Compliance Superhero: Jenna Allen
Welcome back to our Compliance Superhero Series! Every month, we highlight a compliance professional who we feel is doing excellent work and ask them about their background, their thoughts on the industry, and any hidden superpowers they have. I’ve reached out to Marvel about adding them to the next phase of the MCU, but in the meantime, you can get to know them here. This month, we’re highlighting Jenna Allen, a Compliance Manager at RXMG. The interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Welcome! Tell me a little bit about yourself and your role at RXMG.
I have worked at RXMG for over four years as the Compliance Manager. Since then, our compliance department has doubled in size, and we have a much broader reach across multiple traffic channels. Our primary focuses, among many other things, are on CAN-SPAM and TCPA compliance and ethical business practices on a state and federal level.
What was your path to the compliance space?
My path into the compliance space began without my knowing! I am passionate about the environment and have worked in renewable energy for many years. Working in a heavily regulated environment, such as renewable energy, made me realize the importance of adhering to guidelines while driving business growth.
This experience naturally led me to the compliance field at RXMG, where I saw an opportunity to blend my expertise with a passion for creating ethical and sustainable business practices.
What compels you about the work you do?
My passion for compliance is directly related to my passion for RXMG’s mission and vision. I try to balance protecting our shared goal while also facilitating its growth. What fuels my desire to push our compliance practices is knowing that we are doing the right thing even when it’s more difficult. You never know what regulation is changing or what new challenge you will encounter that day, but that is also what makes each day new and engaging.
What’s your biggest piece of advice for a successful compliance program?
The biggest piece of advice for a successful compliance program is to integrate compliance into the company culture on all levels. Everyone, from the top leadership to the new intern, needs to live the values of compliance. It isn’t easy to bring compliance concerns to your manager, so there needs to be clear communication, ongoing education, and a proactive approach to identifying and mitigating risks.
Compliance also needs to be awarded. When compliance is embraced and compliant behavior is displayed throughout the organization, it becomes the natural state of company culture. Build strong relationships with your colleagues and business partners. Learn their departments and see where their department and compliance overlap. There could be opportunities to create a more compliant workspace you might not even know exists yet.
What tools–software or otherwise–are most important for your work?
I rely on a combination of specialized software and manual processes. I have leveraged AI and automation to allocate our resources to areas that cannot be automated. Continuous education and a natural sense of curiosity are also essential for a successful compliance program.
How does PerformLine fit into the work you do?
PerformLine is one of our first lines of defense. While it ensures that our marketing content complies with industry regulations and our internal guidelines, it also helps reduce our noncompliance risk and protects RXMG’s reputation. What I utilize most are the customizable search options. The automation saves us a lot of time by running these searches for us and presenting the results in daily emails. This allows us the time to research the results to identify sources and mitigation plans rather than running manual queries.
I also make time each week to listen to PerformLine’s COMPLY podcast and read the Regulatory Roundup. I also look forward to the COMPLY Summit events. When I have a specific regulatory question, my first stop is the Resource Library. Most of the time, I can find the answer there, which saves me a lot of time.
What do you see happening within the compliance space in the next 1-2 years?
In the next 1-2 years, I see compliance integrating even more with technology, specifically the rise of AI and machine learning, which is exciting and scary. These advances can bring many new opportunities to make our industry safer and allow for significant business growth. Compliance programs will also become more predictive, allowing companies to anticipate risks before they materialize. Compliance professionals must be more agile and forward-thinking as regulations evolve to address these new digital challenges.
What’s your secret superpower?
Professionally, I manage my time very well. I can easily set boundaries and give each project the time and attention it needs without getting distracted by other work. This allows me to maintain my focus for long periods of time and helps with my accuracy. Personally, I can back into any parking spot, no matter the size of the spot or vehicle.