Knowbility Consultancy

A diverse client base that includes chemical manufacturing, education (primary, secondary and university), retail, trading, F&B, and technology industries providing the following:
- Internal Audit (example engagements include operations, maintenance, project management, finance, HR, Admin, IT, SAP implementation, supply chain, warehouse management, customer service, HSE, etc.)
- ERM 
- Investigations (example assignments include fraud, contract termination assessment, business performance)
- Consulting (example assignments include Board Charters, Org Chart, RACI, Company Policy & Procedure integrating people, process and systems, Process Improvement, Education Technology Framework, Methodology and Procedure, Code of Business Conduct, Performance Management).

Conducted internal audits / consulting engagements in SAP, Dynamics, Odoo, Oracle.

Reporting to the Audit Committee, Risk Committee, Board of Directors and / or CEO.

Managing Partner

Al Kout Industrial Projects Co.

Al Kout Industrial Projects, listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange, is a manufacturer of chlorine, caustic soda, sodium hydrochloride, hydrogen and sodium chloride. The customer base includes Middle East; Africa and Europe. 

Key responsibilities included Internal Audit, Risk Management and Consultant support. 
Internal Audit (IA)
•	Reported results to the Audit Committee;
•	Developed risk based internal audit plan;
•	Documented the Audit Committee Charter, IA Charter; IA manual; and self assessment process; 
•	Implemented an Audit Issue Tracker to review and monitor progress of sustainable action plans. Result in improvement of closure rate by ~80%;
•	Bid audit execution to audit firm and manage contract;
•	Liaise with third party audits (customer, regulatory and ISO) 
Risk Management:
•	Assumed responsibility for Risk Management, including facilitating workshops on key risks
Consultant: 
•	Supported the CEO as an internal consultant to drive Performance Improvement across the organization to promote a culture of accountability, improvement and change enablement;
•	Facilitated the refresh of the Vision, Mission and Values;
•	Initiated Executive Management Team (EMT), Charter and facilitated meetings;
•	Presented a strategy model and led the EMT in a workshop to assess current state; prioritise strategic areas of focus; and generated ideas (pending Shareholder strategy communication and alignment);
•	Initiated and rolled-out end-to-end Performance Management company-wide, which included the policy, competency framework, objective and rating assessment template, rating definitions, “train the trainer” workshops, campaign of values and competencies and year-end compilation and analysis;
•	Developed Policies & Procedures (Code of Business Conduct policy; Succession Planning Process, Record Retention Policy).

Senior Head of Business Performance Improvement

Mashreq Bank

VP Head Service Quality & Delivery
Drove customer centricity across customer touch points and delivered continuous improvement on TAT and cost. This included dynamic review and challenge of existing and new processes and policies, design and execution of strategic and tactical initiatives (ensured structure, transparency, accelerated resolution and sustainability) in (re)design of end-to-end (e2e) processes.

VP - Head of Service Quality & Delivery

Selected for Project Management Office (PMO) to support Strategic Transformation initiative, working along side McKinsey

VP Strategic Transformation

Unique opportunity presented to support the CEO’s business conglomerate on a consultative basis. Offered Head of Audit position for Al Ghurair Group.

Consulting Secondment - Al Ghurair Group

Managed audits and country reviews, including audits of international business group (New York, London, Hong Kong, India and Egypt). Also, responded to regulatory agency queries in New York, Hong Kong, and India.

VP Head of Operations Audit 

This role was created to promote governance and the capability of the Internal Audit function, in alignment with Auditing Standards. Managed Group’s performance contract, balance scorecard,  budget, responsible for Audit Charter, Action Plan Policy, and Ownership and Accountability policy published pan-bank.  Presented policies to Audit Committee & Compliance (ACC) for approval. Developed Internal Audit Framework and Audit Methodology documentation; Quality Assurance and Improvement Programme (QAIP); and participated in PMO for pan-bank transformation/cost reduction programme. Additionally, involved in restructure of the Audit division.

VP Head of Excellence, Strategy and Assurance

o	Review Wholesale Audit workpapers and made recommendations for improvements
o	Written papers on Managing Spreadsheets, Auditing Performance Management and provided input in analysis of Operational Risk Management
o	Support Emirate training and development and assumed mentor/advocacy for Emirate teammembers

VP Internal Audit, Wholesale Audit

Morgan International

Visiting Instructor

Ernst & Young, LLP

Senior Manager, Business Risk Services (BRS) London, UK   (2007 - 2008)
• Managed two retail bank internal audit engagements, which included client relationships, audit plan, AC presentations, quality reviews, client workshops and lunch & learns; Setup Office of Chairman Account (OCA) global acct Europe operations; Led corporate audits and performed QA reviews at a Hedge Fund 
• People Council team Chair; FS Diversity & Inclusiveness Steering Group Member & Counseling Manager for four employees

Senior Manager, Business Risk Services (BRS), Los Angeles, CA   (2002 - 2006)                                                               
Joined as Senior Auditor; Promoted to Manager in year 2004 and Senior Manager in 2005
•	Awarded and led a $3M Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) review (U.S. and U.K.) of up to 15 professionals, directly reporting to the Controller and Internal Audit Director 
•	Seconded six months to London, UK office; served in a SOX 404 advisory and technical support role for key accounts & supported an internal audit transformation for a leading Bank 
•	 Lead Manager for a $5M Internal Audit engagement for a Fortune 100 account; Responsible for Engagement Economics; Managed up to eight concurrent internal audit projects and 15 multi-disciplinary professionals; Facilitated risk assessment interviews with key senior executive management and process owners; Established internal audit reporting, communication protocols and work paper standards; Developed and led internal audit execution & managing client expectations training; Prepared responses to regulatory agencies; Performed audit quality reviews (AQR) to comply with EYLLP protocol standards
•	Lead Manager for a Fortune-500 $2M Sarbanes-Oxley 404 review; reported directly to the CRO - Managed a multi-disciplinary team of up to 20 professionals
•	Nominated as PSW People First Committee Member and BRS Performance Plus Co-Chair and Awarded 2004 “PSW BRS Manager of the Year”

Experienced Senior Manager

Arthur Andersen & Co.

Joined as Staff Auditor; Promoted to Manager in year 2001
•	Executed audits.  Wrote internal audit reports presented to local management and audit committees
•	Supervised, developed, and trained audit staff, which included counsel, mentor and evaluate performance
•	Anonymous upward feedback evaluation received was above senior benchmark group in all evaluated areas (engagement/assignment management, people management, values, and professional qualities)

Senior Auditor

Staff Auditor
•	Executed audits 
•	Wrote internal audit memos and provided audit grade justification

Staff Auditor

Enabling client business excellence & resilience | Governance & Risk Optimization Champion | Risk Consultant | Founder of a Boutique Firm | Hyper focused on driving bespoke client / value-centric results

Hello, I’m Mary Ann, thank you for taking time to get to know me.

Raised in the sunshine of Los Angeles, the California pleasant can-do spirit has shaped my being. My global career journey has been a vibrant journey, having lived in London, Dubai, and now Kuwait. I traveled extensively, from Bakersfield to New Orleans; Canada; Bogotá, Colombia; across Brazil, Switzerland and more. Each location has enriched my business acumen, valuing diverse viewpoints and enabling me to adopt best practices from world class organizations.

My academic study at the University of Southern California was Business Administration with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship, given its esteemed national ranking and my keen desire to blend theory with practical application. For my thesis, I chose digitized patient records, ~20 years+ ahead of AI Healthcare emergence. 

In a profession where no two consultants are alike, I distinguish myself through a genuine connection with clients—prioritizing partnership over transaction. My goal is to empower our clients and their organizations to achieve their strategic goals and achieve sustainable excellence.

Dissatisfied with the scratch-the-surface, boiler-plate solutions from local firms that didn't meet my standards, I founded Knowbility Consultancy. It was out of the desire to offer bespoke solutions and strive to challenge the negative stereotypes of the field, shifting mindsets to value what a strong internal audit and risk assurance provider can bring to businesses. This passion to transform our profession underpins everything we do at Knowbility, where we're dedicated to elevating the practice of internal audit and risk assurance through bespoke, impactful solutions.

The ethos of Knowbility, represented in our name—a play on words—signifies our commitment to keeping clients "in the know" with key insights, embodying "nobility" through unwavering ethical standards and quality, enriching clients with "knowledge" to comprehend the 'why' in (in)actions, and showcasing our "ability" to deliver outstanding results.

Let's connect for a virtual / in-person coffee and let me know how I can help you.

Time tests relevance, resilience, and purpose. 

Who is the best auditor? Time! And few have passed the test of time like Richard Chambers.

Attending the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors UK Conference was a real privilege and one of the highlights was hearing Richard share his 50-year journey with such humility and depth.

While I’ve had the privilege of hearing Richard's story before, listening to him share it again, this time in more depth, was inspiring.

Fifty years. That’s not just a milestone, it reflects the evolution of our profession. Golden takeaways and reflections that stood out for me:
🔹 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Internal Audit must go beyond safeguarding assets to helping the organization “figure out where new doors are needed in the future”, which will keep us relevant and a trusted advisor.
🔹 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: AI gives us hindsight, but our ability to interpret, anticipate, and act with judgment will be our competitive advantage.
🔹 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐬: Governance of culture is as critical as governance of controls, and focus on culture and ethics as sources of both risk and resilience.
🔹 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: As expectations evolve, staying aligned with what stakeholders value keeps us relevant.
🔹 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: Only 25% of audit teams are using AI today. This is a signal that technological literacy and adaptability are lagging. As the Future of Jobs Report also highlights, curiosity, resilience, and agility will define the profession’s next generation.
🔹 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐬: Impact isn’t in reports issued, but in the quality of decisions and resilience we help build.
🔹 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: The experiences we don’t plan often shape us most; stay open to detours and don’t let others prescribe your path.
🔹 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 ≠ 𝐈𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Internal Audit must remain objective but connected, engaging with empathy while holding true to conviction and clarity.

Beyond the insights, it’s Richard’s humility, wit, and authenticity that makes him a standout. His 50-year journey inspires not for its length, but for the generosity with which he continues to give back. I rarely write posts like this, but his example deserves to be acknowledged.

I’ll share more key takeaways from the conference in separate posts, including the session David Hill and I facilitated on Independence.

#Reflections #FutureOfAudit #InternalAudit #CIIAUK

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AIGP, CIA, CRMA | Governance & Risk Assurance Champion | Founder | Board Member | Perplexity AI Business Fellow 2025

There’s a unique energy when people from different worlds come together to dialogue and exchange thoughts with openness and curiosity.

At last week’s The AI Fellowship London Chapter event at Grosvenor Hall, we brought together AI practitioners, builders, consultants, academics, strategists and governance leaders for an open, human conversation on building meaningful and responsible AI capability.

Wonderfully facilitated by Olivier Legris, our speakers Maria Clara Vilas BoasClara Vilas Boas (Executive Recruiter at McKinsey & Company), Carl Aelle (Senior Director at Brand Partnership Group), and Paul Wilkins (Associate Director, Rassum) offered thought-provoking insights from different corners of the AI ecosystem. Together, the discussion explored:
🔹 How this wave of AI signals a structural transformation, reshaping skills, work, and organisational design beyond the technology.
🔹 Why sustainable AI adoption demands business-first alignment, strategy, ethics, and purpose guiding technology.
🔹 The importance of building AI fluency across functions, where curiosity and collaboration matter as much as technical skill.
🔹 How trust, transparency, and governance anchor innovation, ensuring that progress remains both human and accountable.

Our guests made the evening particularly memorable, through their thoughtful questions, reflections, and engagement during Q&A that turned the discussion into a genuine exchange.

From the lens of internal audit, risk management, and governance, a few parallels stood out applicable to both AI and governance:
 🔹 The need to balance innovation with good governance.
 🔹 Building adaptive oversight frameworks that evolve with risk and opportunity.
 🔹 Nurturing a culture of curiosity is pertinent, and utilising assurance as an enabler (not a barrier) to transformation.

As with all meaningful conversations, this event reminded me that progress, in AI and governance, involve curiosity and connection.

It was a privilege to co-host this session with Pilar Baltar Abalo, Zohaib Khan and Olivier Legris as part of The AI Fellowship. 

👋🏽 Hi, I’m Mary Ann, passionate about people, (AI) governance, internal audit and risk assurance.

#TheAIFellowship #AILeadership #Governance #InternalAudit #HumanAI

2026 is going to force some uncomfortable conversations about AI. 

A recent Forbes article laid out eight areas where we'll be challenged on trust, accountability, and fairness and honestly, I'm not sure we're ready.

Here's what's been on my mind as I look at these eight themes through a governance lens:

1️⃣ The copyright ethical dilemma: If AI is trained on copyrighted content, shouldn't creators be compensated? Courts are split, some rulings favor artists, others favor AI companies.

What could work: Moving beyond legal battles toward consent-based data models, fair revenue-sharing, meaningful opt-outs, and transparent disclosure of content sources.

2️⃣ Agentic Guardrails: As AI agents get more autonomous, will we shift from "Can they do this?" to "Should they?" and "Who answers when things go wrong?"

The shift we need: Guardrails that enable responsibility by design, and no longer view responsible AI as killing innovation.

3️⃣ The workforce impact: We're watching mass layoffs reshape workforces. The reskilling conversation is urgent, but is it happening fast enough?

What makes this real: Embedding retraining, upskilling, and social investment into how we deploy AI, not as an afterthought.

4️⃣ Who's accountable?: When AI makes a mistake, who owns it? The developer? The data provider? The user? Right now, the answer is unclear—and that's a problem.

My take: We need frameworks that keep humans in the loop. Accountability can't be outsourced to algorithms.

5️⃣ Global standards gap: AI doesn't respect borders, but our regulations are either non-existent or a patchwork. The EU, China and India have rules. Others are still figuring it out.

Where we're heading: Can we shift from AI sovereignty to AI diplomacy? Trustworthy AI requires cross-border coherence.

6️⃣ Deepfakes & synthetic content: Misinformation and manipulated images, AI-generated content is challenging what we believe is real.

What helps: Content labeling, provenance tracking, and investing in digital literacy. These aren't optional anymore.

7️⃣ Organizational governance: Organizations are racing to build AI policies, codes of conduct, and training programs. But it can't be done in silos.

What works: Governance embedded in culture and decision-making, and integrated across the organization, not just documented in policy.

8️⃣ The black box problem: Transparency and explainability remain AI's biggest trust challenge. If we can't explain how decisions are made, how do we expect people to trust them?

Bottom line: Without explainability, trust will remain challengeable.

The narrative that governance slows innovation needs to be challenged. We need to build sustainable and trustworthy systems.

Join the conversation: Which of these themes keeps you up at night? 

👋🏽 Hi, I’m Mary Ann, passionate about people, (AI) governance, internal audit and risk assurance.

Vid Source: yanotakahiro

𝐀𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. That disconnect is draining time, trust, and ROI.

𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘊𝘐𝘖 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦.

Boards may call AI their top investment priority, but the data tells another story:
⚠️ 95% of GenAI initiatives are failing
⚠️ Only 25% of AI projects achieve measurable ROI
⚠️ 74% of CFOs report productivity gains from AI, yet just 11% see clear ROI

By 2030, 75% of IT work will be done by humans augmented with AI. 

That means upskilling and change management are no longer optional, they’re obligatory.

Three lessons from organizations getting AI right:

1️⃣ 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐈 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫.
 91% of high-maturity orgs have one vs. just 37% of low-maturity orgs.

2️⃣ 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬.
 Multiple studies suggest the total cost of AI implementation can be 2- to 5-times the initial licensing fee, with complex or large-scale projects sometimes exceeding that.

3️⃣ 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡.
Build AI literacy, reskill for augmented roles, and prepare for behavioral shifts like skills atrophy.

🌍 By 2036, AI will create over 500 million net new human jobs.

Success isn’t just about deploying AI, it’s about guiding it responsibly, with people at the center.

The future of work is not AI-driven, it’s human+AI enabled.

Join the conversation 👇
💭 What does “human readiness” mean to you in the age of AI?
💭 When was the last time you got stuck proving you’re human?

👋🏽 Hi, I’m Mary Ann, passionate about people, (AI) governance, internal audit and risk assurance.

#FutureOfWork #AIReadiness #HumanReadiness

Insight reinforced by the Gartner IT Symposium keynotefrom the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo™ conference opening keynote
pic: gpteeheecomic

Brillantly said James. Bias in AI is often invisible and unintentional, yet we know its impact can be widespread and deeply harmful. Accountability, constant vigilance with human in the loop, and leaders committed to human values and fairness are imperatives.

Founder & AI Strategist | Helping CEOs Grow and Scale | VC & PE Readiness | Dual-Use Technology & Sovereign Resilience | MOD Cyber Veteran | Velinor – AI for human growth

Bias in AI rarely enters through intent.
It enters through omission.

Training data that does not represent reality.
Systems that are never tested across diverse groups.
Decisions where no human ever reviews the outcome.

This is not simply a technical problem.
It is a systematic one.
When left unchecked, biased AI does not just make errors.
It amplifies injustice, quietly, invisibly, and at scale.

We do not need perfect data to build ethical AI.
We need responsible leaders who design for equality, test for bias, and keep humans at the centre of every decision.

Because if fairness becomes a footnote, discrimination becomes the default.

If you want to know more, let us connect on LinkedIn:
https://lnkd.in/ehJRSrcK

#SovereignAI #AILeadership #ResponsibleAI #AIethics #AIgovernance #TrustedAI #DigitalSovereignty #SovereignClarity #ExecutiveStrategy #AIBias

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