Speaker details

Biography

Kathryn Helne Nickerson is an international trade attorney and former Assistant Chief Counsel in the Office of the Chief Counsel for International Commerce at the U.S. Department of Commerce. In this role, she provided legal counsel on a broad range of international trade and compliance issues, including international anticorruption agreements, trade agreements, customs, standards, sanctions, government procurement, services, and related laws. As the Department’s lead counsel on international anticorruption issues, Ms. Nickerson advised on the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), delivered training for the U.S. Commercial Service, and engaged extensively with the private sector. She contributed to A Resource Guide to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, published by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. She played a significant role in the drafting and negotiation of numerous international, economic, and U.S. free trade agreements containing anticorruption and transparency provisions. These include the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity Agreement Relating to a Fair Economy, the 2021 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Revised Recommendation for Further Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions (Antibribery Recommendation), and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Ms. Nickerson assisted in the negotiations at the OECD of the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions (Antibribery Convention) and the negotiations of the United Nations Convention against Corruption. As a member of the U.S. delegation to the OECD Working Group on Bribery, she reviewed numerous country implementation reports and served as a lead examiner for the reviews of South Africa and Russia. She led the U.S. delegation in the negotiations of the OECD Antibribery Recommendation, including development of the OECD Good Practice Guidance on Internal Controls, Ethics, and Compliance, highlighting elements of an effective foreign bribery compliance program. She was also a key drafter and negotiator of the 2014 APEC General Elements of Effective Voluntary Corporate Compliance Programs and the APEC Principles on the Prevention of Bribery and Enforcement of Anti-Bribery Laws. A frequent speaker at anticorruption and FCPA conferences, Ms. Nickerson has also served as a guest lecturer at law schools including Georgetown University Law Center, American University Washington College of Law, and University of Michigan Law School. Ms. Nickerson holds a J.D. from the University of Virginia and a B.A. in Politics and French from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, where she graduated cum laude and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Ms. Nickerson lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with her husband and has two sons.