Announcement: Strategic Expansion

Independent Audit Limited Announces Strategic Expansion of Executive Team to Spearhead Technology-Driven Growth in Board Effectiveness and Internal Audit Assurance 

London, 27 March 2024

Independent Audit Limited, a pioneering force in board effectiveness and better governance renowned for its principles-based board effectiveness model, facilitated board reviews, and the innovative Thinking Board technology platform, today unveiled a strategic expansion of its executive team.  

The move is aimed at accelerating the growth of its technology offerings for effective governance, underscoring the company’s commitment to broadening its impact by making its expertise and practical advice accessible to a wider range of organisations at scale through technology. This will be achieved by incorporating the company’s deep governance expertise and its unparalleled knowledge synthesised from hundreds of board reviews and thousands of interviews with directors and executives across all sectors into its technology, Thinking Board.  

Furthermore, the expansion of the executive team underscores Independent Audit’s commitment to enhancing its internal audit assurance service in response to recent changes to the Global Internal Audit Standards and the Corporate Governance code. The new standards require boards of directors to ensure the seniority of expertise and independence in Internal Audit reviews, a domain where Independent Audit is set to make significant contributions. 

Joining the leadership at Independent Audit are Martyn Chapman as Chief Strategy Officer, Rachael Gardner as a Partner and leader of the consultants, and Andrew Ingle-Finch as Chief Financial Officer. Their collective expertise and innovative vision are set to lead the company’s expansion efforts, enhancing the capabilities and reach of the Thinking Board technology platform and bolstering the assurance service. 

As Chief Strategy Officer, Martyn Chapman brings a wealth of experience in launching and setting the strategic direction of governance technologies. Martyn’s expertise in product strategy and his approach to leveraging technology to enhance governance will guide the company in setting new benchmarks for excellence and innovation in the sector and bring Independent Audit’s expertise in board effectiveness and internal audit assurance to a wider audience through technology. His background includes significant contributions to governance technologies at Nasdaq, OnBoard, Diligent, eScribe and the Chartered Governance Institute.  

Rachael Gardner, who joins the company’s partnership, is particularly instrumental in expanding the internal audit assurance services, having previously served as the Head of Audit at Centrica plc and the Head of Assurance at Virgin Media. In her new role, Rachael will not only steer the company’s consultancy services to new heights but also ensure that the insights and best practices derived from these engagements inform the ongoing development and refinement of the company’s technology solutions.   

Andrew Ingle-Finch joins as Chief Financial Officer, bringing nearly 20 years of experience across financial services. This includes significant tenures at PwC and a major international bank, and CFO at various consulting firms leveraging technology to broaden their reach and business models. His extensive background is key to aligning the company’s financial strategies with its ambitious plans for growth in technology and the expansion of its internal audit assurance services. Andrew’s strategic financial insights will be instrumental in ensuring the sustainable growth and success of these initiatives. 

Susan Stenson, CEO of Independent Audit expressed excitement about the new executive additions, stating, “The addition of Rachael, Martyn, and Andrew into our executive team marks a significant milestone in our journey towards becoming the definitive leader in helping organisations ensure that governance is an enabler of organisational success. Their expertise and innovative vision will be crucial in leveraging the rich insights gained from our 20 years experience in board and governance reviews. This knowledge is a cornerstone in the evolution of our Thinking Board platform which is designed to extend our impact by enabling a broader range of organisations to access our expertise and practical advice digitally. They are also crucial in advancing our internal audit assurance services, aimed at meeting the latest standards and expectations boards of directors are facing. I am confident that under their leadership, we will not only enhance our technology offerings across board dynamics, director development and oversight topics such as risk, strategy, and people and culture, but also redefine governance excellence, delivering on our mission of better governance for a better world.” 

The strategic expansion of the executive team signals Independent Audit’s commitment to advancing internal audit assurance and driving technological innovation in the board effectiveness and governance arena in the form of practical digital tools for assessing board effectiveness across topics such as strategy, risk, board composition, people and culture, internal audit, financial and management oversight, cyber risk, boardroom dynamics, and director onboarding and development.