First Costa Rican company obtains ISO 37001 anti-bribery certification
Costa Rican consulting firm CCA Business Strategy SA became the first company in the country to receive ISO 37001 certification, the world’s leading anti-bribery standard.
CCA is also the first consulting company in Central America to be certified as ISO 37001:2016 Anti-Bribery Management System, the international standard that recognizes companies that have a solid anti-corruption management system.
During the process carried out over a year, all company officials had to be arduously trained in the controls and actions that must be taken to mitigate risks. This ensures the anonymity of bribery reports and includes rules that prevent receiving or offering prizes, gifts or rewards from other companies or the government.
CCA’s clients include pharmaceutical, financial, energy multinationals, as well as food chains.
“Every time we sign a contract with a multinational, we have to go through a rigorous training process, with a series of questionnaires and necessary declarations,” said Federico Jenkins, co-founder of CCA Business Strategy.
“That is because reputation is priceless. In addition, there are very strict laws that imply severe consequences for the business for any non-compliance. Having been through these processes many times, we felt it was important for us and our clients to invest in developing a system and set of procedures to do business as transparently as possible,” Jenkins said.
The company was certified on March 30 by Staregister International, an accredited certification body based in Chicago, and was guided through the process by the company Intedya.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) established ISO 37001 in 2016 as the first global standard that seeks to prevent possible cases of bribery.
The certification implied the creation of an internal administration unit led by the executive Natalia Elizondo, who managed the implementation process and coordinated the process between the company, the advisors and the auditing firm.
“The certification process required a continuous and sustained effort from the company. The standard seeks for the organization to assume a culture of integrity and regulatory compliance with its business partners, employees, senior management and suppliers, so we now have a tool that allows us to reduce the risks of bribery and certifies our organization as a transparent and ethical service provider. In addition, as a result of this process, a positive impact is generated in the quality of the service we provide, increases customer confidence and promotes international recognition,” explained Elizondo, now CCA’s Compliance Officer.
CCA Business Strategy is a boutique firm specialized in corporate and legal matters, founded in 2013 by lawyers Federico Jenkins and Mariamalia Guillén. The company provides advice on regulatory legal strategy in the Caribbean and Central America.
“One of the lessons learned after a year of the certification process and of generating all the policies and procedures is that even for a small company, a series of controls can and must be implemented. Certifying ourselves was a challenge that we took on, committed to our principles and values,” said Mariamalia Guillen, co-founder of CCA Business Strategy.
Who we are
The firm provides advice on regulatory strategy and corporate matters in Central America and the Caribbean.
CCA Business Strategy is a boutique firm specializing in corporate and legal matters
Foundation: 2013
Founders: Mariamalia Guillen and Federico Jenkins