Mixed Signals: Managing Product Compliance in an Era of Instability and Growing Divergence

Webinar Overview

We live in an era of unprecedented instability, with global product manufacturers, distributors, and retailers operating in an increasingly complex regulatory environment. As geopolitical tensions rise and regulatory priorities shift, the landscape for product compliance and product liability is becoming more fragmented across jurisdictions.

In 2026, businesses are facing growing divergence between product obligations globally and a return to the pre-eminence of the national regulation over multi-lateral alignment. This trend is creating new challenges for companies seeking to maintain consistent global compliance strategies while managing legal and reputational risk.

In this webinar, we will examine the latest global developments shaping product compliance and product liability obligations. Our expert will explore how organisations can interpret the “mixed signals” coming from governments and regulators, providing a roadmap for maintaining compliance and mitigating risks to business.

Join us and Ashurst for a strategic look at the regulatory and liability trends businesses should be monitoring in 2026, along with practical approaches to maintaining compliance and managing legal exposure in a rapidly evolving global environment.

Webinar Agenda

• Global Product Regulatory Trends
  An overview of the major developments shaping product compliance and product liability obligations worldwide.
• EU and UK Regulatory Landscape
  Key updates and emerging policy directions impacting manufacturers operating in European markets.
• Strategies to Mitigate Legal Risks
  Strategies for navigating regulatory divergence, strengthening compliance programmes, and mitigating legal risks.

Date

This webinar will take place on Wednesday, 8th April, 2026 at 08:00 PDT, 11:00 EDT, 17:00 CET.

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Presenters

Sarah-Jane Dobson, Partner, Global Head of Product Liability and Regulatory Risk, Ashurst LLP

Sarah-Jane Dobson is the global head of Product liability and Product Regulatory Risk (safety and regulatory compliance) at Ashurst, where she is a Partner in London. She specialises in regulatory, litigious and policy matters across the full product lifecycle in product safety, compliance and liability, and in consumer litigation. She has extensive experience defending corporate clients in high-stakes litigation (including in high-profile class actions), regulatory enforcement actions, inquests, public inquiries and judicial reviews, and she acts on regulatory compliance, advertising issues, global product recalls and corrective actions.

Sarah-Jane’s degree in science makes her particularly well-placed to navigate clients’ highly technical product matters. Her dual legal qualification in England and Wales and Australia, her international experience and her language skills make her particularly adept at multi-jurisdictional and multi-lingual matters. She holds leadership roles in prominent industry organisations, including a Board of Director and Chair of International Student Mentorships with the European Commission and OPSS for ICPHSO, Chair of International Legal Issues for DRI and Chair of International Class Actions for IADC.

Kerri Whelan, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Compliance & Risks

Kerri is a Senior Product Marketing Manager at C&R, serving as the strategic bridge between customer reality and product development. She goes beyond defining what a product does to deeply understand why it matters, uncovering real customer challenges and advocating for them inside the organization. Partnering closely with product and engineering teams, she ensures innovation is grounded in real-world needs, translating complex technology into clear, meaningful value.

With more than two decades in technology including experience from the early days of videoconferencing at Polycom and Logitech, and more recently in the EV charging space, her focus is consistent: when a product reaches customers, its value isn’t a marketing promise, but an unmistakable solution to a real problem.