Internal audit teams are a crucial part of the risk apparatus of a Financial Services business. Internal audit professionals will scrutinise and assess how well the business is managing risks and how effectively internal processes are working. They also often act as an in-house consulting service, advising management on how to improve systems and procedures. The work of an internal audit team will vary depending on the type of Financial Services firm they are part of, but many will examine risks relating to finance, accounting, reputation, growth, ethics and treatment of employees.

The Chief Internal Auditor at a large International Bank contacted Kind Consultancy looking to build out the Internal Audit team for their recently-expanded UK Bank. Kind had not previously worked with the bank but having entered the UK market they had been recommended Kind Consultancy as specialist recruitment consultants with particular expertise in Governance, Risk, Compliance, Financial Crime and Audit roles.

With a full Internal Audit team needing to be provided, we used a mix of methodologies, looking at industry-best specialists who were already known to us and active candidates in the job seeking marketplace. We also mapped the market to identify and confidentially approach individuals in similar positions at competing banks. Combining all of these sources we conducted initial pre-screen interviews and selected a shortlist of recommended candidates for each position which we then submitted to the client.

As part of this project we placed 8 people in total – a Head of Internal Audit, three Senior Internal Audit Managers and four Internal Audit Managers, working across the Commercial and Retail Banking divisions of the business. Kind Consultancy received positive feedback from the bank and have been their preferred supplier for further specialist hiring needs.