Rapid Response
Counting the Cost film
Trailer | About the film | Screenings | Testimonials | Related podcasts | Contact us
Trailer
Counting the Cost is our new, acclaimed film, designed to be used with boards of directors and key internal gatekeepers at companies to raise awareness of risks and to focus on best practices in preventing and detecting fraud and bribery and corruption. The film was written and produced by DLA Piper partner, Duncan Wiggetts, as a follow up to his award-winning* Risking it All film (2007).
"Our legal team was impressed with the production quality of Counting The Cost and the innovative way in which the film allowed so many interesting and challenging issues to be raised and discussed. I'd have no hesitation in recommending other in-house legal teams to take part in a Counting The Cost workshop"
Richard Brearley, Head of Legal and Compliance, Investec Bank
About the film
Alec Russell, the Chairman of Merriston, believes that he has a strong, experienced and diverse board and an effective Audit Committee and that his relationship with his CEO, Brian Anderson, has gone from strength to strength. Neither Alec nor the Audit Committee are particularly concerned when David Silvers, the long serving CFO quits suddenly on health grounds...
Debra Stevens is excited at the prospect of being hired by such a prestigious company to head up its legal and compliance teams with a strong mandate to improve Merriston's compliance systems around its rapidly expanding foreign operations. Her early frustrations turn into deep concerns when she raises a serious whistleblower complaint with members of the board...
Counting the Cost is a movie drama featuring a fictitious company called Merriston which shows graphically how a company's board, Audit Committee and key internal gatekeepers such as its General Counsel and Head of Internal Audit react to issues raised over a two-year financial reporting period and the consequences for the company and for them personally flowing from their actions. The film is designed to be run as part of a risk awareness training workshop with relevance to the work of non-executive directors, executive management, in-house counsel, company secretaries, compliance officers, internal auditors and those engaged in risk management and D&O insurance procurement. Counting the Cost splits into several parts which is designed to allow discussion as to what issues have arisen in prior scenes and how the board or company officers have handled those issues and whether alternative actions might have been more effective.
Screenings
- Chartered Institute of Securities and investments event on 26 May 2010 (London)
- Germany launch event on 21 June 2010 (Frankfurt)
- AIRMIC event on 18 August 2010 (London)
- Birmingham launch on 6 October 2010
- Boardroom Magazine event on 7 October 2010 (London)
- Chartered Institute of Securities and investments event on 26 May 2010 (Dublin)
- Asian Corporate Governance Association event on 4 November 2010 (Taiwan)
- D Group launch on 16 February 2010 (London)
- Association of Corporate Counsel event on 16 March 2010 (New York)
- Glasgow launch event on 11 May 2011
- Senior Executive Programme of the London Business School on 12 May 2011
- World Bank / IFC Corporate Governance conference in Marrakech on 25 October 2009 (global launch)
- UK Professional Boards Forum event on 17 November 2009 (UK launch)
- Aerospace, Defence & Security Industries Business Ethics Conference on 25 February 2010 (London)
- Directors launch event at the Tate Modern on 3 March 2010 (London)
- Dubai launch with Hawkamah Institute of Corporate Governance on 12 April 2010
- Abu Dhabi launch with Abu Dhabi Center for Corporate Governance on 14 April 2010
- Hong Kong launch with Hong Kong Institute of Directors on 4 May 2010
- Singapore launch with PricewaterhouseCoopers on 5 May 2010
- General Counsels launch event on 24 May 2010 (London)
- Chartered Institute Securities and Investments on 26 May 2010 (London)
- CFO Briefing with En Passant magazine on 27 May 2010 (London)
- Beijing launch with PricewaterhouseCoopers on 2 June 2010
- Seoul launch with Korean In House Counsels Forum on 5 June 2010
- Liverpool launch on 8 June 2010
- Manchester launch on 9 May 2010
- Leeds launch on 10 June 2010
Testimonials
"DLA Piper's Counting The Cost film and workshop is one of the more alarming and thought provoking legal learning sessions I have had in over 20 years as a legal practitioner in the public and private sector. You could sense the fear in the individuals who struggled to give full and frank advice in the face of strong personalities in high positions with set views. I strongly recommend it to anyone who cares about corporate governance and compliance, and that should be everyone."
Pauline Zumbach, Counsel, Global Procurement, Diageo
"Counting The Cost is an excellent, thought-provoking film, emphasising the need for directors to ask the right questions and to get the best advice where there’s any doubt on the integrity of figures or key people. It’s a worthy follow up to Risking It All and very topical in the current economic climate"
Donald Brydon, Chairman of Smiths Group plc, Royal Mail
"Counting The Cost is outstanding at prompting thought and understanding of the work of a board. But, more than that, it is a gripping drama, extremely pacy, absorbing and moving"
Elin Hurvenes, Founder & Chair, Professional Boards Forum
"Counting The Cost is a highly professional film, extremely relevant and very topical"
Graham Durgan, NEDA Chairman
"Our legal team was impressed with the production quality of Counting The Cost and the innovative way in which the film allowed so many interesting and challenging issues to be raised and discussed. I'd have no hesitation in recommending other in-house legal teams to take part in a Counting The Cost workshop"
Richard Brearley, Head of Legal and Compliance, Investec Bank
"Counting The Cost is a disturbingly realistic look into the highest elevations of the corporate world illustrating graphically how things can go seriously wrong if a company's directors and senior officers are not vigilant in identifying fraud risks. The portrayal of how the beleaguered General Counsel tries to steer the company through the ensuing crisis is a terrific learning tool for all in house lawyers and I strongly recommend it"
Henry Horbaczewski, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Reed Elsevier Inc., New York. (Former Co-Chair, Corporate Counsel Forum, International Bar Association)
"Counting The Cost powerfully illustrates what happens when management and the audit committee fail to investigate fully the warning signs of potentially fraudulent accounting practices. The film also underscores the need for board members to be proactive in such matters even at the risk of creating some tension in the boardroom and with management"
Michael Costa, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions and Vice Chairman of Investment Banking, Cowen and Company, New York
"It was a pleasure to have watched Counting The Cost. To say that it is a powerful teaching tool is an understatement"
Vincent Castaglione, General Counsel, Coby Electronics Corporation USA; Board member, New York Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel
"Counting The Cost is a brilliant 'must see' film for every corporate management team. It is a powerful and innovative teaching tool in organizational ethics and the cost of failed internal investigations"
Kwarma Vanderpuye, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, SDD Global Solutions and Chair of General Counsel Network of the Association of Corporate Counsel of New York
Related podcasts
- The quality and relevance of Counting the Cost
- What people are saying about Counting the Cost
- DLA Piper's thought leadership in issues about corporate governance
Contact us
To register for information about future film events or to arrange for a screening of the film at your company or organisation, please contact Duncan Wiggetts.
* Winner of the Financial Times European In House Counsel Innovator of the Year 2008 Award