A bank can have the best products in the market and still lose everything to a single compliance failure it never saw coming. Governance, risk management and compliance aren't back-office paperwork; they are what keeps a financial institution accountable, trusted, and able to keep operating at all, which is exactly why regulators and boards now expect a strong, well-understood compliance function at the core of the business.

This practical course equips executives, senior managers and functional heads working in internal audit, risk management, compliance and control, HR, quality and excellence, or information management and security, with the knowledge and skills to establish, lead and manage specialist governance, risk and compliance functions that meet current good-practice expectations.

Who Should Attend?

• Bank employees, managers and senior managers.
• Employees in compliance and control.
• Quality auditors and HR employees.

Programme Objectives

• Explain why compliance matters, and discuss the regulatory framework of your own industry.
• Assess the impact of compliance communications, and examine quality assurance in practice.
• Gain experience in compliance function procedures, to set priorities for managing compliance risk in a way that fits the institution's needs.
• Understand the integrated concepts of governance, risk management, information, compliance, performance, control and assurance, including their structural, procedural and behavioural components.
• Learn how to establish, lead and manage specialist functions that meet current global standards.
• Evaluate your function's performance and compliance, and provide the information and assurance required within the accountability framework.
• Engage effectively with stakeholders.

Module 1: Governance Foundations — Why It Matters and Who's Involved

• What governance, risk management and internal controls mean together, and why they matter to banks and financial institutions
• Corporate governance concepts, its importance, and its main stakeholders
• How governance is shaped externally, through law and regulation
• Comparing different models of corporate governance

Module 2: Understanding Compliance and Its Risks

• Defining compliance and why it matters
• Practical examples of compliance in action
• Understanding compliance risk

Module 3: Enterprise Risk Management and the COSO Framework

• What enterprise risk management covers, and its main areas
• Applying the risk management process using COSO guidelines: internal environment, goal setting, identifying risk events, risk assessment and response, control activities, and information and communication
• Identifying risk areas and tracking changes in the internal and external environment

Module 4: Embedding Controls Across Business Cycles

• Why controls need to be built directly into business cycles and processes
• Controls over the payment and purchasing cycle, and over inventory and cost
• Controls over the sales and collection cycle
• Controls over the HR cycle and payroll systems, and the fixed asset lifecycle

Module 5: Integrating Governance, Risk, Compliance and Assurance

• Bringing governance, risk, information, compliance, performance, control and assurance together as one framework, covering structural, procedural and behavioural components
• Identifying and evaluating high-impact rewards, risks and compliance requirements
• Evaluating your function's performance and compliance, and reporting within the accountability framework

Module 6: Leading GRC Functions and Engaging Stakeholders

• Establishing, leading and managing specialist GRC functions that meet current global standards
• Understanding stakeholder roles and responsibilities across private and public organisations
• Engaging effectively with stakeholders
• Applying the concepts through practical case studies