One team, one goal. Leadership’s role in compliance success

The second episode of Compliance Corner explores the crucial role of leadership in creating and sustaining a culture of compliance. Hosts Deborah Coram and Craig Pattenden chat with NEXTDC’s Head of Organisational Development & Learning, Belinda Barron and Head of Risk and Compliance Malashini Veerappan. Together the powerful connection between leadership, compliance and culture is deeply explored.

Why leadership matters in compliance

Compliance doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s not just a policy on paper; it’s a mindset that starts at the top. As Deborah Coram, Safetrac’s CEO and a respected voice in compliance leadership, puts it:

“The tone at the top, sets the mood in the middle, which creates the buzz at the bottom”

When leaders actively champion compliance, they send a clear message: doing the right thing is part of how we do business. From strategic planning to day-to-day operations, leadership influence shapes how seriously compliance is taken across the organisation. “Leadership in compliance is so very important,” Coram adds. “Because if you don’t have that leadership buy-in… it’s very hard to move from that ‘I’m just ticking a box’ mentality.” In short, leadership doesn’t just influence compliance. It enables it.

Four key understandings for leaders:

Deborah, Craig, Belinda and Mala unpacked four key ways leaders can strengthen workplace compliance, from setting the tone at the top to building trust through consistent action. Plus, how these simple, practical steps can make a big impact.

1. Setting expectations from the top down

Leaders set the tone for what is acceptable and what isn’t. When senior figures model compliant behaviour, it signals that ethical conduct is expected, not optional. It’s not just about saying the right things, but consistently showing it in how decisions are made, how issues are addressed, and how compliance is prioritised across the organisation.

As Coram explains, visible leadership involvement can shift the tone entirely: “Many of our clients have videos made of their CEOs or senior members of staff introducing the course—why it’s important to them, what this is about, what they need to be worried about… all of a sudden you’re not just doing click-and-flick training.”

This kind of engagement turns a routine task into something meaningful—anchored in purpose, not just policy.

2. Normalising compliance conversations

Compliance shouldn’t feel like a separate or awkward topic; it should be part of everyday business conversations. When leaders speak openly about compliance, raise it in meetings, and use plain language to explain obligations, it becomes a natural part of workplace dialogue. This helps reduce stigma around raising concerns and builds trust across the organisation. As Belinda Barron notes, when compliance is woven into regular conversations, it “isn’t a policy on paper anymore – it becomes part of the culture.”, it shifts the responsibility she explains further, “It’s not the job of just one team; it’s embedded in how people behave, communicate, and make decisions.”

3. Empowering employees to raise concerns

An effective compliance culture gives employees the confidence to speak up without fear. Leaders play a direct role in building this trust by actively encouraging feedback, responding supportively to issues raised, and removing barriers to reporting. When staff know their voice is heard and valued, they’re more likely to flag risks early – before risks escalate.

Coram explains, the focus of compliance is evolving: “Compliance training is for the employee—not just the employer. The shift we’re seeing is towards organisations that care about their people, their wellbeing, and their safety. That’s part of the cultural shift.”

By putting people at the centre of compliance efforts, organisations create safer, more transparent workplaces.

4. Creating consistency through accountability and follow-through

It’s not enough to have policies in place; they need to be enforced fairly and consistently. Leadership must ensure that when breaches occur, they are addressed

transparently and proportionately. Just as importantly, when people do the right thing, that behaviour should be acknowledged and reinforced. This consistency builds credibility and trust in a compliance program. Malashini Veerappan illustrates how embedding compliance into daily operations helps create that consistency: “We’ve integrated compliance into how we operate the business—it’s not a separate thing. There are stage gates within operations that include compliance elements, so everyone knows where they fit in.”

When accountability is built into systems and processes—not just conversations—it becomes part of the organisation’s DNA.

How leaders build a culture of compliance

Creating a strong compliance culture means making it visible, consistent, and supported at every level. That starts with leadership: calling out risks early, following through on breaches, and being seen to care.

As Coram puts it, “Compliance and culture are the intertwined lifeblood that runs through an organisation… If your silos are too far apart, you have breaks in both.”

When compliance is treated as more than a tick-the-box exercise—when it’s embedded in how people behave, communicate, and make decisions—it becomes a true enabler of trust, safety, and performance. And that tone is always set at the top.

Final thoughts

Leadership has the power to either dilute or drive compliance. When there’s clear alignment between what an organisation says and what it does — especially from those at the top — people take notice.