Leading with Impact: How CAEs Drive Value Through ERM

Ask most internal audit teams who owns ERM at their company, and the honest answer is "it's complicated." Beth Womersley — a CAE with a career spanning both healthcare and aviation, plus years as a risk consulting partner building ERM programs from scratch — draws a clear line: internal audit should facilitate ERM, not own the risk, and there's a specific tool that keeps that line intact. You'll learn how to shift from assurance provider to strategic partner without compromising independence, how to use a RACI matrix to clearly separate the facilitator role from the risk owner role, which risk-scoring criteria to use beyond just impact and likelihood (preparedness and velocity included), and how to actually align your audit plan with your ERM results instead of running two disconnected processes. Real examples throughout include how a company backed into a water-security control from an international expansion risk conversation, how an aviation company's risk-aware culture set them up to successfully expand into tourism, and Beth's own peer survey of CAEs showing how ERM ownership actually breaks down across industries. Whether internal audit facilitates ERM at your organization, is being asked to take it on, or you're just trying to figure out where the line should sit, this session gives you a practical structure for getting there. 👉 Join the Internal Audit Collective, the community where 1300+ Internal Audit and SOX practitioners connect in real time: internalauditcollective.com Subscribe for more practical, no-fluff internal audit and SOX content. #internalaudit #ERM #riskmanagement #CAE #SOXcompliance #GRC 0:00 Introduction 2:17 From Assurance Provider to Strategic Partner 17:50 Why Internal Audit Is Well-Positioned to Facilitate ERM 28:09 Real Examples: Risk Culture in Action 31:19 Facilitator vs. Risk Owner: Drawing the Line with a RACI Matrix 33:51 From Strategy to Risk Identification to Assurance 47:35 Beyond Impact & Likelihood: Choosing the Right Risk Criteria 49:06 Aligning Your Audit Plan with ERM 52:35 Reporting to the Board & Balancing Independence with Partnership