Mary Shirley is a New Zealand qualified lawyer with extensive experience implementing, evaluating and monitoring compliance programs for multinational corporations. Currently Senior Director, Ethics and Compliance at Fresenius Medical Care in Boston, Mary has a large international footprint, having held global ethics and compliance roles in Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai. Mary also spent time working as an investigator for regulators in New Zealand in the areas of data privacy and antitrust.
For Mary, compliance is more than just a 9 to 5 job. She co-hosts the Great Women in Compliance podcast with Lisa Fine, co-hosts the Boston Compliance Professionals Networking Meet Ups with Matt Kelly and contributes to thought leadership opportunities in the field regularly, including speaking at conferences, sitting on the Compliance Week Advisory Board, the SCCE Boston Regional Conference Planning Committee, writing articles and participating in interviews on ethics and compliance.
Mary’s expertise, commitment to the advancement of women and dedication to coaching the next generation of compliance officers has been recognized in recent years, with Mary placing as a finalist in three categories at the Women in Compliance Awards and winning Compliance Officer of the Year, Mentor of the Year for the Advancement of Women and In-house Compliance Team of the Year. She was also bestowed the honor of being named a Compliance Week Top Mind 2019.
Mary Shirley, co-author of “Sending the Elevator Back Down” and co-host of the Great Women in Compliance Podcast, contrasts “Tall Poppy Syndrome” with the concept of using one’s success and platform to raise others up. When co-author Lisa Fine, Sarah Hadden, owner of publishing company CCI Press; and I were tossing around ideas for the title of our book, “Sending the Elevator...
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In her role as co-host of the Great Women in Compliance Podcast, Mary Shirley has met a lot of the greats. Here, she offers perspective on what it is that sets these women apart. (And stay tuned for the Great Women in Compliance book, due out this fall, from Mary and Lisa Fine!) Over the last couple of years, I have had...
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The compliance profession offers ample learning opportunities for practitioners at every career stage – from newbies to veterans. Mary Shirley offers insight into the lessons she’s learned from 10 years on the road. In 2010, I packed one suitcase to embark on a rather impromptu decision to move to Singapore. It was to be a two-year expat journey that triggered a travel...
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Recognizing the value in a sponsor – a more involved mentor – is the easy part. Mary Shirley offers guidance on how to identify and secure a sponsor to help guide your career development. For those of us in life sciences industries, sponsorship means paying for the continuing professional education of health care professionals (usually indirectly through health care organizations); if outside...
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When Fresenius’ Mary Shirley and her team endeavored to create a compliance department mission statement, they discovered substantial value in executing what seemed at first like a simple task. In 2017, shortly after I joined the Fresenius Medical Care North America Compliance Department, my boss, Lisa Estrada, tasked me with running our internal marketing team (watch for the upcoming Great Women in...
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Mary Shirley of Fresenius and the Great Women in Compliance podcast offers solid guidance for professionals new to compliance. The interviewing process can be daunting -- but will be less so with advice from Mary. Your hard work tailoring applications to the job and company has paid off and you’ve been invited to interview. Congratulations on being shortlisted! How do you increase your...
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Looking for your first job when fresh out of college can be a demoralizing experience. Just finding suitable roles to apply for can be a herculean task in and of itself. So, when you do get an opportunity befitting an eager and keen prospect such as yourself, make sure you grasp it, and make your application count. Mary Shirley offers help. These...
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Do you ever wish you could take a quick “pulse check” to see how your compliance education is landing – to identify subject areas that need improved awareness and know with certainty what your people really need? Fresenius’ Mary Shirley offers some fresh ideas. Risk Assessments and Culture of Integrity Surveys vs. Pulse Check I bet you already have a fancy risk...
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