SNC-Lavalin hires new compliance officer to lead ethics efforts
by Canadian Manufacturing Daily Staff
Former Dow Chemical executive David Wilkins takes compliance officer reins from Andreas Pohlmann
MONTREAL—SNC-Lavalin has hired a former Dow Chemical Co. executive to lead its ethics and compliance efforts in the ongoing battle against corruption allegations that have rocked the embattled engineering firm.
David Wilkins is set to take on the role of chief compliance officer with the Montreal-based firm March 1, taking the reins from Andreas Pohlmann, who was named to the position last year to help establish new corporate governance standards in the wake of the scandal that climbed all the way up the corporate ladder.
“Having witnessed the rapid progress SNC-Lavalin has made over the past year to strengthen its ethics and compliance framework, I am thrilled to be on board,” Wilkins said in a statement released by the company.
“SNC-Lavalin’s employees have shown the world that they have turned the page. I want to help this remarkable company reach its true potential.”
Wilkins has been in charge of ethics and compliance at Dow Chemicals since 2008, and was general counsel of Dow subsidiary Union Carbide Corp. for three years before that.
He joined Dow in 1987 after 10 years practicing private law in Illinois.
Under Pohlmann, SNC-Lavalin implemented a new ethics and compliance program to prevent potential ethics-related issues throughout all levels of the organization.
Pohlmann will stay with SNC-Lavlin until June, when he will move into a consulting role with a strategic focus on ongoing World Bank compliance initiatives.
“I have been truly impressed with what SNC-Lavalin’s employees have accomplished and to see that their hard work is supported by our many stakeholders throughout the world,” Pohlmann said. “SNC-Lavalin is a model for other companies who must also establish world-class ethics and compliance frameworks.”
Wilkins will report directly to SNC-Lavalin president and CEO Robert Card.
