INTEGRITY, INTELLIGENCE AND IMPACT – HOW SPEAK UP CULTURE IS REWRITING MODERN CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Q: How is corporate governance evolving today and what role does a strong ‘speak up culture’ play in Sri Lankan and global markets?

A: Corporate governance is evolving from regulatory compliance to a strategic driver for trust, resilience and ethical leadership. Global failures such as Enron, Theranos or Volkswagen highlight breakdowns in internal communication and accountability.

In Sri Lanka, frameworks such as the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s governance direction and Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) regulations are improving. However, a gap in execution remains – employees don’t feel safe speaking up and boards lack visibility into front line realities, contributing to the weakening of all governance pillars.

Accordingly, a strong speak up culture empowers employees to raise concerns without fear, support early risk detection, reinforce company values and give boards the insights to lead with integrity.

Programmes such as General Motors’ (GM) Speak Up for Safety and global standards such as ISO 37002 show internal voices in governance are imperative. But culture alone isn’t enough – it needs the right tools.

Q: Why aren’t hotlines or mailboxes used by organisations sufficient for reporting?

A: Many organisations have basic reporting channels but a mechanism isn’t the same as having a functioning system. Trust is the real test. Unfortunately, hotlines and drop boxes fail to inspire it.

They’re typically one-way, lack anonymity guarantees and don’t give the reporter any feedback. Concerns often disappear into a black hole, discouraging future reporting. From a case handler’s perspective, traditional tools are fragmented, making investigations difficult to track or audit. There’s no clear workflow, secure communication with reporters and central record.

And from a governance perspective, these systems provide little strategic value. There’s no trend analysis, integration with audit or risk dashboards and limited transparency. This leaves leadership in the dark until a crisis hits.


Q: How does IntegrityAlert.ai work and what makes it different?

A: IntegrityAlert.ai is more than a digital complaints box – it’s a governance intelligence platform designed to make speaking up safe and impactful. Employees can report concerns anonymously through any device or language, using voice, text or uploads. More importantly, our product supports two-way communication, keeping reporters informed without compromising identity.

AI is at the heart of the platform: it filters spam, classifies issues and routes them to the right stakeholders such as risk committees, human resources, compliance or audit boards, ensuring accurate responses without delays or miscommunication.

For case handlers, IntegrityAlert.ai simplifies investigations with artificial intelligence guided workflows, highlights key information and completes case histories. Every action is logged, auditable and secure – helping resolve issues faster, and demonstrating responsible handling to boards and regulators.

At the leadership level, dashboards offer real-time insights on issue types, trends, escalation patterns and risk exposure – turning employee voice into structured intelligence across all governance pillars.

Q: Boards often focus on brand reputation and attracting investors… how does IntegrityAlert.ai support this?

A: Boards today are accountable for results and values. IntegrityAlert.ai helps them prove that they’re walking the talk. It aligns with leading governance frameworks such as the IFC’s governance maturity model, which highlights whistleblowing as a key safeguard and control function.

By using the platform, companies can demonstrate to investors, as well as environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) funds and regulators that issues are handled transparently, fairly and proactively. This builds credibility and protects brand value by spotting issues before they become headlines.

In a world where ethical practices influence investment decisions, a trusted speak up system provides good risk management and strategic advantage.

Q: Who benefits the most from IntegrityAlert.ai and how can they get started?

A: The platform is designed for organisations prioritising trust and transparency – especially listed companies and regulated sectors such as finance, healthcare, insurance and manufacturing.

Since launching in Sri Lanka this year, IntegrityAlert.ai has reached over 180,000 employees across major corporations. This rapid adoption reflects that people want to speak up and they need to feel safe.

While our platform supports Sinhala, Tamil and English, 78 percent of reports are in English. Based on conversations with corporate case handlers, investigations are typically handled in English and the platform allows multilingual reporting and response. Common cases include grievances, unfair treatment, misconduct and financial fraud. Environmental or sustainability related reports are gradually increasing.

On boarding is simple – we offer pilot roll outs, guided training and customisation to meet internal policy and compliance requirements. Once leadership embraces employee insight, the results are transformative.

Q: What’s next for IntegrityAlert.ai and what does the future look like?

A: The future of IntegrityAlert.ai is agentic – powered by intelligent AI agents working across governance functions.

We’re developing specialised agents such as the investigator agent to support case handlers, a risk agent to flag emerging threats and an audit agent to align cases with compliance frameworks. They’ll enhance decision making by bringing speed, clarity and structure.

This shifts companies from reactive governance to proactive integrity management with the platform as a constant digital conscience, reinforcing governance at every layer of the enterprise.

– Compiled by Nirmali Ameresekere
COMPANY DETAILS

Telephone: 0777 799042 | Email: hello@aventude.com | Website: www.aventude.com