Innovating Internal Audits: Ebimami’s Unique Approach to Risk Management In the Banking Sector

By Rebecca Ejifoma

In a sector where internal auditors are often seen as ‘’bean counters’’, Calista Preye Ebimami is turning the tables. As deputy manager at one of Nigeria’s top leading banks, she has not only demonstrated that internal auditing goes beyond financial records but has proven that proactively identifying and addressing vulnerabilities in the financial sector is pertinent to mitigating risks.

With a  decade of progressive experience in the risk and audit sector, across information technology, finance and operation audits, she has leveraged her expertise to develop analytic driven, results oriented and proactive frameworks in internal audits.

As a seasoned professional, Ebimami designed and implemented a risk-based audit program for payroll application, for over 500 employees and successfully reduced payments and tax filing errors by 20%. She comments, ‘’ We can’t keep doing the same thing and expecting different results, we have to combat fraud head-on and detect these issues before they escalate into something bigger’’

According to Ebimami, ‘’Risk management is not just about mitigating threats, it is  also about seizing the opportunity to safeguard and propel success in the finance sector. Early detection of system vulnerabilities saves not only resources but also precious time, why wait until it happens before reacting’’ she added’’

She spearheaded a team of auditors to evaluate IT disaster recovery procedures which enabled them to identify and bridge gaps in recovery objectives and testing completion times, resulting in a 30% improvement in business continuity and management procedures

As risk management and auditing protocols continue to evolve, Ebimami is dedicated to revolutionizing the audit sector with high standards of professionalism and ethics aligning with internal audit systems and best practices to achieve outstanding results that would transform the finance sector.