NEW YORK, May 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- IPSA International, Inc. ("IPSA"), an investigative consulting and risk advisory firm, proudly announces its partnership with Ethisphere Institute as a licensed credentialing provider of Ethisphere's Anti-Corruption Program Verification.  Ethisphere is a think tank dedicated to the creation and sharing of best practices in business ethics, compliance, anti-corruption and related issues.

Regulators have advised they will reward responsible corporations that maintain and enforce strong anti-corruption compliance programs.  Utilizing benchmarking data from over 1800 companies, Ethisphere's Anti-Corruption Program Verification provides a rigorous independent assessment of a company's program including its policies and procedures, books and records, testing, training and third-party investigative due diligence related to the U.S. FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act and OECD Anti-Bribery Convention.   The ultimate objective is to certify and document that a company has actively implemented and manages a best-in-class anti-corruption compliance program.

"We are excited to announce our partnership with IPSA, an industry leader in the anti-corruption and anti-bribery space, as a licensed credentialing partner for the Anti-Corruption Program Verification service," said Alex Brigham, Executive Director of Ethisphere. "We look forward to working with IPSA and bringing enhanced value to the Anti-Corruption Program Verification service for global companies interested in developing world class anti-corruption programs."

Dan Wachtler, IPSA International's CEO commented, "We are extremely proud to be one of the few firms the Ethisphere Institute has selected as a licensed Anti-Corruption Program Verification Partner.  As Ethisphere is the leading repository for all things ethics and compliance related, we could not be more excited about this opportunity.  IPSA's win translates directly to our clients as we now have access to benchmarking and best practices across a wide array of organizations and anti-corruption programs."

IPSA offers clients a distinct approach to program certification by integrating COOLMaps™, proprietary process mapping software licensed from COOLVentures LLC.  COOLMaps™ creates online, interactive maps with advanced features including embedded documents and hyperlinks, map versioning, audit logging and approval control.  

"Using COOLMaps™, IPSA goes beyond traditional report writing.  Our deliverables include a visual representation of a company's Anti-Corruption Compliance Program and that picture is truly worth millions of words," comments Mr. Rob Cone, Managing Director of Special Projects at IPSA.  "It allows companies to easily surface, diagnose, remediate and control risk where it exists in process.  Once the picture is drawn, it becomes the basis of process improvement, training and business continuity.  COOLMaps™ is a proven tool used for diagnostic review in many large multi-national companies," said Rob Cone.

About IPSA International, Inc.

IPSA International, Inc., has a 20 year history of successfully completing complex multi-jurisdictional engagements in the areas of anti-money laundering, anti-bribery and corruption, investigative due diligence and litigation support.  Assignments include large-scale internal investigations, regulatory driven remediation and compliance reviews for Fortune 100 corporations, banking and financial institutions, and law firms.  Our senior investigators and advisors deliver timely, accurate and defensible intelligence that supports our clients in making better informed decisions, ensuring compliance and mitigating risk.  IPSA International has offices in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, resources in over 75 countries and research capabilities in 20 languages.  Please visit us at www.ipsaintl.com.

About Ethisphere Institute

The research-based Ethisphere® Institute is a leading international think tank dedicated to the creation, advancement, and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption, and sustainability. Ethisphere provides the only third-party verifications of compliance programs and ethical corporate cultures, including Ethics Inside® Certification, Compliance Leader Verification™, and Anti-Corruption Program Verification™. On a quarterly basis, the Institute produces Ethisphere Magazine, which publishes the globally-recognized World's Most Ethical Companies® ranking. Ethisphere also maintains a premier membership group, a business ethics forum that includes more than 100 leading corporations, universities, and institutions that collectively leverage their experience, expertise, and innovative ways to address emerging compliance challenges. More information on the Ethisphere Institute, including ranking projects and membership, can be found at www.ethisphere.com.

CONTACT:

Mr. Robert Weiner
Managing Director, Regional Counsel
Email: rweiner@ipsaintl.com
Telephone: +1 800.997.4772
Website: www.ipsaintl.com

Mr. Robert Cone
Managing Director, Special Projects
CoolMaps™
Email: rcone@ipsaintl.com
Telephone: +1 800.997.4772
Website: www.ipsaintl.com

SOURCE IPSA International, Inc.