April Lawrence is a Director of Research in Gartner’s Legal and Compliance Practice. She leads research initiatives focused on compliance program management and corporate ethics and integrity, helping chief compliance officers and legal executives navigate evolving regulatory expectations and build resilient, values-driven organizations. April’s work empowers clients with data-driven insights, best practices, and strategic guidance to strengthen ethical culture, enhance program effectiveness, and foster transparency and trust across the enterprise.
Prior to her current role, April served as an anti-corruption advisor at the U.S. Department of State, where she launched a public-private initiative to engage chief compliance officers in collaborative efforts to counter corruption. She also partnered with multilateral organizations to strengthen and implement international anti-corruption standards. Earlier in her career, April led research at Gartner on fostering cultures of ethics and integrity, and held roles focused on third-party risk, due diligence, and corporate investigations at Exiger. She began her career in international development, working on anti-corruption initiatives in emerging markets.
Exiger, Research Manager, 1 years
Gartner, Sr. Specialist, Research, 2 years
U.S. Department of State, Anti-Corruption Advisor, 3 years
Corporate Ethics and Integrity
Compliance Program Management
MA; Georgetown University; Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies
BA; Carleton College; International Relations
Measuring compliance program effectiveness
Increasing effectiveness of training and communications
Policy management and governance
Compliance risk mitigation
Compliance function strategy and structure