Francisca Correa Vásquez (Bureau Veritas Chile): "In Chile, risk prevention has been integrated into management systems”

Leaders League: What has it been like to take on the role of chief compliance officer at Bureau Veritas, and what have been your top priorities in these initial months?

Francisca Correa Vásquez: Taking on the role has been a very enriching challenge. From day one, my objective has been to strengthen a culture of integrity as a strategic pillar of the business.

During these first few months, my efforts have focused on updating and strengthening our crime prevention model, particularly in light of new obligations such as Law 21.595 and the Karin Law, as well as reinforcing the ethics line and internal investigation processes to ensure faster response times, greater traceability and absolute impartiality.

At the same time, I have worked to promote a culture of shared responsibility, where every department ‒ operations, commercial, finance and support ‒ understands that ethics is part of its role and not solely the responsibility of the legal team.

More than introducing new rules, the priority has been to build a culture where integrity is lived on a daily basis.

How does the legal department integrate compliance with Bureau Veritas’ core business, particularly in areas such as certification, auditing, inspection and assurance?

Compliance is at the heart of what we do. Bureau Veritas exists to build trust, and trust can only be sustained when processes are ethical, independent, and technically flawless.

Our role meshes with the business in several ways: we protect the impartiality of every certification and audit, ensuring there are no conflicts of interest or commercial pressures, and we support operational areas in identifying and mitigating integrity risks, from audit planning to report issuance. Integrity is not an add-on to our service ‒ it is part of its very essence.

“Digitalization has redefined the risks we manage ‒ today the main challenge is not only protecting systems, but protecting trust, our most valuable asset”

How do you assess the new risks associated with digitization, cybersecurity and automation within inspection and certification processes?

Digitalization has profoundly transformed the way companies operate, and at Bureau Veritas, it has also redefined the risks we must manage. Today, the main challenge is not only to protect systems but to protect trust, which is the company’s most valuable asset.

Emerging risks focus on three areas: cybersecurity and protection of sensitive information, as our industry handles high-impact technical data ‒ any breach affects not only the company but also our clients’ operations; integrity of digital processes, as we move toward remote inspections, automated platforms and digital signatures, ensuring traceability, authenticity, and protection against report manipulation; and responsible use of technologies such as AI and automation, which improve efficiency but must operate under algorithmic ethics, human oversight and continuous auditing.

This is why we now talk about “Digital Trust”: the idea that trust is built not only through technical rigor but also through technological security, transparency and control. Our approach has been proactive, strengthening internal capabilities and raising standards so that digitalization becomes an enabler rather than a risk.

What needs do you see in the region with regard to ethical culture and governance in industries that depend on certifications to operate?

In Latin America, there are still significant gaps between regulations and practice, but Chile stands out as one of the countries with the most robust compliance ecosystems in the region. Both the private sector and regulators have fostered a culture where transparency, traceability, and governance have become part of the operational standard.

Even so, at a regional level, I observe four clear needs:

• Greater maturity in corporate governance: Many companies have codes and policies but lack strong monitoring structures, ethical performance metrics, and true accountability from leaders. 

• More applied, less declarative ethical training: Organizations need training focused on judgment, real dilemmas and the strengthening of professional discretion, not just regulatory frameworks.

• Rigorous management of conflicts of interest: This is particularly relevant in industries where certifications are required to operate. Chile has made significant progress in this area, with stricter processes and more robust controls that now serve as a reference for other countries in the region.

• Use of risk-based models and operational integrity: Chile has established itself as a country where prevention is integrated into management systems. However, outside Chile, a more reactive than preventive approach is still observed.

In summary, the Chilean system is solid, demanding and mature, which has raised the standard not only for Bureau Veritas but for the entire certification and inspection industry. The regional challenge is to achieve the same level of consistency and depth, because ultimately, integrity is an indispensable requirement to compete in markets where trust is the essential value.