What governance, risk and compliance covers
Governance, risk and compliance is the set of arrangements through which a board directs the organisation, understands what could stop it succeeding, and satisfies itself that obligations are met. In practice it is eight distinct conversations rather than one, spanning board effectiveness, enterprise risk, internal audit, controls over financial reporting, regulatory monitoring, technology risk, sustainability governance and third-party exposure.
Why UAE boards are revisiting it now
Three requirements landed inside a short window. The Capital Market Authority, formerly the SCA, requires listed entities to report publicly on internal control over financial reporting from 2027. The IIA Global Internal Audit Standards took effect in January 2025 and change what an internal audit function must demonstrate. Corporate Tax and sustainability disclosure have added obligations to functions that were already stretched. Most organisations are strong in three of these areas and have not examined the rest.
How CLA Emirates approaches GRC
We start by establishing where you actually stand rather than assuming a gap. That means reading what exists, testing whether it operates, and reporting the position to the audit committee in terms they can act on. From there the work is sequenced by consequence, not by ease. A weakness in governance or enterprise risk propagates into everything downstream, so it is addressed before the areas that are simply visible.
The services within this practice
- Internal Audit & Risk Advisory
- Enterprise Risk Management
- Internal Controls over Financial Reporting
- Operational Resilience & Business Continuity
- Governance & Board Advisory
- Compliance & Regulatory Advisory
- Policy & Procedure Framework Design
