth Findlay, Julian Moore, Michael Richman, Jennifer Taylor, Raul F. Yanes
Moderator

Panelists





- Evolving regulatory expectations and exam priorities from SEC, FINRA, and other regulators
- Era of heightened risk related to geopolitical issues, pandemic, supply shortages, etc.
- NY Fed “pre-mortem analysis” warning of potential systemic impact from cyberattack on financial market participants
- Best practices for insider threat programs
- Third party risk management
Participants
Jodi Pinedo, Nicole Friedlander, Pablo Martinez, Thomas F. Price, Andrew Tannenbaum
Moderator

Panelists




- Event Driven Litigation in the Face of COVID—In Re Carnival Corp Securities Litigation, Force Majeure Issues and More
- Ford Motor Company v. Montana Eighth Judicial District Court; the “Relate to” Standard and its Impact on Pending Antitrust Actions
- Class Certification and the Presumption of Reliance– Goldman Sachs Group v. Arkansas Teacher Retirement System
- A Focus on ESG—Derivative Actions, Section 220 Demands and Securities Class Actions
- SPACs and the Intersecting Interests of Sponsors, Targets, Investors and Regulators
- A Syndicated Term Loan is Not a Security—Millennium
Participants
Mary Reisert, Adam Hakki, Brad Karp, Jay Kasner, Sharon Nelles, Jayant W. Tambe
Moderator

Panelists





Participants
Felicia Rector, Kyle Brandon, Matthew Danton, Annie Hsu, Colin D. Lloyd
Moderator

Panelists




Participants
Mary Abbajay
Speaker

4:40pm – 5:15pm
Join speakers, SIFMA’s C&L Executive Committee and Future Leaders in smaller networking sessions to talk about today’s sessions. These sessions will take place in a Zoom room, space is limited to 25 per networking topic and it is first-come at the time of the session.
Participants
Jodi Pinedo, Joan Schwartz, Christopher K. Williams
Speakers



Join speakers, SIFMA’s C&L Executive Committee and Future Leaders in smaller networking sessions to talk about today’s sessions. These sessions will take place in a Zoom room, space is limited to 25 per networking topic and it is first-come at the time of the session.
Participants
Barbara Armeli, Aubrey Cook, MaryBeth Findlay
Speakers



10:00am – 11:00am
Visit our Virtual Exhibit Hall to learn about the latest specialized products and services in Compliance & Legal, and to discover live thought leadership sessions presented via C&L Digital Learning Labs, a 15-minute presentations hosted by representatives from our sponsoring firms and packed with need-to-know information.
10:00am – 10:15am
Overview of the Whistleblower Rule: Drafting Internal Policies and Procedures, Document Preservation, Who Should conduct the Investigation, Drafting the Final Report
Participants
Stephen J. Shine
Speaker

10:20am – 10:35am
There is little doubt that COVID-19 has had huge impacts on our supply chain, and the effects can be felt by the increase in prices and availability of goods. While it is uncertain if inflation is here to stay or transitory, the undefined outlook of interest rates, coupled with massive leverage extension, and increased capital supply should drive firms to better understand the sufficiency of controls they have to manage a change in the economy.
Participants
Suzy Auletta, John McDermott, Douglas Wilbert
Speakers



10:40am – 10:55am
Unforeseen calamities have exposed weaknesses, requiring firms to take a different approach to sustain long-term organizational resilience and growth. These developments have also significantly impacted the way firms approach and think about trader surveillance. In this session, we will discuss –
Recent developments and approaches to Operational Resilience, including:
1) Emerging expectations from the regulators
2) Operating models and frameworks
3) Scenario planning
Market trends in the trade surveillance space, including:
1) The rationalization of surveillance portfolios
2) Tuning and optimization of surveillance patterns
3) Risk ranking of alerts”
Participants
Brian Hart, Paul Fagone
Speakers


11:00am – 11:05am
Participants
Michelle Bryan Oroschakoff
Speaker

11:05am – 11:35am
Participants
Jacqueline LiCalzi, Carla Harris
Moderator

Speaker

11:45am – 12:00pm
Participants
Rich Link, Penny Pennington
Moderator

Speaker

12:05pm – 1:05pm
Concurrent Sessions: View Live Today or On-Demand (On-Demand viewing will start the following day and will be available to view at your leisure until August 20. CLE Credit will also be available for on demand viewing.
- Elephant in the room – why is DEI progress so slow?
- Ethical issues for collecting and USING data to advance DEI (ABA Resolution 113)
- Paths for Advancement and Senior Leadership
- Joint Development of Diverse Talent – Outside Counsel Engagement
Participants
Alita Wingfield, Michael Freedman, Pamela Gibbs, Sandra Dawn Grannum, Autumn Hunter
Moderator

Panelists




- Evolving Regulatory Expectations for Compliance Programs
- Compliance Challenges in a Hybrid Work Environment
- Effective Escalation
- Employee Oversight and Evolving Monitoring Expectations
Participants
Mike Silva, Jane Morril, Edward P. O’Keefe, Edvard S. Olsen, Vince Perrone
Moderator

Panelists




- Changes to surveillance over the last year due to the remote work environment and evolving expectations
- What are the key components of a great surveillance program?
- How are Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Data Analytics Tools being used in Financial Services?
- Regulatory Guidance on Using Social Media
- Recent Disciplinary Actions Involving Electronic Communications and Surveillance
- Challenges with Supervision and Record Retention of Communication Apps
- Managing Increasing Digitization in the Workplace
Participants
John O’Neill, Stephen Bard, Howard Kramer, Chris Sherlock, Amy Watson
Moderator

Panelists




- The benefits and drawbacks of negotiating in a virtual environment vs. in person
- Virtual and In Person: best practices, strategies and tactics from opening through closure
- Developing rapport, persuasion and effective communication in a virtual environment
- Virtual Mediation, bi-lateral discussions and other tools
- Ethical issues in negotiation: good faith, conflicts, confidentiality
- The impact of diversity (or lack thereof) on negotiations
Participants
Joe Salama, Kathy Adams, Lisa Bertain, Scott Musoff, Robin Nunn
Moderator

Panelists




- Mutual fund and ETF recommendations
-
- C Share holdings and conversions to A Shares
- Unit Investment Trusts
- A Share recommendations in comparison to Passive/Active ETF shares
- Leveraged and Inverse ETFs
- 529 plans and differing share classes
- Managed accounts versus brokerage accounts
- Supervising the account type recommendation and validating on an ongoing basis
- Third party management versus financial advisor discretion
- Documenting the value provided for the investment advice fee paid
- Holding concentration limits
- Annuities Recommendations – riders and share classes
- Which to recommend (Variable, Structured, Fixed Rate, Fixed Indexed)
- Income riders
- Share class differences
- Alternative investments for retail clients
- For which clients are these appropriate
- What concentration limits for such products
Participants
Mike Burton, John V. Ayanian, Christa Graverson, Dina Starace
Moderator

Panelists



The session is designed for participants to grapple with real organizational problems as they learn the dynamic concepts and skills of effective coaching. As they deal with these issues they explore the assumptions embedded in their view of the problem, and how these assumptions often drive their thinking and behavior. By learning to actively surface and test their thinking and the logic inherent in their views, participants can greatly enhance their organizational and professional effectiveness, and effectively tackle problems that would otherwise go unaddressed or unsolved.
Participants will increase their ability to …
- Identify organizational, team, and interpersonal situations that they find most problematic and recognize why their best efforts to deal with these situations are often ineffective.
- Develop skills for having responsibly robust conversations with people in higher positions of authority so that critical bottom-up communication remains open and productive.
- Foster conditions that will enable people to act with high levels of candor, respect, and responsibility as they engage difficult, complex issues.
- Significantly reduce destructive finger pointing and blaming when dealing with tough problems and issues, and keep people focused on the relevant issues.
- Apply new action models for advocacy and inquiry to real business issues.
Participants
Tony Herrera, Ed.D.
Speaker

1:10pm – 2:10pm
Join us for a One-Hour, Live Streamed, Lunch & Learn Session, hosted by SIFMA’s C&L Virtual Forum Diamond Sponsors. Each Lunch & Learn Session will offer an opportunity to listen to thought leadership on a topical subject, hosted on a Zoom platform and can potentially offer CLE Credits. SIFMA will also host a raffle drawing after each lunch and learn for participants who attend the entire session. Additionally, Lunch & Learn Sessions are eligible for gamification points. Space is limited to 50 per lunch & learn and it is first-come at the time of the session. More details to follow. Stay tuned!
Join us for a discussion on the following topics:
- SEC, FINRA, and DOJ Rules and Guidance
- SEC’s cooperation program
- FINRA Rule 4530(b), Regulatory Notice 08-70 and 19-23
- DOJ guidance on cooperation
- Self-Reporting Initiatives
- SEC (Municipalities Continuing Disclosure Cooperation, Customer Protection Rule, Share Class Selection Disclosure)
- FINRA (Mutual Fund Share Class Waiver and 529 Plan Share Class Initiative)
- Practical considerations for firms
- Trends in self-reported settlements
Participants
Ariel Gursky, Anita Bandy, Sandra Moser, Karen O’Toole, Alexander B. White
Moderator

Speakers




The past decade has seen the proliferation of text and app-based messaging. The COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated the trend as employees increasingly turn to digital means of communication for business-related matters in a global remote work environment. Financial firms should take note of the legal risks associated with employees using text and app-based messaging, including the risk of ignoring red flags that employees are using such means of communication. This presentation will feature a discussion of the legal landscape and practical guidance for minimizing regulatory risks. The webinar will include updates from U.S. regulators, such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and U.K. regulators, such as the Financial Conduct Authority.
Participants
Lisa Bebchick, Shannon Capone Kirk, Judith Seddon
Panelists



We will examine market developments and regulatory considerations in a range of instruments designed to facilitate the global transition to a lower-carbon economy. The session will cover carbon markets in various jurisdictions as well as listed and OTC derivatives linked to such markets. We will also discuss the rise of newer types of sustainability-related derivatives, including instruments designed to mitigate climate litigation risk and transactions with payment terms linked to ESG KPIs.
2:10pm – 3:30pm
3:30pm – 4:30pm
- The Market Regulation surveillance and examination programs
- FINRA’s examination and risk monitoring programs
- Rulemaking initiatives
- Enforcement priorities
Participants
Ben A. Indek, Ornella Bergeron, Robert L.D. Colby, Stephanie Dumont, Jessica Hopper
Moderator

Panelists




4:40pm – 5:10pm
Join speakers, SIFMA’s C&L Executive Committee and Future Leaders in smaller networking sessions to talk about today’s sessions. These sessions will take place in a Zoom room, space is limited to 25 per networking topic and it is first-come at the time of the session.
Participants
Sara Carlesimo, John O’Neill, Mark Seffinger
Speakers



Join speakers, SIFMA’s C&L Executive Committee and Future Leaders in smaller networking sessions to talk about today’s sessions. These sessions will take place in a Zoom room, space is limited to 25 per networking topic and it is first-come at the time of the session.
Participants
Joe Salama, Andrew Stemmer, Alexander B. White
Speakers



10:00am – 10:45am
Visit our Virtual Exhibit Hall to learn about the latest specialized products and services in Compliance & Legal, and to discover live thought leadership sessions presented via C&L Digital Learning Labs, a 15-minute presentations hosted by representatives from our sponsoring firms and packed with need-to-know information.
10:10am – 10:25am
“— how a successful team must have members with multiple analytical and decision making styles
— how a meaningful diversity, equity and inclusion program plays a critical role in proper team building, but is not, in and of itself, sufficient for long term success
— how successful teams must be replenished in order to avoid defaulting to decisions that may have worked in the past but may not be appropriate for the immediate problem. ”
Participants
Joseph Polizzotto
Speaker

10:30am – 10:45am
Activists, NGOs and investors are increasingly scrutinizing organizations’ commitment to their environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals and initiatives, and identifying gaps in their programming. As such, companies can no longer afford to stay on the sidelines, but must embrace the new world order. This digital learning lab will explore how financial institutions should throw out their old playbooks and adopt new ways of thinking in order to mitigate risk, strengthen resilience and match their ESG aspirations to action.
Participants
David Curran
Speaker

10:45am – 10:50am
Participants
Lauri Scoran
Speaker

10:50am – 11:20am
Participants
Ira D. Hammerman, Robert W. Cook
Moderator

Speaker

11:30am – 12:30pm
Participants
Barbara A. Stettner, Bari M. Havlik, Lisa Hopkins, Daniel Kahl, Rajal Patel
Moderator

Panelists




12:35pm – 1:35pm
Concurrent Sessions: View Live Today or On-Demand (On-Demand viewing will start the following day and will be available to view at your leisure until August 20. CLE Credit will also be available for on demand viewing
- The Boundaries of Ethical Lawyering
- Ethical Considerations for Inhouse Counsel
- Ethics Issues in Government and Internal Investigations
- Hot Topics and Emerging Trends/Themes
Participants
Ellen Glaessner, Wayne Carlin, Cheryl L. Haas, Charlene Jones, Gregory Scanlon
Moderator

Panelists




- Examination Priorities tied to Reg BI as we pass the first anniversary
- Examination focus on AML and particularly Low Priced Securities and foreign accounts following the SEC Staff Bulletin and FINRA Notice 21-03
- Priorities tied to current events, such as platform availability despite high volumes, margin, short selling, digital currencies and other emerging areas of focus (FINRA Notice 21-12 & 21-15)
- Focus areas connected with the remote working environment, including the additional use of technology and electronic communications as well as business continuity plans
- Increased focus on cybersecurity and account takeovers give some of the increased account takeovers and FINRA Notice 21-14
- Continued SEC focus on revenue sharing related to products and payment for order flow
- Best Practices for successfully managing a regulatory examination
- Any areas of difference for BDs and RIAs should be highlighted and while some topics aren’t directly applicable to an RIA, we might consider how the fiduciary duty impacts the decision making process
Participants
KC Waldron, Amy Greer, Scott M. Murray, Thomas Nelli, Claire Tafelski
Moderator

Panelists




- Initial Public Offering of SPAC
- Sponsor Promote: existence of sponsor promote creates structural misalignment between sponsors and investors, structural reforms to eliminate misalignment (e.g. Ackman SPAC)
- Due Diligence and Disclosure: conflicts/sponsor compensation, warrant accounting
- SPAC Business Combination with Operating Company
- Pitching/business selection
- Managing internal conflicts associated with various roles available to firms
- Managing conflicts between firm and SPACs raised by firm
- Due diligence and disclosures in PIPE offering documents and proxy statement
- Potential legal and/or regulatory liability
Participants
Adam Meshel, Gabriela Aguero, Darian Futrell, David Hennes, Patricia Sindel
Moderator

Panelists




- Litigation and Arbitration in the Wake of COVID-19: Where Are We Now and Where Are We Heading?
- In the Zoom Where It Happens: Conducting Effective Remote and Hybrid Investigations
- Navigating the Current Enforcement Landscape: Maximizing Cooperation and Regulatory Good Will Virtually
- Strategic Considerations for Data and Document Collection, Preservation and Confidentiality in the Remote Environment
- Avoiding Traps for the Unwary with Witnesses and Remote Proceedings
Participants
Kevin M. Loftus, Patricia Canavan, Arian M. June, Tim Magee, Elizabeth Moum, Nader Salehi
Moderator

Panelists





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- Regulation Best Interest, one year on
- The DOL Fiduciary Rule
- State broker-dealer fiduciary/best interest initiatives
- CFP Board Standards of Conduct
Participants
Steve Hurd, Tammy Bawnik, Evan Charkes, Yoon-Young Lee, Theresa Seys
Moderator

Panelists




- The Biden Administration Begins: Changes at U.S. Enforcement Agencies
- New Enforcement Trends & Priorities
- Market manipulation/movement
- SPACs
- ESG
- FCPA & AML
- Expansion of SEC Disgorgement Power
Participants
Anthony Antonelli, George S. Canellos, Loretta E. Lynch, Ronald C. Machen, Gianluca Morello
Moderator

Panelists




1:35pm – 1:35pm
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it a whole host of adversities threatening to our well-being. Resilience—the ability to bounce back from challenges and adapt in the face of change—is perhaps more relevant now than ever. This session will discuss the science of resilience and concrete strategies that working professionals can employ to better thrive in all aspects of life.
Participants
Amanda D. Smith
Speaker

Sponsorship
For sponsorship inquiries, please contact Diana Serri at 212.313.1258.