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If you want compliance to make a real impact on your organization, Joseph Moyer says it’s imperative to develop the leadership skills to build shared ownership and lead cross-functional teams.
Moyer, the associate general counsel for global trade compliance at Coherent, says shared ownership is the cornerstone of an effective trade compliance program—and the only truly effective way to embed compliance in a large multinational business like Coherent. “A trade compliance program, even those incredibly well resourced, can only be effective if the entire business and its leadership is committed to compliance,” he says.
But as the AGC explains, shared ownership can’t be a one-way street. To help create that ownership, an effective trade compliance attorney must understand the company’s business strategy, the products and services they support, and the broader competitive environment.
“It doesn’t matter how compelling your vision is to you. You need your team to fully support it.”
Joseph Moyer
Moyer’s company works on cutting-edge technology, with products that include lasers, advanced materials, and optical components. Moyer doesn’t know how to build a laser, but he’s willing to learn.
“You have to be fluent in the company’s strategy and the company’s products,” Moyer says. “You have to understand how lasers work. How are you supposed to apply regulations to a product if you don’t know what the regulations seek to protect? There’s no silver bullet; you have to be willing to put in the time to learn everything from the big picture vision to the customer demands shaping our future products.”
And shared ownership is built through effective communication. “Obtaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities to communicate to a variety of stakeholders is essential,” Moyer explains. “You can’t communicate in legalese. You must be attuned to your audience. Leaders want to know more than just the substance of the regulations; they want to know the impact of changing regulations—and quickly.”
For Moyer, these principles all come down to trust: The ability to build and sustain trust in a complex organization is critical to enterprise success. And Moyer knows a thing or two about building trust and credibility in the most stressful environments.
Moyer joined the United States Navy as a judge advocate general (JAG) in 2008, a role he pursued while in law school. He deployed to Afghanistan from 2010 to 2011 where he helped reshape the country’s legal system.
“It was rule-of-law development,” the AGC explains. “We were trying to mature a legal system in terms of quality of judges, prosecutors, and defense counsel, and to develop a legal framework ready for the transition of wartime detention operations to peacetime rule-of-law. There was a lot of work to create new frameworks that were consistent with international law and our own principles. It was an incredibly challenging yet fulfilling mission. I’ve benchmarked everything that has come since against that experience.”
It wasn’t just the mission. Moyer says the caliber of leadership he witnessed in the military shaped his own style and taught him how to earn a team’s trust. “It doesn’t matter how compelling your vision is to you. You need your team to fully support it. That requires you to be a servant leader who is fully and sincerely invested in the team.”
Prior to Coherent, Moyer built trade compliance expertise and worked with incredible mentors. He was drawn to trade compliance due to the sheer breadth of the issue: product design, business development, sourcing, hiring, shipping, business travel, and site security, among other areas. He also felt it resonated with his service as a Navy JAG. “Our job as judge advocates was to leverage our legal abilities to accomplish the broader mission,” he says.
“You have to be fluent in the company’s strategy and the company’s products.. . . How are you supposed to apply regulations to a product if you don’t know what the regulations seek to protect?”
Joseph Moyer
Moyer is now again in a role where he applies his leadership and legal expertise to achieve a broader mission. One challenge he’s encountered is the speed at which Coherent has grown and the number of trade regulations with which it must comply. But he views the company’s expansion as an opportunity to build a best-in-class program.
He’s also excited about the new chief legal officer’s vision. “The demands on trade compliance professionals are growing exponentially,” he explains. “We have to do more—and AI can be a powerful force multiplier.”
Moyer’s leadership couldn’t come at a better time. Trade compliance is having a moment. Tariffs, new export controls, and global tensions are front and center.
“The disruption occurring in this space isn’t just a US concern; it’s of global impact,” Moyer says. “I view the uncertainty as an opportunity to change the organizational dynamics around trade compliance. Trade compliance is often seen as a necessity but ultimately as a cost center. This is a moment to demonstrate our capacity to contribute more to the organization. Trade compliance should be a strategic advisor and enabler for the company. And that’s the type of forward leaning approach we’re taking at Coherent.”
Guided by shared ownership, trust, and leadership, Moyer sees continued success in deploying these principles to help his team set a new standard for trade compliance programs and be ready for any challenge.
