Ireland Conference 2026

Immediate past president of the Chartered IIA

Sandro Boeri is a Culture & Leadership Advisor to Boards and Executives, working with organisations that want culture to be something leaders can understand, influence and use to achieve better business outcomes.

With over 40 years of senior leadership experience inside complex, high-pressure organisations, Sandro brings a rare combination of credibility, commercial understanding and deep insight into how organisations really operate. His work sits at the intersection of culture, leadership behaviour and business performance, helping leaders move beyond abstract conversations and into practical action.

Sandro works with boards, executive teams and senior leaders who recognise that culture is already shaping performance, decisions and outcomes, whether they are paying attention to it or not. His role is to help them see it clearly, understand its impact, and use it deliberately to improve trust, execution and long-term results.

Mary Brennan is a Chartered Director, Certified Investment Fund Director, and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ireland. In a career spanning over 30 years, Ms. Brennan has worked in Dublin and New York in audit for KPMG, led the global internal audit function in Elan plc. and developed a blue-chip portfolio of non-executive director roles.

She is a highly experienced Independent non-executive director and currently holds the position of chair of the board, chair of the audit committee, chair of the risk committee, and chair of the remuneration committee in her portfolio of financially regulated directorships. Ms. Brennan previously served on the boards of FBD Holdings Plc, BNP Paribas Ireland, Atradius Re DAC, Macquarie Capital Ireland, the Social Finance Foundation, and Microfinance Ireland.

Colette is a Risk Consulting Partner delivering transformation across the Lines of Defence for her clients, incorporating Enterprise Risk, Internal Controls Transformation, Integrated Assurance, Third Party Risk Management, and Internal Audit. She is helping her clients to navigate the transformative opportunities and disruption arising as a result of rapidly changing consumer behaviour, advances in health & wellbeing, geopolitical uncertainty, regulatory change, and the proliferation of emerging technologies, including AI.

Colette is also the Chief Risk Officer for EY Ireland, reporting to the Managing Partner and EY Ireland Board.

Colette is a Chartered Accountant and a Bachelor of Business & Law at UCD.

Chair of the Chartered IIA Ireland Committee

Gavin is Head of Internal Audit for Goodbody Stockbrokers which is part of the AIB Group.

He has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry with a focus on governance, internal controls, regulatory compliance, and risk management.

Gavin joined Goodbody in January 2013, during this time Gavin had built the team and led professionals providing subject matter expertise audit coverage across Corporate Advisory, Wealth Management, Capital Markets, Compliance, Market/Counterparty Risk, Operational Risk, and Strategic & Enterprise Risk Management.

Prior to joining Goodbody, Gavin was Head of Performance Management at Aviva Europe, Technical Specialist at the Financial Conduct Authority. He has also served as Head of Risk and Quantitative Research in Asset Management.

He holds both a BSc and an MSc in Finance from Queens University Belfast.

Claire, a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years’ experience, is currently Head of Group Internal Audit in PTSB a role she has held for almost 5 years. Previous to her currently role, she worked at KPMG as Managing Director, Risk & Regulatory Consulting. In this role Claire led major risk transformation projects and the delivery of internal audit services to a portfolio of financial services clients for over six years. Claire previously held a number of senior roles in Bank of Ireland including Retail Division Audit Partner in the Group Internal Audit and Deputy Group Secretary.

Keith Jenner is Deputy Head of Education and Development at the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors, leading the delivery and quality assurance of chartered assessments, training, qualifications, certificates and apprenticeship end point assessments. With over ten years’ experience in assessment operations Keith has delivered and quality‑assured regulated assessments across sectors such as internal audit, leadership and management. His career includes roles in operations management, internal quality assurance, contract assurance, coaching and learner development, supported by qualifications in management and quality assurance.

Emer is a Partner within the Climate Change and Sustainability services team at EY Ireland, specialising in ESG reporting and ESG assurance. She has experience in leading global complex sustainability report assurance engagements for clients such as DCC, Grafton Group, Aptiv, Lidl Ireland, Lidl Northern Ireland, and IPL Plastics. These engagements have been delivered under a range of Standards including ISAE 3000, ISAE 3410, GRI Standards, and SASB.

Emer has also experience in leading advisory engagements across the wider ESG and sustainability area, having recently supported clients with undertaking double materiality assessments for CSRD and regulatory gap analysis for sustainability regulations in place across selected jurisdictions. She is also a member of EY’s EMEIA ESG Reporting Committee.

Anne Kiem joined the Chartered IIA in January 2023 having been Chief Executive of the Chartered Association of Business Schools for eight years. In that time the staff team has more than tripled as a result of significant new activities and income streams. She attributes this success to fantastic colleagues and supportive and dedicated members.

Her career to date has included membership organisations, education and financial services. She was awarded an OBE in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Tracey serves as the Head of Internal Audit Services within the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS). She is a Chartered Internal Auditor, holding both the Qualification in Audit Leadership (QIAL) and a Certificate in Investigative Practice. With over 22 years of public sector experience, Tracey has led and delivered internal audit and investigative services, including fraud and whistleblowing functions. She manages the internal audit provision for nine central NICS Departments and 30 Agencies/Arms Length Bodies. Tracey is an active member of the UK Internal Audit Standards Advisory Board and the IIA Audit Leaders Group, and participates on the Department of Finance Departmental Board. Additionally, she holds the role of Head of Internal Audit Profession for NICS.

Arleen is a qualified Director of Internal Audit and Risk management, with over twenty-three years of experience in audit, assurance and risk management in the insurance, asset management and retail banking sectors. She holds the Chartered Banker and member qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland and also has the Chartered Member qualification from the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors. She also holds qualifications in Investment management and Treasury.

Currently Group Chief Audit Officer for Royal London, she is responsible for leading the Internal Audit proposition and representing the function at executive and board level. She is passionate about Internal Audit and Risk and is a Director on the Council of the CIIA; this role gives her the opportunity to influence the internal audit industry and to advocate for the value internal auditing brings.

Michelle was appointed Group Chief Internal Auditor in November 2025.

Prior to this, she served as Head of Audit – UK from November 2024. Michelle joined Bank of Ireland in November 2021 as Head of Audit for Non-Financial Risk, a key strategic priority for the Group. In this role, she strengthened coordination and focus on delivering insights across Non-Financial Risks, supporting the organisation’s goal of enhancing NFR fluency. Michelle and her team provided third-line strategy, insight, and opinion on NFR enterprise-wide, while leading GIA’s partnership with the GTCS division and overseeing non-financial risk elements within Group Risk.

Michelle joined from Ulster Bank where she held the role of Deputy Chief Auditor and Head of Audit. A qualified accountant, her career to date has spanned a wide variety of roles including Internal Audit, Capital Markets, Retail Banking, HR and Cultural Transformation. She has held a number of senior positions including Cultural Transformation Lead and Head of Diversity & Inclusion as well as Head of HR: Retail & Commercial Banking at AIB, and Head of Audit for AIB UK & Financial Solutions Group.

Michelle is a qualified Accountant (FCCA), has a L9 Masters on Culture and Behaviours in Financial Institutions and a L9 Directors Programme at the Institute of Bankers. She also sits on the Audit Committee of the Courts Service.

Pauline Mulligan is Chief Executive of the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) in Ireland since January 2025. The LGMA provides a range of professional services for and on behalf of local authorities in Ireland supporting improved efficiency in delivery of services by the sector, sharing best practise and innovative approaches.

She was formerly on the Management Board of the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment with responsibility for the development of indigenous enterprise which included oversight of Enterprise Ireland, the 31 Local Enterprise Offices and 9 Regional Enterprise Plans.

Pauline has extensive experience across many policy and operational areas including developing Innovation 2020 Ireland’s previous national research and development policy and leading the Department’s response to Brexit and Covid. She led on embedding a culture of innovation in the public service and served as Industry Attaché in Brussels with the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Annalise Murphy is a triple Olympian in sailing and a Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallist. Annalise was the fourth Irish woman to win an Olympic medal. She also competed in the 2017/18 Volvo Ocean Race, racing 40,000 nautical miles around the world as part of the iconic offshore event. After taking a step back from elite sailing following the Tokyo Olympics, Annalise transitioned into competitive cycling, where she has since become a multiple national champion on the track. Alongside her sporting career, she completed an MBA at Trinity College Dublin and now works with SportsKey, a sports facility management software company based in Ireland.

Jan Olivier leads the Education and Development function, delivering member advancement through certifications and skills development. Driven by his passion for education and the impact of education on personal and societal progress, Jan has worked in further, higher, and professional education sectors in South Africa, Kenya, the Netherlands, and the UK. He leverages his extensive background in curriculum development, distance and blended learning, and assessment methodology to guide the strategic direction of the Chartered IIA, while also applying his expertise and business insight to ensure financial resilience.

Jan holds advanced degrees in business management, education, philosophy, and literary theory.

Simon is the Group Internal Audit and Business Risk Director at Grafton Group plc, a FTSE250 Group which provides building and DIY products in Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK. Simon has been in this role for over twelve years, having previously spent over 20 years in professional practice, most recently with Deloitte, initially in external audit, and then risk management and internal audit services.  He is a graduate in Economics and Politics from Oxford University, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales and a Chartered member of the Institute of Internal Auditors.

James was Chief Audit Executive at AstraZeneca from 2002 to 2009, having previously held senior corporate and commercial finance roles, including Head of Group Financial Reporting.

In 2010, he founded a consulting business focused on internal audit consulting, training, and coaching, with particular expertise in Lean and Agile Auditing, Root Cause Analysis, Risk Assurance Mapping, preparing for EQAs, auditing culture and behavioural risk, and influencing and political savvy.

He has spoken at IIA International Conferences in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2023, and regularly presents and chairs sessions at other IIA events.

James is the author of Lean Auditing (Wiley, 2015) and Beyond the Five Whys (Wiley, 2024), which explores root cause analysis and systems thinking.

Samantha Preen is a Senior Internal Auditor specialising in cyber security, data governance and technology risk. Her career has been varied across manufacturing, technology and recently financial services at The Exeter. She is recognised for her data‑driven assurance work, her ability to clarify complex technical issues, and her commitment to innovative, forward‑looking audit practices

A CIA candidate nearing full completion, Samantha also holds a BSc in Computer Science & Business Management. In 2025, she received the Chartered IIA Internal Audit Innovation Award for I.A.I.N. (Internal Audit Information Navigator). She actively contributes to the profession through speaking engagements at Chartered IIA events, hosting webinars on AI and serving on the IIA South‑West Committee.

Samantha lives in East Devon with her partner and two cats. Dedicated to serving her community, she also serves as a Cranbrook Town Councillor, playing an active role in local initiatives. Outside of work, she enjoys swimming and making the most of Devon & Cornwall’s beautiful coasts and countryside.

Dan has worked in Internal Audit since 2008, beginning his career in Local Government before moving into Social Housing and, later, Financial Services. Over the years, he has held roles with some of the UK’s most recognised organisations, including Aviva — the UK’s largest insurer — Nationwide Building Society, and EY.

A Chartered Member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), Dan is now the Head of Internal Audit at Somerset Bridge Group. He has contributed to the profession through authoring case studies for the Chartered IIA examinations and, in 2025, was recognised at the Audit & Risk Awards where he won the Internal Audit Innovation Award.

Dan lives in Bristol with his wife and two daughters. Outside of work, he is a long‑standing Bristol City FC supporter and has played guitar in the same band since 1998.

I am currently the Chief Auditor for Barclays Europe, leading the audit effort covering the Banks post Brexit vehicle in Europe, hailing from Belfast but living in Dublin. I have been an auditor, both external and internal for my whole career and since 2005 as a chief internal auditor in either the UK or Europe with various SMF’s and PCF’s along the way. I joined Barclays in January 2023 having been working in NatWest group and looking after their main European Banks for audit. A feature of my career has been working internationally. I have at various points worked in North America, Asia and Europe, west and east and enjoyed every minute of it. I have worked in audit across pretty much all the disciplines in Financial Services, with the notable absence of never working in Technology!

I am just as passionate in my appetite to audit today than I was back when I started. There is nothing I enjoy more than starting with a blank page and working out how we approach a difficult piece of audit work. We play a vital role in keeping the organization safe and secure and have unparalleled access to really make a difference. I am not the fly on the wall auditor, I believe it is our duty to speak up when we see how things can be done better. I am also very focused on influencing the future of the profession, developing talent and I represent the IIA for UK & Ireland in the European confederation of internal audit institutes in Brussels (ECIIA).