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The Compliance Life details the journey to and in the role of a Chief Compliance Officer. How does one come to sit in the CCO chair? What are some of the skills a CCO needs to success navigate the compliance waters in any company? What are some of the top challenges CCOs have faced and how did they meet them? These questions and others are explored in this new podcast series hosted by Tom Fox with the Compliance Podcast Network.
Over four episodes each month on The Compliance Life, Tom visits with one current or former CCO to explore their journey to the CCO chair. This month, his guest is Exiger’s John Melican, former CCO at AMEX Travel and now Managing Director at Exiger.
Episode 01: New York County DA
In this episode, John Melican discusses his academic career and early professional life. Melican attended Colgate for undergrad and the University of Albany for law school. He began his career with the New York County District Attorney’s office. There, he moved from the Trial Division to the Investigations Division, Special Prosecutions Bureau and then to the Investigations Division, Frauds Bureau. During this time with the DA, Melican played a role in some trying cases and large white-collar prosecutions.
Podcast also available on the Compliance Podcast Network, Megaphone, and iTunes.
Episode 02: Move into the Corporate World and Compliance
Melican moved to the corporate world starting at the New York Stock Exchange. He then went into the financial services world at Bearn Sterns. He was a Managing Director/Principal for three years. It was at Bearn Sterns he began his career in AML work and in compliance. He also discusses moving from a financial services firm to one of the largest multi-national companies in the travel and financial transactions business.
Podcast is also available on the Compliance Podcast Network, Megaphone, and iTunes.
Episode 03: Into the CCO Chair
Melican moved into the CCO chairs at AMEX travel. He said a key lesson was that being a CCO was leading through orchestration not simply execution. He worked to educate colleagues on how compliance changes were made, and why they benefited AMEX Travel. Melican also discussed some of the top challenges he faced and how his compliance team overcame them through collaboration.
Podcast is also available on the Compliance Podcast Network, Megaphone, and iTunes.
Episode 04: After the CCO Chair
Melican looks back on his decision to join Exiger, his time as a CCO, and his roles in AML compliance. He then discusses the role of a CCO, compliance functions and the increased use of data and tech solutions. We end this series by looking down the road to where a CCO position will be in 2025 and beyond.
Podcast is also available on the Compliance Podcast Network, Megaphone, and iTunes.
