Article | June 30, 2026
FCPA Enforcement: Where the Bribery Actually Happened
FCPA enforcement trends analyzed by geography. Discover where bribery risk is concentrated and how it impacts global compliance, investigations and risk management.
Dr. Nicolas Cunningham is a registered Canadian professional engineer with extensive experience in materials engineering, polymer sciences, corrosion, materials testing, and research and development. He has spent more than 20 years in the fields of chemical and materials engineering working in various markets including oil and gas, mining, petrochemicals, consumer goods, and the military. Dr. Cunningham has testified in North America and abroad in both French and English.
Dr. Nicolas Cunningham is a registered Canadian professional engineer with extensive experience in materials engineering, polymer sciences, corrosion, materials testing, and research and development. He has spent more than 20 years in the fields of chemical and materials engineering working in various markets including oil and gas, mining, petrochemicals, consumer goods, and the military. Dr. Cunningham has testified in North America and abroad in both French and English.
Before becoming a consultant, Dr. Cunningham spent 10 years developing innovative materials and processes from the benchtop to the production line. For his work, he has been awarded patents related to pipe coating, corrosion protection and ballistic materials.
Furthermore, he is a subject matter expert on polymers, coatings, adhesives, composites, and corrosion of metal alloys in various environments. Dr. Cunningham has also performed several failure analyses involving refractory alloys and ceramics in both metallurgical (extractive metallurgy) and power/electrical generation applications. He is highly knowledgeable of most electrochemical tests and thermo-mechanical tests and has evaluated the reliability of materials and products using accelerated life tests.
Dr. Cunningham has testified in cases involving product defects, personal injuries and fatalities, construction defects, premise liability, as well as intellectual property (patent infringement). He has also performed various technical advisory mandates for large multinational companies in the cases of recalls, product defects, and large losses. Dr. Cunningham experience also covers materials selection, field failure analysis, emergency repairs, and redesign of existing large industrial equipment especially after catastrophic event to facilitate recovery. He has performed field inspections and designed repairs on API, ASME and other tanks/pressure equipment using North American and European codes and standards.
FCPA Enforcement: Where the Bribery Actually Happened
FCPA enforcement trends analyzed by geography. Discover where bribery risk is concentrated and how it impacts global compliance, investigations and risk management.
Secretariat is pleased to share that 56 of our experts have been recognized in the Lexology Index 2026 Construction report for their outstanding work on complex construction disputes and claims around the world. With 12 experts named as Global Elite Thought Leaders—the report’s most exclusive ranking, achieved by only 5% of listed professionals—Secretariat has earned the No. 1 spot in this category for the second year in a row among more than 750 ranked firms.
Eric Poer, a Managing Director in Secretariat’s Global Investigations & Disputes practice, was retained by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to serve as their forensic accounting expert in a high-profile securities fraud dispute.