When Forrest Deegan first joined clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch Co. in 2012 as its first-ever director of compliance, he never could have imagined the many unexpected twists and turns that would come his way.

Jaclyn Jaeger is a freelance contributor to Compliance Week after working for the company for 15 years. She writes on a wide variety of topics, including ethics and compliance, risk management, legal,...