Audit & Risk Awards: the winners

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2026 Audit & Risk Awards, sponsored by Protiviti. The judges’ final selection was announced to a huge gathering of internal audit professionals from around the UK and Ireland at an event in Westminster on 11 June, hosted by journalist and news presenter Nina Hossain.

As usual, the judges had a tough choice, but it was exciting to see so much excellent work and some new faces in the shortlisted entries, as well as evidence that past winners have maintained their momentum and continued to innovate and progress.

The awards entries were varied and covered a broad spectrum of sectors and different team sizes – this was the first year there was an award specifically for small teams. The judges picked out elements of each winning entry for particular praise, from the Lloyd’s apprentice Joseph Fenocchi who is already “seen as future audit leader”, to the Welsh Government Internal Audit Service that had achieved a “truly transformational year… during significant change.”

Wales & West Utilities Internal Audit had “marked a standout shift to a strategic, trusted partner”, while Baillie Gifford Internal Audit Team had shifted to continuous assurance, upskilled its team and achieved an outstanding EQA result.  

Karen Connell, this year’s Inspirational Leader, had transformed a team “with limited influence focused on compliance checks to a global team that is well-resourced, highly capable and now widely recognised to be a trusted, risk focused and commercially aware partner.”

Whether it was through better use of AI and data analytics, forward-looking team development, greater inclusivity or increasing capacity while maintaining a consistently excellent standard, each winner had demonstrated their value to their organisation and achieved the highest accolades from their stakeholders.

Although there could only be one winner per category on the night, all those highly commended and shortlisted deserved praise and should celebrate their success. The awards event is valuable both as a celebration of best practice and for the chance it gives teams and individuals to showcase what they have achieved and learn from each other.

The Chartered IIA’s greatest asset is its members and the amazing work they do. The awards and the event are an opportunity to gather together and share ideas as well as to celebrate individual success. 

The winners  

Inspirational Leader - Sponsored by Protiviti

Karen Connell CMIIA, Paysafe 

Rising Star

Joseph Fenocchi IACert IAP, Lloyds Banking Group 

Outstanding Team – Public Sector

Welsh Government Internal Audit Services

Outstanding Team – Private Sector

Wales & West Utilities Internal Audit

Highly Commended: Shell Internal Audit & Investigations

Outstanding Team – Small Internal Audit Team

NCC Group Internal Audit Team

Outstanding Team – Financial Services

Baillie Gifford Internal Audit Team

Innovation in Internal Audit - Sponsored by BDO

Lloyds Banking Group AIDE Team

Professional Impact - Sponsored by Audit & Risk Recruitment

HMRC Internal Audit Team

Highly Commended: AstraZeneca Group Internal Audit 

Diversity Equality and Inclusion (DEI) Champion

Paul Pennant, Lloyds Banking Group

Highly Commended: NatWest Group Internal Audit

The JJ Morris Outstanding Contribution Award

Peter Elam CMIIA QIAL CIA, National Grid