Since taking over as the legal chief at Panasonic Corp. three years ago amid a bribery scandal, Laurence Bates has pushed to foster a culture of compliance at the Japanese global electronics giant—and he says he’s seen “tremendous progress” due, in part, to the company’s willingness to give legal and compliance a seat at the table.

Shortly after Bates joined Panasonic in 2018, one of its subsidiaries, Panasonic Avionics Corp., agreed to pay a $137.4 million criminal penalty to settle allegations that it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.