Prominent Whistleblower Attorney to Participate in UK Whistleblowing Awareness Week
WhistleblowersUK is set to host their 1st annual Whistleblowing Awareness Week from Monday, March 20 through Friday, March 24. The event occurs in conjunction with the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Whistleblowing. Designed to bring together leading voices in the whistleblower sphere to advocate for more robust laws in the UK and beyond, Whistleblowing Awareness Week (WBAW) will feature a week’s worth of panels, workshops, roundtables, and keynote addresses.
“Whistleblowers are the most effective first line of defense against crime, corruption and cover up,” Mary Robinson, member of Parliament for Cheadle and Chair of the APPG for Whistleblowing, said. “WBAW is an opportunity for MPs to understand how proposed legislation is key to driving a culture where speaking up is valued, and where people who try to silence whistleblowers or suppress evidence of wrongdoing face the full force of the law.”
Two U.S. groups, Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto LLP and Whistleblower Network News, have signed on as event sponsors.
On March 23, Stephen M. Kohn, partner at the whistleblower law firm Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, will speak on the “Developing and Managing an Effective Whistleblowing Framework” panel chaired by Halford-Hall. Comprised of private and public U.S. and UK whistleblower voices, including U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Enforcement Attorney Melanie Devoe, the panel will discuss the lessons to be learned from existing whistleblower programs in America.
“Whistleblowing Awareness Week will be a critical turning point for whistleblower rights in the UK, both in terms of enhancing British law and utilizing existing strong transitional whistleblower protections,” Kohn said.
Events throughout the week will take place at the Palace of Westminster, Portcullis House of Parliament, and offices of sponsor Grant Thornton LLP with virtual options available when possible. Training sessions directed at senior leaders, global counsel, and members of UK parliament will be closed to the public.
Georgina Halford-Hall, CEO of WhistleblowersUK, is leading the charge on this event.
“With your help together we can transform the way that whistleblowing and whistleblowers are treated,” Halford-Hall said. “We believe that speaking up is normal and treating those who speak up is not only good for the public interest but good and healthy for organisations.”
Other key speakers include Baroness Kramer, a member of the House of Lords and sponsor of the Protection for Whistleblowing Bill and Office of the Whistleblower Bill.
David Colapinto, a partner at KKC, will also attend the conference.
For the full schedule of events, access the programme here.
Event hosts have noted that space for in-person events is limited, so events will be recorded and posted online when possible. Register for either the in-person or virtual event here.
