Bill Burtis Believes Compliance Is a Growth Enabler

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The ancient practice of tenkara—a fly-fishing technique originating in the mountains of Japan that strips angling down to its simplest form—has taught Bill Burtis patience, focus, and mindfulness, virtues useful as Juniper Networks’ chief compliance officer.

“(Tenkara) is not merely casting the line into the water to see what you might catch. It requires strategic thinking, considering the type of fly, reading water conditions, and the approach. These same skills directly apply to my professional life,” says Burtis. “In my role, it is important to maintain composure, read the environment, make strategic decisions, and execute them effectively.”

Since his arrival at Juniper, whose customers include the top one hundred global service providers and thirty thousand enterprises, Burtis has been on a nine-year mission to transform compliance into a strategic asset.

“My goal is to rewrite the narrative on corporate compliance—moving it from a perceived necessary burden to a business-enabling function,” Burtis asserts. “Once people’s perception of compliance changes, organizations can integrate it into their business strategy and goals, driving innovation.”

According to Burtis, compliance programs should be strategically embedded as growth enablers rather than dismissed as obstacles. “Compliance builds a solid foundation for long-term success. When integrated into a company’s DNA and culture, compliance fosters trust and provides a competitive advantage.”

“In today’s market, high-trust organizations are a differentiator,” Burtis emphasizes. “Every customer seeks to partner with someone they can trust. Compliance is fundamental to the vision.”

Breaking down compliance misperceptions helps employees and leadership work together to create transparent spaces where employees feel safe stepping forward with issues. By valuing employees’ opinions and encouraging a strong speak-up culture, compliance becomes a catalyst for innovation across the product line. The result: building a better business.

If compliance doesn’t partner with the business, then “you’re never going to be part of the conversation, and valuable insights and opportunities to drive a culture of compliance will be missed,” Burtis says. 

Burtis leads a team of over twenty-five compliance professionals scattered across the globe, holding that team up as a compliance model. “If we don’t get it right, no one else will,” he says. “We lead by example.”

With more than eleven thousand employees worldwide, one of Burtis’s biggest challenges is ensuring that HQ messaging resonates with those in the field. Burtis uses his creativity and marketing skills—and carefully considers cultural components and diversity—to meet people where they are.

“Every customer seeks to partner with someone they can trust. Compliance is fundamental to the vision.”

Bill Burtis

“We spend a lot of time focusing on compliance communications and training to make sure the messaging is relevant, on point, and personalized where we can,” Burtis says. He provides information in bite-sized micro learnings to ensure his compliance efforts are responsive to employees’ specific needs globally.

“We’re trying to make things digestible and accessible,” Burtis says. To ensure his compliance program is scalable, adaptable, and relevant, he often relies on senior-level individuals at Juniper who have a history with the company and deep regional expertise.

As the leader of Juniper’s Integrity & Compliance Group, Burtis cultivates an environment of transparency, trust, and accountability, focused above all on impact while connecting each team member to the broader mission. While his employees seek his guidance and support, they own their projects.

“I believe in this culture of support and challenge. Constantly pushing the team to take ownership,” Burtis says. “But I also challenge them by asking, ‘Is this the best we can do?’”

In 2023, Compliance Week named Burtis its CCO of the Year, an honor based on input from former and current colleagues, vendors, internal and external clients, and stakeholders. Although a personal triumph, the award recognized his team’s collective work in transforming Juniper’s compliance program.

“I was honored to see the evolution of the team and how we’ve come together,” Burtis says. “It’s a recognition of the people around me believing I’ve had some positive impact on them.”

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