Protiviti and NC State University's ERM Initiative have conducted the 12th annual Executive Perspectives on Top Risk Survey, in which we poll board members and C-suite executives from around the world on the risks they see as most significant for their organizations over the next 12 months and the next 10 years. For this year’s survey, we asked executives to peer into 2024 as well as a decade later, into 2034, and identify the most pressing risk issues for their organizations. Not surprisingly, a number of themes emerged from the results. The economy and inflationary trends are top of mind for 2024. Cyber threats are a critical concern not only next year but also a decade from now. The geopolitical landscape is creating ripple effects across numerous risk issues. Technology-related developments and challenges, including the emergence of generative AI, continue, accompanied by concerns about talent and skills gaps. And amid all this, there are growing worries about third-party risks. In this episode, Dr. Mark Beasley of NC State University’s ERM Initiative and Jim DeLoach of Protiviti discuss the key findings and takeaways from this year’s Top Risks study. Mark is the Professor of Enterprise Risk Management and Director of the ERM Initiative in the Poole College of Management at NC State University. The ERM Initiative provides thought leadership about ERM practices and their integration with strategy and corporate governance. As founding director, Mark leads the ERM Initiative’s efforts to help pioneer the developments of this emergent discipline. Jim is a member of the Protiviti Solutions Leadership team. His market focus is on helping organizations succeed in responding to government mandates, shareholder demands and a changing business environment in a cost-effective and sustainable manner that reduces risk to an acceptable level. He assists companies with strategy setting, business planning and performance management. For further information, read our Executive Perspectives on Top Risks Survey executive summary and full report at http://www.protiviti.com/toprisks or http://erm.ncsu.edu.

As of August 25, 2023, large technology companies providing hosting services, online platforms and search engines, are required to put processes in place to be notified of illegal content and to act on notifications under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA). Tech firms that do not meet a 45-million-user threshold have to comply with many of the DSA’s provisions beginning February 2024. Those smaller companies, along with so-called very large online platforms (VLOPs) and very large online search engines (VLOSE), face significant financial penalties for noncompliance, including fines of up to 6% of a their global annual sales, and an outright ban for repeat offenders. The global consequences of the DSA and what companies can do to comply with its broad mandates are explained in this blog and white paper. In this podcast, Protiviti Managing Director Kaitlin Kirkham-Cooper and Protiviti Associate Director Roxanne Miller share their insights on the different tiers of tech companies the requirements apply to and how complex requirements may cause challenges for some companies. Both Kaitlin and Roxanne are with the risk and compliance practice at Protiviti. Contact Kaitlin here: https://www.protiviti.com/us-en/kaitlin-kirkham-cooper Contact Roxanne here: https://www.protiviti.com/us-en/roxanne-miller

The volume of CFO priorities has increased for years. In the past 12 months, the intensity of these urgencies also spiked, forcing finance leaders to make higher-stakes decisions more quickly and implement major adjustments with far-reaching implications. Results from the latest Global Finance Trends Survey conducted by Protiviti show that CFOs recognize the volume and magnitude of the challenges bearing down on them and their finance groups as they prioritize ESG, generative AI, business planning and analysis, talent management, and much more. The results of this study are available in our new report, Accelerate: Assessing CFO and Finance Leader Perspectives and Priorities for the Coming Year. This is available at http://www.protiviti.com/financesurvey. In this podcast, Protiviti Managing Directors Kerry Buchar and Chris Wright share their insights on the results of this global study and what they tell us about the challenges finance organizations face today. Chris is the global leader of Protiviti’s Business Performance Improvement group. Kerry is a leader in the BPI practice, with experience in accounting and finance transformation. Contact Chris here: http://www.protiviti.com/us-en/christopher-wright. Contact Kerry here: http://www.protiviti.com/us-en/kerry-buchar.

The results from this year's Global Technology Audit Risks Survey, conducted by http://www.protiviti.com and http://www.theiia.org, reveal a complex and multifaceted landscape of technology risks. Cybersecurity is the top priority and by a wide margin. AI is an emerging risk with gaps in organizational preparedness and audit proficiency. The talent gap in IT is a growing concern and data privacy is a growing regulatory challenge. Protiviti and The IIA recently published a research report on the results of this survey, Navigating a Technology Risk Filled Horizon. For this episode, we talk with Protiviti Managing Directors Lindsay Gleeson and Angelo Poulikakos about the results of the survey and their insights about the findings and the trends they reveal. Angelo is global leader of Protiviti’s Technology Audit and Advisory practice. His specific areas of concentration include technology risk management, cybersecurity, IT compliance, internal audit and automation. Angelo has more than 18 years of experience in all facets of internal controls and frequently works with CIOs, CISOs, CAEs and other leaders to mature their technology risk management and audit capabilities. Lindsay is a leader in Protiviti’s IT, internal audit and financial advisory practice. She has over 16 years of extensive experience with a focus in audit consulting and project management. She has managed and executed numerous projects related to internal controls and rationalizations; Sarbanes-Oxley, SOC2, NIST and HIPAA regulatory compliance pre-implementation reviews; and automation and information security governance assessments. For more information, read https://www.protiviti.com/us-en/survey/it-audit-survey. Contact Angelo at mailto:angelo.poulikakos@protiviti.com. Contact Lindsay at mailto:Lindsay.gleeson@protiviti.com. To request a transcript of this episode, contact https://protiviti.com/.

In this episode, we discuss digital maturity in finance. Or more specifically, how more finance organizations are employing ERP systems, moving to cloud-based systems, transitioning more to analytics, and with that, understanding the talent management and risk management needs that are required with these major changes. Sharing their insights on these issues are two Protiviti experts, Chelsea Black and Kizzy Gift. Kizzy is a Director in the Business Performance Improvement practice. Kizzy specializes in finance transformation and change management within the BPI solution at Protiviti. She works with global clients on finance and operational process improvement, project management and change management. Kizzy has over 15 years of financial services knowledge as well as other industries including manufacturing, HR, healthcare and insurance. Chelsea is a Director at Protiviti and has spent the last eight years in the Business Performance Improvement practice. With more than 12 years of professional experience, Chelsea partners with clients to improve overall operations focusing on organizational, process and technology enhancements. She is a subject-matter expert in shared services as well as project and change management in the finance transformation space. Contact Chelsea at mailto:chelsea.black@protiviti.com. Contact Kizzy at mailto:kizzy.gift@protiviti.com. To request a transcript of this episode, contact https://protiviti.com/.

In this episode, we dive into SOX compliance – specifically, the findings of and key takeaways from Protiviti’s latest Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Survey. The results of our research are featured in our just-released report, The Evolution of SOX: Tech Adoption and Cost Focus Amid Business Changes, Cyber and ESG Mandates. Offering their insights and perspectives are Protiviti Managing Directors Andrew Struthers-Kennedy and Angelo Poulikakos. Andrew is the global leader of Protiviti’s Internal Audit and Financial Advisory practice, and Angelo is the global leader of the firm’s Technology Audit practice. Read Protiviti’s latest SOX Compliance Survey report here: http://www.protiviti.com/soxsurvey. Contact Andrew at https://protiviti.com. Contact Angelo at https://protiviti.com. To request a transcript of this episode, contact https://protiviti.com/.

In June, nearly two years after issuing their proposal for third-party risk management (TPRM), the U.S. banking regulators – the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – finalized their guidance. In this podcast, Brian Kostek from Protiviti interviews Kathryn Hardman from Veritex Bank and Helen Smith from First Citizens Bank about the implications of the updated interagency guidance for their institutions and how institutions can reconcile the revisions in their existing TPRM programs. Brian is a Managing Director with Protiviti and leader of the firm’s third-party risk management practice. Kathryn is Senior Vice President with Texas-based Veritex Bank and is the Director of Third-Party and Model Risk Governance. Helen is the Head of Third-Party Risk Management at First Citizens Bank. Contact Brian at mailto:brian.kostek@protiviti.com. Contact Kathryn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-hardman-096a99b. Contact Helen at https://www.linkedin.com/in/helensmith2021.

ChatGPT is the talk of the town today. But as we all know, generative AI is much more than this one tool. Gen AI represents a new frontier of promise, productivity and capabilities for organizations around the world. But it also comes with risks that these organizations must understand and manage if they’re going to capitalize successfully on these new technologies. In this episode, we talk all things gen AI with Protiviti Managing Director Christine Livingston. Christine is responsible for artificial intelligence/machine learning and innovation solutions at Protiviti. With over a decade of experience in AI/ML deployment, she has delivered hundreds of successful AI solutions, including many first-in-class AI-enabled applications. She has helped several Fortune 100 companies develop practical strategies for enterprise adoption of new and emerging technology, including the creation of AI-enabled technology roadmaps. She focuses on identifying emerging technology opportunities, developing innovation strategies and incorporating AI/ML capabilities into enterprise solutions. Learn more about Protiviti’s Artificial Intelligence services https://www.protiviti.com/us-en/artificial-intelligence-services. Contact Christine at https://protiviti.com. To request a transcript of this episode, contact https://protiviti.com/.

In the wake of a world-changing pandemic and amid current uncertainties in the global economy, organizations have made, and are making, some significant adjustments in their operations. For most, the procurement function is at or near the top of the list. These changes are critical for procurement leaders to navigate and manage as global supply challenges become more complex and organizations continue to grapple with technology, talent and skills shortages. There is a proven solution to address these challenges, something we refer to as procurement as a service. In this episode, we talk with two of Protiviti’s procurement experts, Chris Monk and Holly Lindstrom, about the challenges procurement groups are facing today and how this approach can help. Chris, a managing director, and Holly, a director, are leaders in Protiviti’s Sourcing and Procurement Transformation Group. For more information, visit Protiviti’s https://www.protiviti.com/us-en/sourcing-procurement-transformation. on the Protiviti website. Contact Chris at mailto:christopher.monk@protiviti.com. Contact Holly at mailto:holly.lindstrom@protiviti.com. To request a transcript of this episode, contact https://protiviti.com/.

Well, it looks like a recession is coming. Or maybe it's not. Or maybe it is. It seems like it's been a long wait for the other economic shoe to drop. And in the meantime, many questions are arising around managing costs in organizations. CFOs and finance leaders continue to have a lot of questions, and get even more from their internal stakeholders and customers, about projections, cost management, supply chains and more. This is especially true for organizations in the manufacturing and distribution industry. They operate in multiple locations. They often are operating on different systems. They can be more susceptible to supply chain issues and any disruptions that might take place around the world. And they have unique talent management challenges. Strategic cost optimization and management is something beneficial to commit to during any economic cycle, especially for organizations in the manufacturing industry. In this episode, we speak with two experts on this topic – Protiviti Managing Directors Andrea Vardaro Thomas and Shawn Seasongood. Both are leaders in Protiviti’s Business Performance Improvement group. For more information, visit the https://www.protiviti.com/us-en/cost-and-performance-management page on the Protiviti website. Contact Andrea at mailto:andrea.vardaro@protiviti.com. Contact Shawn at mailto:shawn.seasongood@protiviti.com. To request a transcript of this episode, contact mailto:kevin.donahue@protiviti.com.