Director of Ethics and Compliance at Applied Materials / Author
Severin Wirz is the Senior Director of Ethics & Compliance at Applied Materials, where he leads global ethics strategy, governance initiatives, and compliance programs for one of the world’s foremost semiconductor technology companies. Previously, he served as Senior Director of Anti Corruption Compliance at TIAA, overseeing enterprise-wide anti bribery efforts and supporting global operations through complex cross border enforcement matters.
His career blends grassroots anticorruption advocacy with senior investigative roles, including work with nonprofit organizations in East Africa and advisory support to multinational companies navigating sensitive, multi jurisdictional compliance risks. He has also held positions at TRACE International and Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, contributing to major international investigations and advancing global integrity standards.
Mr. Wirz is the author of Bribery Beyond Borders: The Story of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, published by CCI Press, a narrative grounded in extensive archival research examining the FCPA’s Cold War origins and its continued relevance to corporate ethics and global governance. In addition, he has contributed to leading reference works, including Practicing Under the U.S. Anti Corruption Laws and the series How to Pay a Bribe.
He holds a Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University. His expertise spans FCPA compliance, international law, corporate governance, and global investigations.