Event Recap: The Hidden Cost of Risk: Eliminating Security and Compliance Blind Spots
Plano, TX | Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House | January 22, 2026
Executive Summary
Enterprises are operating in an environment where supply chain security, regulatory compliance, and operational resilience are no longer siloed functions but tightly interconnected disciplines that directly impact revenue, brand trust, and business continuity. Rising geopolitical risk, tariff volatility, forced-labor regulations, and sophisticated cargo theft and fraud schemes are increasing both the financial exposure and the scrutiny from regulators and customers. Leaders are recognizing that compliance failures now carry material balance-sheet impact, not just reputational risk, and that fragmented, locally managed processes are insufficient in a globally distributed operating model.
The discussion underscored a shift from static, checklist-based compliance toward continuous risk management supported by standardized processes, centralized visibility, and secure information sharing across physical, digital, and third-party ecosystems. M&A activity and global expansion amplify this challenge, as inherited systems, uneven security maturity, and inconsistent governance can introduce hidden liabilities. Forward-looking organizations are treating compliance, security, and supply chain integrity as strategic capabilities enabled by data, automation, and strong process ownership, rather than as cost centers.
Key Themes
Key Themes
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Compliance as a financial and strategic risk lever.
Tariffs, customs penalties, and regulatory enforcement now create material P&L exposure, making compliance accuracy and audit readiness board-level concerns. -
End-to-end supply chain visibility and security.
Cargo theft, fraud, and geopolitical disruptions highlight the need for real-time tracking, identity verification, and standardized controls across shippers, carriers, and facilities. -
Integration of physical and cybersecurity.
Cloud-connected physical systems enable centralized monitoring and compliance reporting but introduce cyber risk that must be governed at the same level as IT security. -
Process governance over technology alone.
Automation and analytics are only effective when underpinned by disciplined, auditable processes and clear accountability at every handoff point. -
M&A and third-party risk as a blind spot.
Acquisitions and contractor ecosystems often introduce compliance and security gaps that can become costly liabilities without early, structured due diligence and integration.
Actionable Takeaways for Enterprise Leaders
Actionable Takeaways for Enterprise Leaders
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Elevate compliance to a strategic operating metric.
Treat customs, trade, and security compliance as continuous risk-management functions with executive dashboards, not periodic audit exercises. -
Standardize and centralize critical security and audit data.
Implement systems of record for visitor access, carrier identity, and shipment custody that provide real-time visibility and defensible audit trails across all sites. -
Embed risk and compliance in M&A due diligence.
Involve trade, security, and IT governance leaders early in acquisitions to surface historical liabilities, forced-labor exposure, and control gaps before integration. -
Harden third-party and contractor controls.
Apply the same identity verification, access management, and monitoring standards to drivers, vendors, and service providers as to employees, with contractual and process enforcement. -
Shift from static policies to living governance models.
Combine process ownership, continuous training, and analytics to detect anomalies, ensure accountability, and adapt controls as geopolitical, regulatory, and cyber threats evolve.
Sponsors
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