In this episode of the COMPLY Podcast, I sat down for part 2 of a discussion with my special guest Kristina Sacco about building a strong culture of compliance. In this episode, Kristina shares some additional bits of wisdom and best practices for making sure that everyone understands the importance of compliance.
Discussion topics include:
- The important task of training and continuing education of yourself and your organization
- Why it is important for the message of compliance to be communicated from the top down.
- How compliance can work with the business to inspire change
- Advice for those new to compliance
Show Notes:
- Upcoming Events: https://events.performline.com/upcoming-events
- Part 1 of Kristina’s Podcast: https://performline.com/blog-post/episode-53-creating-a-culture-of-compliance-with-kristina-sacco-pt-1/
- Compliance Superhero Kristina Sacco: https://performline.com/blog-post/compliance-superhero-kristina-sacco/
- Connect with Rhonda: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhonda-mcgill/
- Connect with Kristina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-sacco-co/
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About COMPLY: The Marketing Compliance Podcast
The state of marketing compliance and regulation is evolving faster than ever, especially for those in the consumer finance space. On the COMPLY Podcast, we sit down with the biggest names in marketing, compliance, regulations, and innovation as they share their playbooks to help you take your compliance practice to the next level.
Episode Transcript:
Rhonda:
Hey there COMPLY podcast listeners, and welcome to this week’s episode. Today, we will share part two of my discussion with Kristina Sacco of Geneva Financial. This week Kristina and I will dive deeper into our discussion about building a strong compliance culture including the importance of training and education. Also the importance of messaging in support of compliance from the top down and so much more! So without further delay, let’s jump back into this discussion and as always, thanks for listening and enjoy!
Rhonda:
Thank you again for joining us for the COMPLY Podcast. Today, we’re going to have our second episode in our series around the culture of compliance. And today we are going to talk about how you build a solid compliance culture. And so returning with me today is my special guest, Kristina Sacco, who is with Geneva Financial and she has been a compliance professional with them for over a year now. I want to thank her again, for making herself available to join us for this series around the culture of compliance.
We’ve had some great conversations, and I thought it was important to bring Kristina back for this second episode. If you haven’t caught the first episode, please make it your business to go back and listen to episode one. We will also make it available in our show notes today. Kristina, welcome back.
Kristina:
Rhonda, thank you so much for having me. It’s great to be back. I love the compliance conversation—it’s kind of my bread and butter.
Rhonda:
I was about to say, you don’t just become a regular on this podcast for no reason. It’s important to have opportunities to speak with compliance professionals about compliance. We always talk about regulatory scrutiny and regulations, but we rarely have the chance to just talk about compliance as a whole and why having that culture of compliance within our organizations is so critical. So, thank you again for making yourself available for this discussion.
Kristina:
My pleasure, Rhonda. Thank you for having me.
Rhonda:
Today, I wanted to talk a little about laying the foundation and some strategies for building a compliance culture. Specifically, within your organization—as you shared with us in the first episode—you’re a smaller team, “small but mighty,” as you said. I love that description. But how does the organization as a whole approach training and education programs?
Kristina:
As a whole, it’s very organized. We have a subject matter expert responsible for the company-wide education and training requirements. This really lays the foundation for accountability. When professionals are accountable for what’s within their expertise, they are more likely to take ownership of something as important as education. Loan officers, for example, have a lot of education requirements, but so do all the professionals. As a compliance professional, I take continuing education classes each year, which is excellent because all the professionals are receiving the same information. It ensures that everyone is aligned, making progress easier.
Rhonda:
I couldn’t agree more. But one thing many companies struggle with is ensuring that message is carried from the top. Can we talk about the importance of leadership and setting that tone?
Kristina:
That “tone at the top” is a key ingredient for successful compliance management and leadership. It’s important for leaders, especially lenders, to demonstrate compliant behavior, as everyone sees it. Advertising is one area where this is particularly evident. I have a lot of experience with advertising, and I’ve always maintained that it’s a very public way to broadly demonstrate compliance to a wide audience. Trust and communication from leadership to management to employees—all of that is essential. When leadership provides a supportive tone and communicates consistently and clearly, it helps everyone stay aligned, supporting both compliant behavior and business innovation.
Rhonda:
That’s great. So in many organizations, one issue I’ve seen—even in recent regulatory decisions or enforcement actions—is that a lot of companies don’t maintain clear policies and procedures. To me, that’s critical to compliance. If policies and procedures are clear, people understand what they are supposed to do, and compliance teams know what to measure and where potential risks are. Can you speak about how your team works with departments to ensure that your policies and procedures are clear and drive a compliant process?
Kristina:
Great question, Rhonda, and I think it really comes down to communication. As someone with less experience in a particular department or profession, I feel more comfortable when I can say, “Show me your policy on that.” I want to see what the organization says it’s going to do, and then I look for the procedure that explains how they will do it. That approach helps me understand how a function works, even if it’s independent of compliance. This understanding helps compliance professionals respond effectively and document what’s happening.
Rhonda:
That’s very true. One of our speakers, John Henson, always says, “Tell people what you’re going to do—and do it.” I’m paraphrasing, but I think it’s so important that policies and procedures are clear for anyone reading them. They should clearly state what the company plans to do, how it will monitor or issue credit, or whatever it may be. But from a compliance standpoint, you also have to ensure you’re actually doing what the policies say. That’s where the rubber meets the road—it’s not just about having policies, but about following them.
Kristina:
Exactly, and that’s where testing comes in. Testing ensures that you’re following the procedures and upholding the policies. I like to go backwards through the process to verify that I understand it correctly. If I can trace it back, then I know I understand the mechanism behind it.
Rhonda:
That makes sense. So, let’s talk a bit about tools and technologies. I’m sure PerformLine is probably one of your tools, but I imagine you have several others. From a compliance management standpoint—let’s discuss your monitoring processes. What’s important for a newer compliance professional to understand about the importance of having the right tools?
Kristina:
It’s really important to make sure those tools are consistent. As you and I have been learning more about AI, Rhonda, what I’ve discovered through my personal engagement with it is how critical accurate, consistent, and reliable data is. That’s true for both artificial intelligence and human intelligence. The data has to be accurate, consistently accurate, and something you can rely on repeatedly. It gets more complex with human involvement, but even there, we seek that same level of validity.
Rhonda:
Yes, validation is key. By the way, how is your AI class going? I’m still working on mine.
Kristina:
I’m still working on mine as well, but so far, I’ve gained a lot, and I’m looking forward to learning even more.
Rhonda:
Same here! I think AI, especially from a compliance standpoint, is something that’s here to stay. We’re going to see more and more of it, and we need to learn to live with it. That’s why I think taking an AI class is important for me too, especially coming from the old school where everything had to be a certain way. AI is pushing us to look at things differently, and I think compliance management systems will be a key player in adapting to this.
Kristina:
Absolutely. I’m curious to see how compliance and AI will intersect going forward. I remember when the internet was new—not to date myself—but when it became accessible to the public, you could search for anything.
Rhonda:
Yes, I remember that too, I hope we aren’t dating ourselves.
Kristina:
We’re just experienced! We didn’t just read about it, we lived it.
Rhonda:
Exactly! I remember my first email address and thinking, “What do I do with this?” We’ve definitely come a long way. But speaking of progress, in terms of monitoring and reporting tools, what advice would you give to someone starting out, especially for our newer PerformLine clients? How important is having the right technology for monitoring?
Kristina:
That’s huge, Rhonda, and thank you for bringing me back to that topic. The tools of compliance really set us up for success as compliance professionals. While I can look at a lot of things manually, PerformLine can look at thousands more in seconds. The automation is fantastic—it helps me identify what’s most important and prioritize those areas. That’s how we keep compliance running smoothly, by focusing where it matters instead of taking a blanket approach, which is inefficient. PerformLine helps us tackle specific issues, like flagging social media content that may need attention. I can then collaborate with colleagues to address those concerns directly.
Rhonda:
Absolutely! And on that note, since you’re a PerformLine client, could you share how tools like PerformLine assist with monitoring and reporting for newer users? How critical is a tool like PerformLine for overall compliance management?
Kristina:
A tool like PerformLine is essential for monitoring and compliance management. It’s especially valuable for advertising compliance or any other areas that require close oversight. With a system like PerformLine, you can set it to monitor specific criteria—whether it’s social media posts for a list of employees or any other data. The tool gives you up-to-date information every time you load it, which is so important as a compliance professional because I know the data I’m seeing is current. This allows me to separate older data from the latest and make informed decisions about our next steps. Having this kind of monitoring tool gives me visibility into things I might not have otherwise noticed.
Rhonda:
That’s true. I think one of the things I appreciated most when I was on the other side as a PerformLine user was being able to monitor multiple things without having to dig around. Before PerformLine, we were doing manual URL searches, which was a long and inefficient process. The automation and having that power at your fingertips, which has only improved over the years, was just amazing for us. I’m glad you’re utilizing the tool, and I hope any of our newer users will take the opportunity to connect with Kristina. We’ll be sure to put her LinkedIn in the show notes at the end of this podcast.
Thanks so much for sharing that with our newer users. Now, let’s talk about employee engagement. How do you encourage ethical behavior across departments? People often say you either volunteer or you’re voluntold. How do you foster ethical practices?
Kristina:
Great question. The way I personally encourage ethical behavior is by keeping it real. Humanity has a big place in business, and, last I checked, we’re all still human. That means fostering accountability and maintaining open, honest communication. It’s about reaching out and saying, “Hey, can we talk?” or “I have a question.” That human connection tends to contribute to ethical behavior and team collaboration. We’re all supporting each other’s success, and I rely on professionals in the field to make ethical decisions just as they rely on me to provide them with the compliance information they need to make the best choices for their business. It comes down to being real—be human, not a robot.
Rhonda:
I love that! Do you ever find yourself challenged by resistance to change? We know regulations are always evolving, and what worked yesterday might need to be done differently tomorrow. How do you work with individuals who resist change?
Kristina:
I think resistance to change is part of human nature, especially with type-A personalities, which I encounter a lot in sales professionals. They’re go-getters and used to getting things done in a certain way. The best tool I have for inspiring change is being fact-based. I approach them with the relevant regulation or update, explain it in a straightforward, conversational tone, and provide supporting information—like a link or a reference to the specific law or code. This way, they can see that I’m not just making things up; I’m trying to help them understand why the change is necessary. Personally, I find it easier to accept change when I can see the logic and reasoning behind it.
Rhonda:
Absolutely, that makes sense. So, this kind of leads into the balance between compliance and business objectives. Sometimes, departments might push back because they have goals to achieve. How do you work with your teams to balance compliance with business needs?
Kristina:
I always focus on the objective first. I want to assure myself, and the team, that we understand the business objective clearly. Once that’s established, it becomes the foundation for every decision. If we don’t keep that objective in sight, we might find ourselves working hard but not moving in the right direction. It’s like rowing a boat without knowing where the current is taking you. So, it’s important to constantly watch the horizon and make sure we’re aligned with both compliance and business goals.
Rhonda:
I love that! And speaking of keeping up, with your “small but mighty” team, how do you navigate staying on top of all the regulatory changes? That’s often a big challenge for smaller clients—trying to keep up with everything and understanding its impact. You all seem to have a well-oiled machine. How do you do it?
Kristina:
We work in a coordinated fashion, and connections matter. We don’t operate in a silo. Networking and business-to-business communication are crucial. For example, I might get a heads-up from a colleague like, “Did you see what Oregon did?” or “What are your thoughts on Indiana’s latest regulations?” These conversations help compliance professionals stay informed. Since we understand the risk profiles of our organizations, we can quickly identify areas that need attention. As a compliance professional at Geneva, I know where our business operates, what product types we handle, and how to support business operations in specific locations.
By maintaining these connections and keeping up with my network, I can collaborate and exchange notes with others in the industry. There are also industry-specific tools that help facilitate these conversations, but ultimately, it’s about being engaged and having those human connections. Sometimes, it’s as simple as picking up the phone
Rhonda:
I love that. It reminds me of the roundtable discussions we have. Sometimes, small topics come up, like “Did you hear about what California is doing?” And suddenly, a whole conversation starts, with people sharing documents and information. That’s why community and collaboration outside of your own organization is so important. One of the things we’re working on is branching out into other industries. We’re starting a banking roundtable and continuing the mortgage roundtable, because it’s so important for industries to have a space to share.
We all get buried in day-to-day work, and sometimes we miss those small updates. I’d rather no one find out from regulators that they’re in violation of something! Conversations like these help us stay ahead of those issues. Info-sharing between organizations is essential.
I really appreciate you taking the time to join us, Kristina, and thank you to Geneva for allowing you to be a part of this important discussion. We don’t have conversations like this often enough. So, thank you again for making time, especially with your exams and everything else going on.
Kristina:
It’s my pleasure, Rhonda. This has been a fantastic experience, and I’m excited to see where this conversation leads. It’s also an honor to be part of the roundtable and this podcast. Thank you so much for inviting me.
Rhonda:
Absolutely! And to our podcast listeners, thank you for joining us. If you have any questions for me or Kristina, I’ll make sure you have access to our LinkedIn profiles in the show notes. Don’t hesitate to reach out—we always love a good conversation. Take care!
Rhonda:
Thanks for listening to this week’s episode of the COMPLY podcast! I hope that you found it enjoyable and that you learned something that will help you to be better in your role as a compliance professional. As always, you can find the latest content on all things marketing compliance by heading over to performline.com/resources. And for the most up-to-date pieces of industry news, events, and content be sure to follow PerformLine on LinkedIn. Thanks so much for listening and we’ll see you next time!
Gianna Kennedy 
