From Assurance to Advantage: Connected Risk and Strategic ERM
Central Florida IIA Chapter — Virtual Event
August 26, 2026 | 11:00am - 1:00pm Eastern Time | 2 CPE Credits | Delivery Method: Group Internet Based | Registration fee $40 members and $60 non-members
About This Event
Risk functions are being asked to do more than document and report. Boards want insight they can act on, executives want risk framed in the language of strategy, and AI is reshaping both the risks we cover and the tools we cover them with. This two-session event looks at that shift from both ends: the management discipline that makes ERM matter in the boardroom, and the connected data layer that makes audit work faster and sharper on the ground.
Session 1 — Enterprise Risk Management as a Strategic Advantage
Many organizations have an ERM framework. Far fewer have embedded it into how leaders actually make decisions. Sean Brennan (CPA, Director), Victoria Grant (CIA, Manager), and Joshua Levin (Senior Associate) of RSM US LLP's Risk Consulting practice share practical lessons on moving ERM from a documented program to a management discipline — one that informs strategy, strengthens governance, and turns risk insight into action. The team brings experience spanning private equity portfolio risk programs, SOX and material weakness remediation, executive risk assessment facilitation, and emerging AI governance work. They'll cover practical approaches to identifying and prioritizing risks, sharpening executive and board reporting, and partnering with the business as the risk landscape evolves — including emerging exposures such as artificial intelligence.
Session 2 — Third Brain for the Third Line: Connected Risk and Collective Intelligence in Practice
Rich Penfil is a computer scientist turned risk technologist who implemented machine learning and AI across all three lines of defense at Wells Fargo and now builds multi-agent AI systems for internal audit at PayPal. His "Auditor in the Loop" approach treats AI as an amplifier of professional judgment, not a replacement for it. In this session, Rich explains what a "second brain" and a "third brain" are and why they're becoming central to how audit and risk work gets done. The third brain is the connected layer where risks, controls, and processes are linked so that people and AI agents can reason over the same picture. He'll cover how to build one — and what changes in practice for scoping, testing, and reporting.
Learning Objectives
Session 1 — Enterprise Risk Management as a Strategic Advantage
After attending this session, participants will be able to:
- Differentiate a documented ERM framework from an embedded risk management discipline that informs executive decision-making.
- Apply practical methods for identifying, assessing, and prioritizing enterprise risks in an evolving risk landscape.
- Evaluate executive and board-level risk reporting for clarity, decision-usefulness, and alignment to strategic objectives.
- Identify approaches for partnering with business stakeholders to translate risk insight into management action.
- Recognize emerging risk domains, including artificial intelligence, and their implications for the ERM program.
Session 2 — Third Brain for the Third Line
After attending this session, participants will be able to:
- Define the concepts of a "second brain" and a "third brain" and distinguish between them in an audit and risk context.
- Explain how linking risks, controls, and processes into a connected data layer enables both practitioners and AI agents to reason from a shared picture.
- Describe the foundational steps and design considerations for building a connected risk layer within an audit function.
- Assess the practical effects of a connected risk model on audit scoping, testing, and reporting.
CPE Information
- Field of Study
- Session 1: Auditing (1 credits)
- Session 2: Information Technology (1 credits)
- Program Level
- Basic
- Prerequisites
- None
- Advance Preparation
- None
- Delivery Method
- Group Internet Based
- Who Should Attend
- Internal auditors, risk professionals, compliance practitioners, and financial leaders at all experience levels
Full speaker bios are available on the speakers page