Israel Ekiko ACA, CIA, CISA, CRISC, CRMA, CISM, M.Sc

Experience

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  Standard Bank Group

  Jan 2013 - Nov 2019

  Lead Auditor

  • Led internal audits across Asset Management, Pension Investment Management, Trustees, Insurance, Nominees and Stock Broking subsidiaries that make up the Standard Bank Group Wealth Business Pillar.• Championed high-profile compliance and regulatory reviews that produced significant findings along with value-adding and sustainable recommendations.• Facilitated organization-wide risk assessments to identify significant risks or exposure related to internal controls or compliance with policies and procedures, laws and regulations, sponsored contract and regulatory requirements, efficiency of operations, and accuracy of financial reporting.• Designed risk models, and rating methodologies and reviewed credit rating templates.• Facilitated pieces of training to other risk management and internal audit teams on a variety of relevant topics, including emerging risk management methodology, regulatory themes, and industry best practices.• Authored Board Audit Committee presentations and consolidated reports. Show less

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  Greenwich Merchant Bank

  Nov 2019 - Jun 2021

  Manager - Head, Internal Audit

  • Led full-cycle internal audits, from planning to reporting, for 5 subsidiaries within the Greenwich Bank group including Investment Banking, Asset Management, Stock Broking, Trust, Share Registration.• Presented the annual risk-based internal audit plan of 5 subsidiaries for the Group Board Audit Committee review and approval• Drove methodical documentation of audit work plans, testing results, conclusions and recommendations and directed follow-ups on audit findings and corrective actions.• Championed over 20 investigations, and special audits, and offered subject-matter expertise as needed.• Directed the work of external auditors and consultants on select audits, as directed by the Audit Committee and Senior Management, to ensure the audit work remained within the prescribed guidelines.• Anchored defining IT General Controls reviews that revealed significant gaps in contract and Service Level Agreements with vendors which could expose the business to legal risks, less value-for-money and poor service quality.• Facilitated a cybersecurity review that involved a deep review of the Microsoft Office 365 Tenant user access system/process and production of sustainable recommendations on appropriate preventive/remedial actions, inclusive of the need for a multifactor authentication on staff email accounts, an IT security policy and heightened end-user awareness programs.• Sponsored a comprehensive review of the payroll process in March 2020 which revealed the inherent lapses in the existing process, led to recovery of overpayments and recommendation of control initiatives to plug the leakages. This earned the Internal Audit team a commendation from the board. Show less

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  KPMG Nigeria

  Jun 2021 - Oct 2022

  Manager - Internal Audit & GRC Services

  • Engagement Execution: Drove execution and quality client service delivery of an average 10 engagements per time, comprising SOX, ICFR, Internal Audit, IT Audits, Internal Control diagnostic reviews/framework design, and external quality assessments.• People Management: Coached and mentored over 20 Consultants – Senior Associates, Associates and Interns. Passionately contributed to their career development and performance management.• Business Development: Independently identified and developed 23 new client relationships in a year. Nurtured these client interactions into strong and lasting relationships through excellent engagement delivery and high-end relationship management.• Quality & Risk Management (QRM) Procedures: Ensured 100% adherence to KPMG QRM procedures by documenting all Conflict Check, Client and Engagement Evaluation procedures.• ICFR: Championed delivery of 8 ICFR/SOX engagements in a year, consisting of 3 large banks• Leadership & Training: Authored and facilitated over 20 thought leadership resources and bespoke training to clients and diverse stakeholders on emerging risk areas and hot topics on ICFR, Internal Audit, Risk Management, and Internal Controls.• Working Capital (WC) Management: Slashed receivables figure 30% by aggressively following up on unpaid invoices while ensuring the continuation and enhancements of services. Show less

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  Coronation

  Nov 2022 - Feb 2023

  Group Head, Internal Audit

  • Authored the annual Group Internal Audit plan and monitored compliance from all subsidiaries within the Coronation ecosystem.• Spearheaded reviews of Group Internal Audit and regulatory compliance reports and monitored implementation of recommendations.• Championed investigations into suspected fraudulent practices within the group and recommended the appropriate line of action in response to findings.• Master-minded group-wide assessments for the business and operational risks facing the Coronation ecosystem and proactively established appropriate mitigating controls and monitoring mechanisms/frameworks.• Chaired the forum for the design and building of control frameworks in Coronation ecosystem business processes and systems.• Championed high-level presentations on periodic activity/management reports to the board and management on activities of the function• Proactively served on committees or cross-functional teams and performed other duties as assigned by the CEO• Revamped and executed processes for assessing and improving internal controls, accounting and operating procedures and financial reporting. Show less

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  Seplat Energy Plc

  Feb 2023 - now

  Coordinator, Process & Internal Controls - ERM

  • Oversee the organisational internal control system's design, implementation, assessment and monitoring. Aligning risk management and associated internal control activities to support the delivery of shareholder value.• Identify weaknesses in the organization’s work processes and implement initiatives to minimize such risks (Process automation/additional manual controls)• Evaluate the business’ recovery procedures for operational disruptions and maintain communication with business leaders, external auditors, and regulatory agencies.• Review controls and governance systems over the organization’s Financial, compliance and information technology environment to ascertain that it is functioning as intended and will enable the organization’s objectives and goals to be met.• Review and track different access controls, security measures, segregation of duties, and critical and non-critical changes implemented on business applications within the enterprise suites including privileged access rights for staff and contractors.• Lead investigation into Business control incidents and recommend appropriate consequence management, training, and process improvement.• Ensure adequate monitoring of significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in internal controls.• Participate in the evaluation of information technology and business risks associated with strategic and operational objectives of the company.• Oversee the review of departments' processes, and functions to improve controls and decrease risk. Develop policies and procedures to correct identified gaps.• Prepare internal controls reports for management and the relevant Board Committees on the state of compliance and stress test assessment of the adequacy of the Company’s internal controls.• Administer trainings to ensure that staff have an intricate understanding of all internal control guidelines and standards. Show less