This gift guide is being published to lighten the tone as we approach the festive period and will, we hope, be read in that spirit.
For the eagle-eyed auditor
A telescope
Do you need a distraction from the intensive focus on accuracy and identifying risk? Look up to the skies with a Royal Observatory Greenwich StarSense DX 100 Celestron Telescope and support Royal Museums Greenwich.
Celestron has reinvented the manual telescope with StarSense; the first telescope that uses your smartphone to analyze the night sky and calculate its position in real time. Unleash the power of your smartphone to take you on a guided tour of the night sky; no telescope experience required. This edition of Celestron StarSense is ideal for beginners thanks to the app’s user-friendly interface and detailed tutorials. It’s like having your own personal tour guide of the night sky.
StarSense DX 100 Celestron Telescope
For the Chief Information Security Officer
Let me guess …. you clicked the link?
It was a phishing attempt, and you’ve had training on this about 101 times since you started here. Thankfully, it was a test sent from my department; but now you have some serious training to undertake.
Please alert us when you make the same mistake again, and it’s not me. Or don’t make the same mistake again. Or stop using any and all digital devices. Thank you.
Personalized cybersecurity wall poster
Words to drive me absolutely crazy
Personal device. Have you seen all of the off-channel communications recordkeeping cases? Do you even know what device you’re using half the time? We gave you a phone. Give it a cute nickname and use it for anything remotely business-related.
Weak password. Oh, you think because you have a “#” after “password” or after your eldest child’s first name, that makes it a strong one? And, let me guess, you have the same one for all of your devices and apps? It is because of you that I spike my eggnog at this time of year.
For the compliance professional
Spyfall board game
Communication skills are key for compliance professionals, and key too for this party game that’s ideal for some Christmas relaxation and fun. Success depends both on the ability to spin a convincing yarn, and on the ability to ask the right questions.
Players draw cards giving them a location, with one player drawing the ‘spy’ card. The spy doesn’t know the location, and those holding location cards don’t know who the spy is. Players have to find out who is who by asking questions, and the spy needs to listen carefully in order to spin a story enabling them to blend in. Uncovering the spy gets everyone a point, failure to do so means only the spy scores. After a few rounds of bluffing and guessing, the person with the most points wins.
Martini optional, shaken or stirred.
And for the compliance professional screaming into the void
My notebook might have your name in it
Ever feel like you’re trying to herd a group of cats into a single-file line when all you’re doing is trying to get people to complete mandatory compliance training on time or answer the three questions you sent them last week?
We hear you.
And these efforts should be documented well – probably not just in long-hand – but duly recorded. Nothing has really happened in the compliance world that is not documented (as the adage goes), and this is quite true when it comes to your team’s efforts to support an effective compliance program and protect the business’s reputation.
Get it in writing, and while you’re working on your cursive, maybe ask your executive leadership for help in nudging these intractable sorts in the direction you’re seeking.
For the data whiz
Faure’s Nocturnes and Barcarolles
We often reflect on the parallels between data and music in terms of structure, patterns and potential. And this wonderful recording of Faure’s Nocturnes and Barcarolles is also a lovely work companion.
Faure’s Nocturnes and Barcarolles
For the general counsel
Cool socks (and adverbs!)
A general counsel should say “allegedly,” because adverbs are cool.
And because it is a crucial legal term that signifies that a claim has not been proven true (at least not yet), particularly when discussing accusations, so as to avoid making a definitive statement that could be considered defamatory or legally problematic.
Best to do it in appropriate sartorial style with these cozy socks that send the perfect reminder at (allegedly) the perfect time.
For the HR professional
Everyday statement watch
Time management is essential for busy HR professionals, so your timepiece needs to show you mean business. For men, this limited edition 60th anniversay divers watch from Japanese manufacturer Orient sports a clean and simple face with subtle touches of class.
For women who would prefer a smaller size and want to project that Queen Bee vibe, this offering from Gucci combines heft and playfulness with recognisable style.
For the regulator
Bread baking recipe book
There is something magical about bread making. And this beautiful and reasonably priced volume is a great introduction. According to the authors it is the “baker’s skill in managing fermentation, not the type of oven used, is what makes good bread.” Perhaps this is a stretched analogy, but an effective regulator’s skill also lies in the management of the complex ‘ferment’ of the real world.
Eric Wolfinger
Classics digital library
Winston Churchill once said that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Cicero put it another way, suggesting that history is a teacher of life and the light of truth. There is much wisdom to be found in the classics and the James Loeb library provides wonderful access – and is now available via a digital subscription from Harvard University Press. A perfect blend of ancient and modern!
Loeb Classical Library subscription
For the risk expert
Axe
It has been a challenging year in terms of the types of risks that we have had to seriously contemplate for the first time in what seems a very long time. It has been a little bit of a sobering experience and so perhaps a risk expert might take comfort in owning an axe, just in case of a successful cyber attack on an electricity grid or, God forbid, a nuclear exchange. This axe comes from Sweden where, we are reliably informed, there are lots of trees. So they must know a thing or two about making these tools well.
The Endurance
Lego’s Endurance is a thing of beauty and is a fascinating illustration of a successful shift in an organization’s commercial strategy (a shift that would have involved complex risk assessment) leading to stellar growth figures. But it makes the list because it is Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship. And the incredible story of its voyage to the Antarctic as well as the explorer’s subsequent journey to seek rescuers for his crew offers fascinating insight into calculated risk taking.
For the sustainability star
Yoga mat bag
Yoga can be a great practice for people who respect the environment due to its emphasis on mindfulness, connection with nature, and sustainable living. Stretch, breathe and relax.
The Yoga Khaya Mat Bag has an adjustable shoulder strap, one main compartment large enough to hold a mat, block, and towel or change of clothes, a smaller “clean” compartment for personal items, and an internal pocket for your phone or other smaller items, along with a clip for your keys. The mat pictured in the bag is the Harmony mat. Dimensions are 26″ x 8″ x 4″.
Not only is the yoga mat bag made in America and with organic cotton, but a portion of the sale of every Jade “Khaya“ bag also goes to protect the habitat for chimpanzees in Uganda’s Hoima District. Khaya is a species of mahogany indigenous to this region.
For the technologist
Portable speaker and radio
A technologist can never have too many gadgets. But this one is special – not only is it wonderful design, the two-hour endless loop feature is incredibly nice when you are run off your feet as most of those working with technology seem to be these days.
For the whistleblower
A personalised engraved whistle
It’s important to always do the right thing. That includes blowing the whistle if and when you have to. So, before ‘your lips are sealed’, make sure there is a whistle between them. ACME seems to have a nice one. According to its website: “ACME whistles have proven to have an extraordinary appeal when given as gifts; they are striking, unusual, surprisingly practical, and the degree of craftsmanship that goes into the creation of each of our metal whistles is a delight to behold.”
And finally … spare a thought for those less fortunate
All too often real human tragedy is veiled by the abstraction of language. Abstraction, such as ‘geopolitical tension’ or ‘climate change’ is often needed in order to help us make sense of a big and complex world. But it does not in any way reduce the pain and suffering of real people in countries affected by war or natural disaster. So, in this season of giving and reflection, perhaps consider supporting a non-political humanitarian organization such as Doctors Without Borders.
“The thoughts and expressions provided in this GRIP article are solely for informational and entertainment purposes and do not constitute any endorsement of specific products or services.”
