Powerful Insights – Details, episodes & analysis

This podcast is the replay of a webinar Protiviti hosted in January.
April 30 marked the 100th day of the second Trump administration. Since Inauguration Day, the administration’s actions have reshaped national and international policies, resulting in economic uncertainty, geopolitical risk and global instability. Traditional scenario-planning and risk management strategies are insufficient to address the seismic shifts that have taken place in such a short time. 
In this webinar, our panel of experts dissect the immediate and long-term implications for U.S. and global businesses, as well as provide pragmatic advice to help attendees:

• Unpack the key developments of the first 100 days
• Identify the possible winners and losers
• Manage through this period of uncertainty
• Consider what may be just over the horizon

Speakers:
Carol Beaumier, Senior Managing Director, Global Leader for Thought Leadership, Protiviti 
Michael Brauneis, Executive Vice President, Global Industry & Client Programs, Global Financial Services Industry Leader, Protiviti 
Peter Henry, Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution; Senior Fellow at Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI)

Tariffs are the dominant issue of the day and the focus of our latest edition of Powerful Insights as we discuss how companies can assess and respond to them effectively in their organizations.
Without question, tariffs are dominating agendas and discussions in boardrooms, C suites and more as organizations try to figure out their impact on their products, services, supply chains, customer relationships and much more. In this episode, Protiviti managing directors Kerry Buchar and Lucas Manganaro discuss these and other effects and how organizations can address them timely and effectively.
Kerry is a leader in Protiviti’s Business Performance Improvement solution, with experience in accounting and finance transformation. She advises clients across industries on financial planning and analysis, strategic reporting, target operating model design, process optimization and shared services.
Lucas leads the Supply Chain Innovation Practice at Protiviti. Throughout his 20+ year career, Lucas has held multiple supply chain and procurement leadership roles focused on transforming business processes and leveraging technology to improve top- and bottom-line results.
Contact Kerry here: www.protiviti.com/us-en/kerry-buchar.
Contact Lucas here: www.protiviti.com/us-en/lucas-manganaro.
For more information, visit the Finance Transformation home on the Protiviti website: www.protiviti.com/us-en/finance-transformation.

In this episode, we discuss digital maturity in finance. Or more specifically, how more finance organizations are employing ERP systems, moving to cloud-based systems, transitioning more to analytics, and with that, understanding the talent management and risk management needs that are required with these major changes.
Sharing their insights on these issues are two Protiviti experts, Chelsea Black and Kizzy Gift.
Kizzy is a Director in the Business Performance Improvement practice. Kizzy specializes in finance transformation and change management within the BPI solution at Protiviti. She works with global clients on finance and operational process improvement, project management and change management. Kizzy has over 15 years of financial services knowledge as well as other industries including manufacturing, HR, healthcare and insurance.
Chelsea is a Director at Protiviti and has spent the last eight years in the Business Performance Improvement practice. With more than 12 years of professional experience, Chelsea partners with clients to improve overall operations focusing on organizational, process and technology enhancements. She is a subject-matter expert in shared services as well as project and change management in the finance transformation space.
Contact Chelsea at chelsea.black@protiviti.com.
Contact Kizzy at kizzy.gift@protiviti.com.
To request a transcript of this episode, contact kevin.donahue@protiviti.com.

Mark Beasley and Jim DeLoach discuss key findings and takeaways from the Executive Perspectives on Top Risks for 2016 study conducted by North Carolina State University's ERM Initiative and Protiviti.

Protiviti Executive Vice President Brian Christensen and Managing Director David Brand discuss some of the key findings from Protiviti's latest Internal Audit Capabilities and Needs Survey, focusing on cybersecurity and technology trends, as well as what the future holds for internal auditors.

In this episode, we dive into SOX compliance – specifically, the findings of and key takeaways from Protiviti’s latest Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Survey. The results of our research are featured in our just-released report, The Evolution of SOX: Tech Adoption and Cost Focus Amid Business Changes, Cyber and ESG Mandates.
Offering their insights and perspectives are Protiviti Managing Directors Andrew Struthers-Kennedy and Angelo Poulikakos. Andrew is the global leader of Protiviti’s Internal Audit and Financial Advisory practice, and Angelo is the global leader of the firm’s Technology Audit practice.
Read Protiviti’s latest SOX Compliance Survey report here: www.protiviti.com/soxsurvey.
Contact Andrew at andrew.struthers-kennedy@protiviti.com.
Contact Angelo at angelo.poulikakos@protiviti.com.
To request a transcript of this episode, contact kevin.donahue@protiviti.com.

In June, nearly two years after issuing their proposal for third-party risk management (TPRM), the U.S. banking regulators – the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – finalized their guidance.
In this podcast, Brian Kostek from Protiviti interviews Kathryn Hardman from Veritex Bank and Helen Smith from First Citizens Bank about the implications of the updated interagency guidance for their institutions and how institutions can reconcile the revisions in their existing TPRM programs.
Brian is a Managing Director with Protiviti and leader of the firm’s third-party risk management practice. Kathryn is Senior Vice President with Texas-based Veritex Bank and is the Director of Third-Party and Model Risk Governance. Helen is the Head of Third-Party Risk Management at First Citizens Bank.
Contact Brian at brian.kostek@protiviti.com.
Contact Kathryn at linkedin.com/in/kathryn-hardman-096a99b.
Contact Helen at linkedin.com/in/helensmith2021.

ChatGPT is the talk of the town today. But as we all know, generative AI is much more than this one tool. Gen AI represents a new frontier of promise, productivity and capabilities for organizations around the world. But it also comes with risks that these organizations must understand and manage if they’re going to capitalize successfully on these new technologies.
In this episode, we talk all things gen AI with Protiviti Managing Director Christine Livingston. Christine is responsible for artificial intelligence/machine learning and innovation solutions at Protiviti. With over a decade of experience in AI/ML deployment, she has delivered hundreds of successful AI solutions, including many first-in-class AI-enabled applications. She has helped several Fortune 100 companies develop practical strategies for enterprise adoption of new and emerging technology, including the creation of AI-enabled technology roadmaps. She focuses on identifying emerging technology opportunities, developing innovation strategies and incorporating AI/ML capabilities into enterprise solutions.
Learn more about Protiviti’s Artificial Intelligence services here.
Contact Christine at christine.livingston@protiviti.com.
To request a transcript of this episode, contact kevin.donahue@protiviti.com.

In the wake of a world-changing pandemic and amid current uncertainties in the global economy, organizations have made, and are making, some significant adjustments in their operations. For most, the procurement function is at or near the top of the list. These changes are critical for procurement leaders to navigate and manage as global supply challenges become more complex and organizations continue to grapple with technology, talent and skills shortages.
There is a proven solution to address these challenges, something we refer to as procurement as a service. In this episode, we talk with two of Protiviti’s procurement experts, Chris Monk and Holly Lindstrom, about the challenges procurement groups are facing today and how this approach can help.
Chris, a managing director, and Holly, a director, are leaders in Protiviti’s Sourcing and Procurement Transformation Group.
For more information, visit Protiviti’s Sourcing and Procurement Transformation page on the Protiviti website.
Contact Chris at christopher.monk@protiviti.com.
Contact Holly at holly.lindstrom@protiviti.com.
To request a transcript of this episode, contact kevin.donahue@protiviti.com.

Well, it looks like a recession is coming. Or maybe it's not. Or maybe it is. It seems like it's been a long wait for the other economic shoe to drop. And in the meantime, many questions are arising around managing costs in organizations.
CFOs and finance leaders continue to have a lot of questions, and get even more from their internal stakeholders and customers, about projections, cost management, supply chains and more. This is especially true for organizations in the manufacturing and distribution industry. They operate in multiple locations. They often are operating on different systems. They can be more susceptible to supply chain issues and any disruptions that might take place around the world. And they have unique talent management challenges.
Strategic cost optimization and management is something beneficial to commit to during any economic cycle, especially for organizations in the manufacturing industry. In this episode, we speak with two experts on this topic – Protiviti Managing Directors Andrea Vardaro Thomas and Shawn Seasongood. Both are leaders in Protiviti’s Business Performance Improvement group.
For more information, visit the Cost and Performance Management page on the Protiviti website.
Contact Andrea at andrea.vardaro@protiviti.com.
Contact Shawn at shawn.seasongood@protiviti.com.
To request a transcript of this episode, contact kevin.donahue@protiviti.com.