In the third and most severe wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, internal and external auditors face both significant challenges and opportunities in providing high-quality assurance and opinion for their clients. In this webinar hosted by the Vice Chair of ACCA’s Financial Services Panel, Stephen Kenny, two thought leaders in the audit industry, Martina Keane, EY’s Head of Assurance for Financial Services, and Steve Sanders, Bank of Ireland’s Group Chief Internal Auditor, will share their insights.

Steve Sanders, Group Chief Internal Auditor, Bank of Ireland

Steve was appointed Bank of Ireland’s Group Chief Internal Auditor in August 2020. He first joined Bank of Ireland in June 2016 as Head of Audit for Bank of Ireland UK Plc as well as taking on the additional role of Interim Group Chief Internal Auditor for a time.

Before joining Bank of Ireland, Steve held several senior roles within the Internal Audit function of Barclays Bank Plc between 2005 and 2016. Steve also led a Group-wide Financial Crime audit team for 3 years and held the role of Director within the Personal Banking audit team at Barclays.

Steve is ACA qualified, has completed the Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMs) qualification, and is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors. He is a leading proponent of adopting agility within the internal audit profession and can often be found participating in related events across the country and in Europe.

Martina Keane, FS Ireland Assurance Leader, EY

Martina Keane leads EY Financial Services Assurance, specialising in banking and insurance, and works extensively across the Global insurance and banking landscape. Martina has significant experience leading large teams in an environment where there is ongoing change. Martina has detailed knowledge of finance functions, IFRS implementation, loan loss provisioning, and reserving. Martina is passionate about driving innovation in financial services assurance and developing high performing teams both in audit and in financial accounting advisory services (FAAS).

Martina was awarded Accountancy Leader of the year at the 2019 Women in Finance Awards.

In addition to her business degree, Martina also holds a Master’s in Accounting from University College Dublin and is a qualified chartered accountant.