Compliance &Ethics - Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics

Featurequickly grasp the requirements of the role andits importance to the company’s ethical culture.AW: Can you tell our readers a bit aboutAerojet?MM: Three thousand employees strong,Aerojet is a major technology-based manufacturingcompany headquartered in Sacramento,California. Our parent company, GenCorp,has two businesses, Aerojet and EastonDevelopment. For over 70 years, Aerojet hasbeen an industry leader and pioneer in thedevelopment of critical products and technologiesthat havestrengthened theU.S. military andenabled the explorationof space. Ourdedicated employeeshave developedquality products thatserve the war fighter,have powered majorachievements in spaceflight, and supportour nation’s commitmentto freedom and exploration. Aerojetpropulsion systems have powered mannedand unmanned missions for NASA since theinception of the U.S. Space Program, and sinceits founding in the 1940s, Aerojet has been amajor supplier of propulsion products to theDepartment of Defense. The company’s firstproduct—Jet Assist Take Off (JATO) rocketmotors—provided extra boosting power forU.S. military planes during World War II.At GenCorp and Aerojet, we pride ourselveson our legacy of exceptional service toour country. We also are equally committed tothe communities in which we live and do business.In 2012, The GenCorp Foundation, servingas the philanthropic arm of Aerojet, distributed$604,345 in grants, scholarships, and matchinggifts in 12 communities across the UnitedI was determined to get asmuch as I could out of theAcademy.… I left [it] withconfidence, conviction, andclarity about what neededto be done to make ourprogram more robust.States. And Aerojet employees themselveslogged more than 11,000 hours volunteering at52 nonprofit organizations and schools.AW: We first met when you attended anSCCE Basic Compliance and Ethics Academy.Can you share your thoughts and impressionsof your Academy experience?MM: Certainly. I was determined to get asmuch as I could out of the Academy I attendedin June 2012. By then, I had been ramping upin my Aerojet role for 6 months; I refer to thatperiod as being in “sponge mode.” I absorbedeverything I couldabout implementingan effectiveethics and complianceprogram.When I arrivedat the Academy,I was saturated withinformation—lotsof it. The Academywas the key ingredientthat helped metranslate the informationinto practical usable knowledge. I leftthe Academy with confidence, conviction, andclarity about what needed to be done to makeour program more robust.AW: Aside from the instructional aspect ofattending the Academy, were you able to engagein networking with other compliance professionalsand share ideas and best practices?MM: Definitely. Networking comes naturallyto me because I enjoy people—meetingthem and learning about their experiences.I often pick up a nugget or two of valuableinformation, or gain a resource for a futureneed. I found the Academy program agendaand its logistics conducive to networking.For example, having lunch provided (versushaving to scatter and fend for ourselves) madeCompliance & Ethics Professional May/June 2013+1 952 933 4977 or 888 277 4977 www.corporatecompliance.org 15