In my work at FITT, I speak regularly with consultants, advisors and business leaders who help companies expand into international markets. We talk about market readiness, new opportunities, partnerships and the challenges businesses face when navigating unfamiliar territory. The expertise these professionals bring can make a tremendous difference, but so can the judgement behind their advice.
I was reminded of that recently when I renewed my Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) designation. Each year, CITPs must agree to abide by the CITP Standards of Ethical Conduct. I’ve been through the process many times, but this year I took a closer look at the Standards.
Two words stood out: competency and integrity.
We often talk about ethics in international trade in terms of bribery, corruption and conflicts of interest. And those issues matter. A lot! But the more I thought about these two principles, the more I came back to a broader point:
Competency without integrity is not ethical professional practice. Neither is integrity without competency.
Ethical decisions aren’t just for multinational boardrooms
You don’t have to work for a multinational corporation to encounter ethical dilemmas. And a questionable payment doesn’t have to involve millions of dollars.
Consider the case of Yucatan Foods, which operated a manufacturing facility in Mexico. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, employees and agents arranged approximately US$14,000 in bribes through a third-party intermediary to obtain a wastewater discharge permit. The conduct came to light after Yucatan was acquired by Lifecore Biomedical. Lifecore investigated, voluntarily disclosed the misconduct and cooperated with authorities. The DOJ declined to prosecute the company in 2023.
This wasn’t a spectacular, multimillion-dollar bribe. It arose from a routine operational need that any business with an overseas facility might recognize: obtaining a permit. That’s precisely what makes the case relevant. When a well-connected intermediary offers to “take care of it,” a questionable arrangement can start to sound like an ordinary business solution.
In the FITTskills courses, we examine how to find and vet intermediaries and channel partners, including the benefits and risks of these relationships.
One important consideration is that businesses can be held accountable for the actions of agents, representatives and other third parties acting on their behalf.
Simply saying “we didn’t know” doesn’t make the problem go away. Understanding who represents your business, how they operate and what they’re doing on your behalf is part of doing business internationally.
Competency without integrity: Knowing how isn’t enough
A knowledgeable trade professional might understand foreign-market regulations, contracts, customs procedures or how to work with local intermediaries. That expertise can help a business identify opportunities and avoid costly mistakes. But the same knowledge can also be misused to disguise a payment as a commission, overlook a supplier’s questionable practices or present overly optimistic projections to secure approval for a deal.
A professional may know exactly how to get something done, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it should be done that way. The CITP Standards describe integrity in terms of responsibility to clients or employers, the profession and the public, as well as the independence needed to exercise professional judgement. To me, that means being honest, transparent and prepared to question a decision, even when doing so might be inconvenient or unpopular. I have experienced this first-hand.
Integrity without competency: Good intentions can still cause harm
This is the side of professional ethics I think deserves more attention, particularly when it comes to consultants and advisors.
Imagine an SME hires a consultant to assess opportunities in a new international market. The consultant is honest, enthusiastic and genuinely wants the business to succeed. But perhaps they lack the experience to recognize an important import restriction, misunderstand the true landed cost of the product or recommend a market-entry approach without fully understanding its regulatory implications. The client trusts the advice, commits resources and discovers the problem only after making a costly decision.
Were good intentions enough? I don’t think so.
Not every mistake is an ethical failure, and no consultant can be an expert in every aspect of international trade.
The ethical issue arises when someone overstates their expertise, fails to recognize its limits or proceeds without seeking the specialized knowledge a client needs.
Clients often hire advisors precisely because they don’t know what they don’t know. That makes the responsibility even greater. Sometimes the most professional and ethical response is, “This is outside my area of expertise. Let me connect you with someone qualified to help.” Other times, it might mean recommending legal counsel or obtaining an advance customs ruling on tariff classification (HS code) or country of origin, where available, rather than making assumptions that could prove costly for the client.
Recognizing the limits of our competency isn’t a weakness. It’s part of exercising integrity.
Different pressures, same responsibilities inside organizations
These principles don’t apply only to independent consultants. Many trade professionals work within private companies, public institutions and government organizations, where their recommendations can influence investments, procurement, partnerships and policy decisions.
Consider an organization preparing to execute an ambitious international expansion plan. The market opportunity looks promising, senior leadership is eager to proceed and significant resources may already have been committed. Perhaps the organization has even secured a grant or other funding, with timelines and deliverables already established. But what if the analysis reveals serious gaps in its export readiness? What if the organization simply doesn’t have the right people, skills or experience to execute the plan successfully?
Competency means being able to identify and explain those risks. Integrity means communicating them honestly, even when the organization is eager to move forward and there’s pressure to meet established timelines.
The reverse is equally important. A well-intentioned employee may be asked to assess a complex issue beyond their area of expertise. Acting ethically may mean acknowledging the need for additional training or professional development, investing in proper market research and data, or bringing in outside expertise before making a recommendation. Good advice sometimes requires additional investment, whether in people, knowledge or information.
Whether you’re advising a client or reporting to senior management, people are relying on the quality of your judgement, not just your confidence.
Two questions worth asking before the next decision
The CITP Standards of Ethical Conduct address responsibilities to individuals, organizations, the community and the profession, as well as conflicts of interest. They can’t anticipate every situation an international trade professional might encounter, but they provide a useful foundation for asking ourselves two important questions.
First, am I competent to provide this advice or make this decision? Do I have the knowledge, current information and relevant experience? If not, who should I involve?
Second, am I exercising that competency with integrity? Am I being truthful about the risks and limitations? Are personal interests, commercial pressures or organizational expectations influencing my judgement? Would I stand by my recommendation if it were made public?
Neither question is sufficient on its own. We need to be asking both.
Why renew an ethical commitment every year?
FITT requires CITPs to complete an annual ethics attestation, separate from the ongoing professional development requirements that help us maintain our competency. Rereading the CITP Standards of Ethical Conduct gave that annual step a little more meaning for me. Our roles change, markets and regulations evolve, and the scope of our advice and responsibilities grows. The decisions that test us today may be very different from those we faced earlier in our careers.
For me, renewal is a useful reminder that neither competency nor integrity can be taken for granted simply because we’ve been working in international trade for years.
A professional designation speaks to what we know, but our conduct demonstrates how we choose to use that knowledge. Whether we’re independent advisors, employees or leaders in public and private organizations, ethical professional practice requires both.
When was the last time you revisited your professional standards?
Explore the CITP Standards of Ethical Conduct and learn more about the competencies, ongoing professional development and ethical commitments behind the Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) designation.
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