Femi Richards
Vice President, Compliance Assessment and Programmes
Washington D.C., United States
One of the distinct advantages of being part of a global enterprise is that there are so many opportunities to contribute to the richness of the corporate environment that extend beyond the four corners of one’s job description. I have had the honour and privilege to lead the Washington, D.C. chapter of the African Ancestry Network. This is a vital Employee Resource Group focused on creating and fostering an environment for employees to be included, challenged and supported in developing and maximising their potential and value to RELX.
I joined RELX as part of the ChoicePoint acquisition in 2008 following a near five-year stint as an associate with the law firm Holland & Knight LLP, where I worked on a variety of corporate diversity counselling, education policy and government relations matters.
During my first nine years at RELX, I led an audit and compliance team focused primarily on implementing, monitoring and measuring the company’s compliance with customer contractual and regulatory compliance obligations. It was tremendously engaging and valuable work.
In the spring of 2017, my boss asked me if I would be willing to stand up a new functional team to tackle a different set of compliance challenges. Admittedly, at first, I was hesitant to step outside of my comfort zone given that I had developed significant expertise, institutional credibility and tenure in my role.
Thankfully, I quickly jettisoned any lingering doubts and embraced the growth opportunity that had been presented. As Vice President within RELX’s Global Compliance Department, I have responsibility for ensuring that the company maintains a world-class compliance programme. Moving into this dynamic new role has helped me develop additional legal, policy, problem-solving, and management skills.
That’s my “day job” in a nutshell, but at RELX, one of the distinct advantages of being part of a global enterprise is that there are so many opportunities to contribute to the richness of the corporate environment that extend beyond the four corners of one’s job description. I have had the honour and privilege to lead the Washington, D.C. chapter of the African Ancestry Network. This is a vital Employee Resource Group focused on creating and fostering an environment for employees to be included, challenged and supported in developing and maximising their potential and value to RELX.
In 2010, I was recognised by Savoy Magazine as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America”. I also work to advance the company’s community engagement efforts as a Cares Champion by encouraging employee volunteering and giving to make a positive impact on society. In 2015, I was awarded the RELX Recognising Those Who Care Award for my community service and volunteer achievements.
In my career, I have been fortunate to work for a number of high calibre organisations, but my time at RELX has been unique for a couple of reasons. First, RELX clearly articulates and lives by its values, including the leadership who model the ethical and pro-social behaviours expected of our employees and partners. Second, the company places a profound emphasis on employee learning and development, which explains the deep sense of loyalty and sincere attachment that we have towards the organisation. It truly is great to work at RELX.
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YS Chi speaks with Femi Richards, about race, racism and social justice in this podcast. Femi has a courageous conversation about his personal and family experience of racism and what it means to be Black in America today. As the co-founder and ex-president of the DC Chapter of the African Ancestry Network at RELX, he shares his thoughts on the efforts that are required to reaffirm the inherent values of Black lives and all lives. He calls for everyone to join the conversation. |