Nate Lankford and James Tillen will speak at the American Conference Institute's (ACI) 19th Forum on the FCPA & Global Anti-Corruption Houston on January 27, 2026.

Lankford will present, as a part of a panel, "Unraveling Complex Supply Chain Risks: An Updated Playbook for Detecting and Preventing Corruption and Forced Labor Across Your Global Supply Chain." In this session, panelists will discuss practical tips for managing supply chain and procurement risk, with a spotlight on internal controls, third-party vetting, and monitoring, including:

• Best practices for building a risk-based procurement framework
• Tools and techniques for vetting suppliers, intermediaries, and subcontractors in uncertain markets
• Implementing effective monitoring systems and boosting transparency to uncover hidden risks and build resilience
• Building anti-corruption controls to prevent fraud, bribery, and other illicit activities that can enable forced labor

Tillen will present, as a part of a panel, "How Companies Are Strengthening Risk Assessments and Due Diligence Frameworks to Combat Escalating Enforcement, Compliance, and Geopolitical Threats." In this session, panelists will discuss the ways that cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) are increasingly tied to national security risks and corporate exposure in Mexico and what industry in Mexico is doing in response. Topics include:

• The evolving tactics cartels and TCOs are using to obscure their ownership and financial stakes by leveraging shell entities, complex third-party networks, and seemingly legitimate enterprises
• The impact of DOJ’s intensified focus and designations
• Best practices for your due diligence checklist and careful identification of red flags related to complex corporate structures
• Preparing for alignment with auditors and high-risk scrutiny on cartels, TCOs, and voluntary disclosure
• AI’s role in detecting TCO-related risk through screening platforms and open source investigations to mitigate cartel and TCO risks