LAST year, as part of Deloitte’s Chief Legal Officer Program, one of our directors sat down with Rashmi Airan to talk about what it takes to lead an ethics-focused organization. Airan is a globally-recognized speaker on ethics and creating organizational cultures grounded on integrity and accountability, a role she came about in a remarkably tragic way.

Back in 2004, Airan was a successful lawyer with her own practice in Miami, Florida. She was a pillar of her community, a respected woman leader, and a loving mother. Fast forward 13 years, she found herself in court pleading guilty to a federal crime and facing a possible 20-year sentence in jail.