Duarte Santana Lopes at the Advocatus Summit discusses the strategic role of compliance in companies

Duarte Santana Lopes, partner at Morais Leitão, argued at the 8th edition of the Advocatus Summit that compliance should be viewed as a strategic pillar of corporate management, rather than merely a bureaucratic obligation. In his remarks, he emphasised that compliance and governance, while distinct, must be aligned to ensure the proper functioning of organisations.

The increasing regulatory burden — driven by regimes such as anti-money laundering, anti-corruption, and international sanctions — is demanding a more structured response from companies. The potential introduction of new obligations related to ESG further reinforces this need.

According to the lawyer, training has played a key role in shifting the mindset of business leaders, making them more aware of the importance of regulatory compliance.

He also highlighted whistleblowing channels as one of the most significant innovations in compliance programmes. These mechanisms, he noted, are widely implemented by companies and have had a strong internal impact, even if some reports may be unfounded.

Duarte Santana Lopes’s perspective underscores the importance of a preventive, ethical, and integrated approach to compliance, with direct implications for organisational sustainability and reputation.

Watch the lawyer’s intervention here.