Corruption and unmanaged conflicts of interest drain budgets, damage donor relationships and expose individuals and boards to prosecution. Many organisations have a code of conduct on paper, yet payments still go through on weak authority, vendors are paid without proper checks and senior people approve spending that benefits their own associates. The finance function is where these failures become visible, and where they can be prevented.

This course focuses on the financial side of integrity. It begins with how bribery and conflicts arise and how to assess exposure by transaction type, location and counterparty. It then builds the control environment: authorisation limits, separation of duties, vendor onboarding, treatment of agents and intermediaries, and the correct recording of gifts, sponsorships and donations. Participants study ISO 37001 as a reference model, learn how to set up conflict registers and recusal procedures, and review how whistleblowing reports should be received and escalated.

Learning is practical. Delegates analyse payment files for warning signs, test their own procedures against realistic scenarios and prepare an integrity control plan they can take back to their workplace.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Identify bribery and corruption risks within payment, procurement and grant processes.
• Explain the main elements of an ISO 37001 anti-bribery management system.
• Design payment authorisation and segregation of duties controls that reduce opportunity for abuse.
• Apply due diligence to agents, consultants and other third parties.
• Record and report gifts, hospitality and donations in line with policy.
• Establish conflict of interest declarations, registers and recusal rules.
• Handle ethical dilemmas and whistleblowing reports with confidence.

The course suits people who authorise, record or review spending, including:

• Finance directors, controllers and chief accountants
• Accountants and finance officers in public institutions
• Internal auditors and risk and compliance officers
• Procurement officers and tender committee members
• Grants and donor finance managers in NGOs
• Board audit committee members and company secretaries
• Ethics, integrity and anti-corruption officers
• Bank relationship and operations managers

Delegates return to work with:

• A bribery risk map for the main payment flows in their organisation.
• A checklist of red flags to apply when reviewing invoices and expense claims.
• A template for a conflict of interest register and declaration form.
• Draft rules for gifts, hospitality and sponsorship approval.
• A short integrity control plan with owners and timelines.
• Language for responding to auditors, regulators and donors on ethics controls.

The course uses finance-room scenarios rather than lectures on principle:

• Short briefings on standards, policy and good control design
• Sample ledgers, invoices and expense files to examine for irregularities
• Role-play of difficult conversations with a senior approver
• Group drafting of policy clauses and registers
• Open discussion of dilemmas drawn from participants' own sectors

Participants who attend and complete the exercises receive a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion from Vision Reach Global Consultancy.

The certificate recognises the time invested in strengthening integrity and financial control skills.