Title
Director – Business Risk Services
Experience
Sara joined Grant Thornton as a Director in 2010. She manages the firm’s Business Risk Services department and its team which offers its clients internal audit, IT audit and technology risk management, governance, compliance and internal control consulting, and IT consulting services.
Sara started her professional services career in a Big 4 firm. Since qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 2000, she has gained a wide range of experience both in professional practice and industry.
Her corporate governance specialist knowledge has derived from senior positions held within the Big 4 and in industry both home and abroad.
She has provided expertise and advice on corporate governance, internal audit, risk management and compliance to a range of entrepreneurial, private and multinational businesses.
Sector experience
Sara has acted as a Group Head of Internal Audit for domestic and international businesses and has delivered projects such as:
- establishing a full internal audit reporting regime and structure for a large private company and for a multinational organisation;
- designing audit committee terms of reference and day to day operational guidelines;
- rolling out full Sarbanes- Oxley Act (Section 404) programmes;
- SAS 70 reporting reviews;
- Combined Code compliance reviews;
- internal control reviews and implementation of in house peer testing regimes; and
- shared service (outsourced) business process risk management advice.
Professional qualifications, memberships and affiliations
Sara is a member of Association of Chartered Accountants (ACA). She holds a Masters degree in accounting (M.Acc) and a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Comm) degree from University College Dublin (UCD). She is also graduate of the Diploma in IFRS from Chartered Accountants Ireland.