ILIYAS ADEWALE
CIA, CISA, CRISC, CA, PMP, CompTIA Sec+, CSM, CSOE
Senior IT Auditor
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
A highly accomplished, motivated, and detail-oriented IT, financial, and operations auditing professional with the extensive experience and ongoing professional development background to plan and execute complex initiatives and deliver strategic improvements for businesses across sectors. Recognized for delivering outstanding financial guidelines and standards compliance within deadline-driven, multi-disciplinary environments. Deploy skillset to analyze complicated information, generate actionable recommendations and guide clients through implementation. Demonstrated ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously while bolstering business outcomes through enhanced control creation and implementation. Build and maintain productive relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders, driving organizational mission objectives through a people-focused and compliance-aware approach.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Full Lifecycle Audit Management
Comprehensive Audit Reporting
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Multi-Layered Communication
Risk Identification/Mitigation
Data-Driven Decision Making
Specialized Audit Planning
Efficiency Improvement
Regulatory Compliance
Change Navigation
Stakeholder Relations
Conflict Resolution
Team Leadership
Critical Analysis
Problem Solving
EDUCATION
Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), 2017
Aston University, UK
Management Program, 2016
Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Financial Services Management, 2015
University of Salford, UK
Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Accounting & Finance, 2013
University of Derby, Derby, UK
Certifications and Training
CIA
CISA
CRISC
PMP
CompTIA Security+
Chartered Accountant (CA)
Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
Certified Sarbanes Oxley Expert (CSOE)
Certified Cards and Payments Professional (CCPP)
PG Certificate in Cybersecurity, Rice University, Houston Texas
WORK EXPERIENCE
New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS), Albany NY (Hybrid), August 2023 to Present
INFORMATION SYSTEMS AUDITOR 2
Incorporate project risk assessment and state policy compliance into the execution of technical audits of major IT initiatives valued at more than $5 million for acquisitions, upgrades, and implementations.
Chart a successful course for comprehensive risk-based IT audits across more than 15 state agencies, performing compliance assessments to align IT operations with regulatory standards such as NIST, IRS, HIPAA, and NYS cybersecurity.
Bolstered coverage and relevance by developing audit plans and methodologies tailored to the risk profiles of audited entities.
Enabled timely delivery of critical audit artifacts by integrating agile audit methodologies to streamline IT audit processes. Reduced audit rework and errors by 40% by adopting iterative reviews and continuous feedback loops inherent in agile methodologies
Establish rapport and maintain communication with stakeholders regarding objectives to perform business process mapping and analysis.
Key Achievements
Drove reductions in unmanaged privileged access accounts from 25% to less than 1% by leading a comprehensive review of privileged access management using the CyberArk application to achieving compliance with IRS 1075 and NIST 800-53 requirement, and mitigating the risk of data breach
Boosted overall security posture 27% by guiding in-depth reviews of cybersecurity policies, access controls, and data protection, and recommending pivotal enhancements.
Cut audit cycle time 20% while maintaining quality through collaboration with other Audit teams to streamline audit processes using agile methodologies.
Beech Valley Consultants (Remote), February 2023 to July 2023
INDEPENDENT IT AUDIT CONSULTANT
Spearheaded comprehensive IT audits aligning with client IT infrastructure and regulatory requirements in consultation with three clients in the manufacturing and oil and gas industry
Pinpointed and resolved control gaps by identifying an average of 15 high-risk vulnerabilities per client and proposing strategic remediation roadmaps.
Empowered a Fortune 500 client to implement strong cybersecurity controls by delivering actionable insights related to NIST and ISO 27001 compliance.
Reviewed documentation of clients’ internal controls (both IT controls and business cycle controls).
Prepared audit reports detailing results of audits and provided recommendations for remediation, as well as follow up review of corrective action plans.
Infotech Consulting, Houston TX (Hybrid), May 2020 to February 2023
SENIOR IT AUDITOR
Played a key role in reinforcing information security safeguards by providing enhancement recommendations drawn from comprehensive IT audits and compliance reviews across various cloud platforms that identified key control risks.
Oversaw the deployment of robust security measures by leading detailed reviews of IT general controls, focusing on areas such as access control, change management, and data protection.
Produce technical documentation for IT audit infrastructure and the organization’s Business Continuity Plan.
Propelled significant improvements to clients' abilities to manage and recover from security incidents by cultivating cooperative incident response plan development and refining strategies.
Key Achievements
Secured $2 million in potential risk mitigation by orchestrating SOX scoping and compliance audits for 18 mission-critical IT systems.
Access Bank Plc, Lagos Nigeria (Onsite), September 2018 to February 2020
LEAD IT AND DIGITAL BANKING COMPLIANCE
Pioneered all aspects of IT and fintech compliance initiatives, authoring policies aligned with ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, and GDPR requirements.
Proactively mitigated risks by creating and implementing enterprise-wide technology inventory that embedded compliance into 22 IT projects.
Developed reporting and tracking system to communicate audit scores and effectiveness of corrective action plans.
Key Achievements
Lifted regulatory compliance from 83% to 93% within one year by conceptualizing and launching real-time mobile compliance monitoring.
Access Bank Plc, Lagos Nigeria (Onsite), December 2016 to September 2018
SENIOR AUDITOR
Planned and carefully executed a targeted audit on high-risk transactions, identifying potential fraud cases amounting to more than $1 million.
Steered each phase of the evaluation of the efficiency of branch operations, identifying redundant processes and unnecessary manual tasks.
Key Achievements
Attained a 40% reduction in fraudulent activities and improved overall bank operation security by strengthening internal controls and introducing a real-time monitoring system for high-value transactions.
Cut operations costs 25% and enhanced productivity 15% across branches by recommending the Implementation of process optimization strategies, including automation of routine tasks.
Realized a 30% increase in customer satisfaction and 10% hike in customer retention by leading the Audit team that the findings led to the introduction of a standardized customer service training program and improved the complaint resolution process.
Access Bank (SL) Ltd, Freetown Sierra Leone (Onsite), March 2013 to November 2016
HEAD, TECHNOLOGY/OPERATIONS
Fueled seamless execution and operational integrity across credit and loan functions by adeptly coordinating the bank’s information technology and banking operations.
Supervised and mobilized high-quality performance from ten project teams, developing mobile banking applications, ATM and POS systems, and the issuance and acceptance processes for Debit and Credit Cards.
Sustained and improved the bank's reputation and minimized risk exposure by fostering high standards of operational compliance.
Key Achievements
Achieved zero regulatory penalties over three years by maintaining strict adherence to policy, rules, and regulations.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Languages: English, Creole
Technical Proficiencies: ISO 27001, NIST Compliance, NYDFS, COBIT, SOX Compliance, Scrum Master/Agile,
Interests: Sailing (competitive), tennis (recreational), fly-fishing, photography, literature
Albany, NY 346-***-**** *********@*****.***