We are honoured to welcome Anthony J. Pugliese, President and CEO of The IIA, as a keynote speaker at the ECIIA Conference. A recognised global leader in governance, risk, and internal audit, Anthony is driving the modernisation of the profession through innovation, advocacy, and a strong focus on technology and ethics. His forward-looking perspective and deep industry expertise will offer invaluable insights to our delegates.

Geert Baudewijns is a cybercrime specialist with a passion for leveraging technology to combat digital threats. He founded Secutec in 2005 after working as a Benelux Sales Representative and Account Manager for McAfee products. With over 25 years of experience in cybersecurity, he has led numerous high-profile investigations and negotiations, contributing significantly to the apprehension of cybercriminals and the advancement of cybersecurity practices. Through his work, he has become a trusted advisor to government agencies, corporations, and law enforcement entities worldwide. 

Marc is a Professor and Chair of Internal Auditing at the University of Duisburg-Essen and serves as Dean of the Mercator School of Management. He is the Head of the Mercator Audit & Artificial Intelligence Research Center (MAARC), where his work focuses on the intersection of auditing vvvvci9  and the practical application of artificial intelligence and advanced analytics in assurance. Professor Eulerich has published more than 170 scientific papers and seven books, and he regularly translates research findings into actionable guidance for audit leaders and practitioners. He also serves as Chair of the Scientific Committee of the German Institute of Internal Auditors (DIIR) and holds a range of board and advisory/consulting positions, supporting organizations in strengthening governance, modernizing audit, and preparing for an AI-augmented future. 

Stacey is a seasoned, innovative Risk Management Leader, Chief Audit Executive (12+ years), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) with over 25 years of experience influencing, developing, and executing audit and risk management activities in global and US public financial services companies. She has a proven history of aligning activities to organizational strategy, driving innovation, and positive team engagement, development, and leadership. Expert project manager with strong executive and board engagement and reporting skills.

We are delighted to welcome Agnieszka, Director-General of the European Commission’s Internal Audit Service, as a speaker at the ECIIA Conference. With over 25 years of leadership experience at national and EU level, she has played a pivotal role in shaping public-sector internal audit across Europe. From introducing internal auditing in the Polish public sector to overseeing assurance and consulting services for the Commission and numerous EU agencies, her strategic perspective and deep expertise will bring valuable insights to our audience.

Adrian Neuhart is an experienced Internal Audit leader with a track record in conducting value-adding operational and financial internal audits across cultures and geographies. Currently, he leads an international audit team for a world-class chemical distribution company. Apart from auditing, he also gained expertise in risk management, management of change and implementation of AI in assurance.

Alexandre Maymat was appointed Head of the Inspection and Audit division in July 2023. Alexandre Maymat began his career in the French Ministry of the Economy and Finance in 1992, and then worked at the French representation towards the European Union and in the European Commission.  He joined Societe Generale group in 2001 in the General Inspection department, then moved to the French retail banking division heading the Corporate Business Centre of the Regional Directorate of Paris Bourse in 2004, then becoming in 2006 as Regional Head for Franche Comté. In 2009, he became Director and CEO of Société Générale de Banques au Cameroun. In 2012, Alexandre Maymat was appointed Deputy Head of International Retail Banking before becoming Head of International Retail Banking for Africa, the Mediterranean Basin & Overseas in 2013. Alexandre Maymat was appointed Head of Global Transaction and Payment Services in September 2019. Alexandre Maymat is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and the École Nationale de Statistiques et d'Administration Économique.

Chris is a seasoned governance expert serving business owners, boards, and executives, and I am passionate about helping them create and grow sustainable businesses. My expertise is focussed on strategy, opportunity and risk and digital (including cybersecurity, AI and quantum).

As a certified director (Guberna) and a partner with the International Center for Corporate Governance in St.Gallen, Switzerland, corporate governance is of a particular interest to me. Sound governance determines impact and outcomes more than ever before.

Entrepreneurship is an equally important quality of my professional career. I have successfully served and grown many global clients relationships, led several international high-profile client teams, and achieved significant profitable growth rates that allowed me to lead Deloitte’s risk and cyber businesses nationally and internationally for over 20 years. 

In addition, I have built a strong business understanding across several industries and have a particular interest in technology, namely cyber and artificial intelligence.

Dr. Daina Konter leads a division of approximately 60 operational auditors at the Dutch Central Government Audit Service (Auditdienst Rijk), supporting multiple ministries in strengthening public governance. She is a board member of IIA Netherlands, where she contributes to the strategic development of the internal audit profession. Daina holds a PhD from the Erasmus School of Economics and is committed to sustainable workforce development. Her leadership focuses on strategic human capital, long-term audit capability building, and fostering a collaborative culture that aligns audit expertise with organisational goals and societal impact.

Dietmar Hinkel is the Head of Group IT Audit at Deutsche Börse Group, and a Management Board member of the Collaborative Cloud Audit Group. His professional career spans over 25 years in leading-edge Audit management and consulting at global financial institutions.

Professor of Accounting and Finance at Bogazici University, Istanbul, Türkiye.

Visiting scholar at The University of Texas at Austin, Red McCombs School of Business, TX, USA and Sabanci University, Istanbul, Türkiye. 

Teaching interests: Auditing, Financial Analysis, Corporate Governance, Sustainability. 

Research interests: The Effect of Audit Quality and Type of Audit Opinions on Decision Making Process, Audit Committees and Internal Audit Function, Financial Analysis and Financial Structure,  Corporate Social Responsibiliy Disclosure, Intellectual Capital, and Effective Board Membership and Indenpendency of Independent Board Members.

Articles published and cited at SSCI and books printed: mainly “Principles of Accounting, 7th Edition, Bogazici University Printhouse” and “An Empirical Analysis of Audit Reporting: Financial Performance and Perceptions of Stakeholders in an Emerging Market”.

For full bio: https://web.bogazici.edu.tr/nuhoglun/

Isabelle Buscke is Secretary General of Finance Watch, the European civil society organisation that works to make finance serve society. She has more than 15 years of experience in advocating for the general interest in EU public policymaking. Before joining Finance Watch, she led the EU representation office of the German consumer organisation for more than a decade, representing consumer interests in EU policymaking. She has longstanding experience in the governance and strategic development of European and transatlantic civil society networks, serving as a board member, treasurer and chairperson.

Isabelle has extensive policy expertise beyond financial services, covering a broad range of areas affecting people’s daily lives, including digitalisation, energy, food and mobility.

At Finance Watch, she is responsible for the overall strategy, high-level representation of the organisation, day-to-day management and fundraising to fulfill Finance Watch’s mission.

She holds a double Master’s in Political Science and Roman languages and Literature from Albert-Ludwigs-Universität in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.

Senior IT executive, 25+ years at the intersection of technology, business, and regulation. Deep expertise in GRC, Risk, Compliance, and Internal Audit across telecom, banking, pharma, and insurance. I build and scale tech products end-to-end — turning compliance from an obligation into competitive advantage, with a strong focus on AI and automation for risk and audit professionals. Actively exploring AI agents, LLMs, blockchain, and quantum's impact on governance.

Certificates: CISM, CRISC, AAIA, PMP. IIA member. 

PhD in Economics, Professor at the Department of Public Finance at the Poznań University of Economics and Business. Internal auditor (certified by the Polish Ministry of Finance), Certified Government Auditing Professional (CGAP), Lead Auditor of Information Security Management Systems (ISO/IEC 27001), Lead Auditor of Business Continuity Management Systems (ISO/IEC 22301), and Auditor of Anti-Bribery Management Systems (ISO/IEC 37001). Court expert in the field of internal audit at the Regional Court in Poznań.

Vice-Chair of the Ethics Committee of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA Poland) in 2020–2023, and First Vice-President of IIA Poland in 2023–2026. Currently serves as the Rector’s Plenipotentiary for Management Control Coordination at the Poznań University of Economics and Business, and Head of postgraduate studies in internal audit, compliance, control, and related areas, as well as CSR and non-financial (ESG) reporting.

An academic lecturer with over a decade of teaching experience, author and editor of numerous scientific publications. Has extensive professional experience in both external and internal auditing. Graduate of the Master of Public Administration in Digital Transformation and the Accreditation in Internal Audit Quality Assessment/Validation program.

Chief Audit Executive

Expert in Governance, Risk and Internal Controls, International Finance and Accounting. Karina has more than 15 years of finance, audit and accounting management experience in various industries which led to internal audit executive leadership role in a leading public transportation company in Latvia. She also serves as a President of IIA Latvia since March 2023. Karina holds an MBA degree with an emphasis in International Finance.

Kaveri Sinhji Andersson is a social anthropologist and social sustainability practitioner with over 15 years of experience working across cultures, industries, and geographies. Her work focuses on helping organisations build more inclusive, human-centered systems by connecting business strategy with real-world social impact. Based in Stockholm, Kaveri brings a deeply cross-cultural lens to her work, bridging perspectives between the Global North and South. She is currently working with Postcard Travel Club and serves as Cultural Director (EU) at the United Diplomatic Council.

Komitas Stepanyan is a governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) professional with over 20 years of experience in IT and cybersecurity. He currently serves as Director of Technology and Cybersecurity at the Central Bank, leading enterprise-wide IT and cyber governance, risk management, and resilience initiatives.

Previously, Komitas spent more than 13 years in Internal Audit, holding senior leadership roles including Deputy Chief Audit Executive and Head of IT Audit. He is well-versed in international frameworks and standards such as ISO/IEC 27001, ISO 22301, COBIT, COSO ERM, ISO 31000, and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.

Since 2018, Komitas has served as a short-term expert for the IMF and World Bank, supporting cybersecurity governance, supervisory frameworks, IT and cybersecurity Risk Management and digital transformation initiatives. He is a frequent international speaker and adjunct university lecturer.

Lien is an experienced internal auditor working within the AD/IA department at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. Lien plays a key role in embedding Enterprise Risk Management into audit processes and driving strategic risk insights across the organisation. With a strong focus on governance, resilience, and innovation, Lien leads audits that go beyond compliance to deliver real value. Lien actively contributes to shaping the audit vision for the port.

Lieze Moeyersons is CAE and Head of Internal Audit & Risk at Port of Antwerp-Bruges, where she is helping position internal audit as a strategic partner for governance, resilience, and risk management. Before joining the port authority in 2016, she gained over nine years of experience at KPMG Belgium, working on internal audit and risk management across industries. She also serves as an independent Audit Committee member for the Flemish Government and a group of Flemish Universities of Applied Sciences, bringing both an internal audit and stakeholder perspective to her work.

Audit & Risk Management leader with extensive experience across multiple industries and cultural environments.

After starting at PwC Advisory in the HealthCare sector, joined General Electric Capital Corporation, where spent 11 years in Finance, Project Management, and Internal Audit, progressing from Local Head of IA to Senior Audit Manager International and ultimately Senior Vice President Financial Crime Global Auditing. Continued career at Willis Towers Watson as Senior Audit Manager for the CEEMEA region, then moved to Natuzzi as Group Chief Auditor. 

Currently serves as Chief Audit Executive and Chief Risk Officer at Telepass Group, leading provider of payment solutions to consumer and corporate mobility needs.

Mladen Kandić is an experienced internal audit and IT audit professional with more than 18 years of experience in internal auditing, risk management, internal controls, and information systems auditing. He holds internationally recognized certifications including CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor) and CIA (Certified Internal Auditor).

He is currently employed at OTP Bank, where he serves as Manager of the department responsible for Data Analytics and IT Audits. In this role, he focuses on leveraging data-driven approaches, continuous auditing techniques, and technology-enabled audit methodologies to enhance audit effectiveness and organizational oversight.

As a conference speaker and presenter, he shares practical insights on internal audit innovation, IT auditing, and the evolving role of data analytics in modern assurance functions.

Oliver Wolff is Vice President and Deputy Head of Group IT Audit at Deutsche Börse AG. He is engaged in the Collaborative Cloud Audit Group (CCAG), contributing to audit approaches for cloud environments across the financial sector. Before joining Deutsche Börse, he gained audit experience at Deutsche Bank AG. Oliver also has a strong technical background as a former Unix and Oracle Administrator. He holds a Dipl.-Ing. (FH) degree in Electrical Engineering.

Sandro Boeri is a governance, culture and behavioural risk specialist, currently serving as Immediate Past President of the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors in the UK and founder of Risk Audit Professional Development. He works internationally with boards, regulators and audit leaders on how organisational culture, incentives and human behaviour shape real-world outcomes, helping institutions move beyond box-ticking toward more thoughtful, value-adding governance. As a speaker, advisor and co-author of thought leadership on organisational behaviour, his focus is on practical change — influencing how leaders think about culture, accountability and sustainable performance across complex organisations.

Soledad is the Head of Internal Audit (CAE), Risk Management, and Internal Control at Canal de Isabel II (Public Entity) She is an MSc Civil Engineer, MBA, CIA, CCSA, CRMA and the first certified COSO in Spain. Since 2013 Soledad has collaborated with ECIIA and EUROSAI (European Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions) to establish common auditing guidelines for Internal Audits in Public Entities and SAI’S, and since 2017 she has been the Chair of the working group of both organizations. Since 2025 Soledad has been the Chair of the ECIIA Public Sector Committee.

Tadas Cilcius is a co-founder of RVA – Lithuanian Risk Management Association, Board Member of FERMA and an Organiser of the Baltic and Audit Forum 2026 that brought over two hundred Lithuanian, Latvian, Polish and Estonian Risk Managers and Internal Auditors to discuss local, European and International challenges within risk management and internal audit.

Professionally, Tadas had worked with high street European and UK’s banks, prior to focusing on FinTech and technology startups proving that risk management and internal control should be embedded into early days of organisation so that it has better chances to develop a competitive business case. Holding a role of Senior Risk and Compliance Manager at Kashimi, Tadas develops risk and resilience strategies within the open-banking infrastructure.

While working on enterprise risk management and being certified risk manager, auditor and AML specialist, Tadas focuses on ICT and security risk, Digital Operational Resilience and third-party risk management.

Dr. Wieke Scholten is a renowned social and organisational psychologist with over 20 years of experience in observing, analysing, and changing human behaviour in organisations. She specialises in behavioural risk management within financial services, supporting organisations globally in managing behavioural risk proactively.

Wieke headed up the behavioural risk team in Internal Audit at NatWest (UK) and was a supervisory of behaviour and culture at the Dutch prudential regulator DNB. She is the founder of BR Insights, a behavioural risk practice, leading a team of organisational psychologists that work with Audit Teams in financial services on their behaviour risk audit approaches. She helped shape the Global IIA Topical Requirement on the topic. She has a PhD in social psychology from Leiden University, focusing on team climates in trading and sales that can drive conduct risk. She lectures at the Institute of Banking and Institute of Directors in Ireland, and at Febelfin in Belgium.

Isabel is the 2025-26 Outside North America Lead Director on the Global Board of Directors of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA). She also served as President of the Board of Directors with IIA Belgium (2021-2024) and is a Partner in Business Risk Services at Grant Thornton Belgium.

Isabel has over 20 years of experience in internal and external auditing. She began her career as an external auditor at KPMG and after 6 years transitioned to an internal auditor role at SD Worx (Payroll/HR). In 2017 she developed the internal audit function at ZNA (the largest hospital network in Belgium). In 2022, she joined the partner team at Grant Thornton Belgium.

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