Shining a light on women leading the way in GRC.

Governance, risk and compliance is often described through frameworks, controls, obligations, reporting lines and technology – but behind every effective GRC programme are people making things work in practice

People who make complex requirements understandable. People who help colleagues make better decisions. People who turn risk information into insight. People who strengthen governance, improve controls, challenge assumptions and build confidence across their organisations. This blog celebrates the women whose expertise, leadership and dedication are helping shape the future of governance, risk and compliance.

It is that contribution and the often unseen impact these women have across their organisations that makes the Women in Governance, Risk and Compliance Awards so important.

Hosted by GRC World Forums, the awards recognise women driving the profession forward through leadership, influence and practical impact. Protecht is proud to support this year’s Women in GRC Awards and sponsor the GRC Rising Star of the Year: Large category. We are also delighted to celebrate several Protecht customers nominated across this year’s awards.

Meet the Protecht customers nominated this year

Their nominations reflect the breadth of modern GRC. They span operational risk, governance, legal, audit, safety, assurance, technology and enterprise risk management. They also show that good GRC is not confined to one industry, function or career path.

Recognising the next generation of GRC leadership

The GRC Rising Star of the Year: Large category recognises emerging talent already making a meaningful contribution in the early stages of their career.

That future-focused spirit is reflected in the nomination of Amelia Houghton from Evelyn Partners.

Amelia is an Operational Risk Analyst who brings energy, curiosity and strong analytical capability to the risk profession. Since joining Evelyn Partners, she has contributed to risk reporting and governance activities, producing and analysing management information that supports more data-driven decision-making.

Amelia has also supported the transition and optimisation of Evelyn Partners’ GRC platform, helping streamline processes and improve risk oversight. That combination of analytical capability, practical technology adoption and collaborative engagement is exactly the kind of early-career impact the Rising Star category is designed to recognise.

Her nomination points to the future of GRC: curious, analytical, collaborative and confident in using technology to turn information into insight.

Innovation that improves how GRC works

Innovation in GRC is sometimes framed as a technology issue – but the strongest innovation often comes from improving how people, processes and information work together.

That practical approach is reflected in the nomination of Kiran Pabial from Mansfield Building Society for GRC Innovator of the Year.

Kiran is a Risk Manager with extensive experience embedding operational risk practices and strengthening risk culture across financial services. At Mansfield Building Society, Kiran has played an important role in embedding operational risk management and supporting the successful implementation of Protecht.

She is also a strong advocate for knowledge sharing across the building society sector, helping risk professionals learn from one another and collectively lift the standard of practice.

That sector-wide mindset is a powerful example of GRC innovation that helps people collaborate, share insight and improve how risk is managed in practice.

Technology leadership is also represented strongly this year

Christina Coldman from Evelyn Partners has been nominated for Technology Leader of the Year.

As Head of Operational Risk, Christina brings deep experience across compliance, operational risk and asset management. Her nomination reflects the growing role of technology in giving risk teams better visibility, consistency and oversight.

Technology does not replace risk expertise. It helps risk professionals connect information, improve workflows and support better-informed decisions. Christina’s nomination recognises that leadership.

Elena Cremin from Audley Group has also been nominated for Technology Leader of the Year.

As Head of Risk & Assurance at Audley, she plays a key role in strengthening governance, embedding enterprise risk practices and supporting responsible decision-making across a growing retirement living organisation.

Elena’s background spans audit, financial governance and operational finance. Through the rollout of Protecht, she has helped improve governance, risk visibility and decision-making across the business. She also champions a collaborative risk culture, helping teams understand and manage risk with confidence.

Governance, legal and risk leadership in action

Modern GRC is increasingly cross-functional. Legal, governance, compliance, risk, audit and operational teams play different roles, but their work is deeply connected.

The nominations of Chloe Williams, Kirstie Matthews and Jen Read reflect that breadth.

Chloe Williams from 1st Central Group has been nominated for Legal Champion of the Year.

As Group General Counsel, Chloe leads the organisation’s legal function, providing strategic legal advice and supporting governance, regulatory compliance and risk management.

Her nomination highlights the vital connection between legal leadership and GRC. Legal teams are not only there to interpret requirements or respond to issues. At their best, they help organisations understand obligations, manage exposure, support ethical decision-making and embed stronger governance into everyday business activity.

Kirstie Matthews from 1^st Central Group has been nominated for Governance Champion of the Year.

Kirstie is a Senior Enterprise Risk Manager focused on strengthening risk culture and making risk management practical and accessible.

She has helped strengthen governance and control assurance across first and second line teams at 1st Central, refining control assurance processes and supporting clearer oversight. Her leadership has also been particularly important in the business’s approach to Provision 29 of the UK Corporate Governance Code.

1st Central is not mandated to adopt the framework. Its choice to align with it reflects a broader point about how good governance is not just about meeting minimum requirements – it’s about creating better conversations, better-informed decisions and stronger accountability.

Jen Read from Target Group has been nominated for Risk Leader of the Year.

Jen is an experienced risk leader with nearly two decades of expertise across operational risk, governance and compliance in financial services and fintech.

At Target Group, Jen leads risk initiatives and partners with senior leadership to strengthen risk management and governance across the business. Her nomination recognises the value of risk leadership that combines technical expertise with commercial judgement and collaboration.

Chloe, Kirstie and Jen show that GRC leadership is not narrow or isolated. It spans legal judgement, governance maturity, risk insight, control assurance, cultural influence and senior decision-making.

Building culture, confidence and capability

GRC only becomes truly effective when people understand it, engage with it and see its relevance to their work. That makes culture, confidence and capability central to successful GRC. The strongest leaders help others participate in risk management, rather than treating it as the responsibility of a specialist team alone.

Mairead Smith from Impax Asset Management has been nominated for GRC Ambassador of the Year.

Mairead is a Senior Operational Risk Manager and Associate Director with extensive financial services experience.

At Impax, Mairead has helped enhance risk management processes within the organisation’s GRC framework. She has refined risk processes, collaborated with stakeholders to improve reporting and developed clearer dashboards for risk committee oversight. She has also embedded a structured incident management process, improving accountability and visibility of emerging risks.

Her nomination recognises more than technical risk expertise. It recognises her role in advancing the profession, supporting ethical practices, sharing knowledge, mentoring peers and championing greater representation and empowerment of women in GRC.

Kim Harris-Small from LTE Group has been nominated for GRC Role Model of the Year.

At LTE Group, Kim leads health, safety and risk initiatives across the organisation. She is known for her personable leadership style, strong technical expertise and ability to build exceptional rapport with her team. She creates a supportive environment that helps people feel confident engaging with risk management.

Kim has also sponsored the rollout of Protecht across LTE Group, strengthening enterprise risk visibility while empowering teams through training, tools and support.

Her story is a reminder that role modelling in GRC is not only about technical excellence. It is about how leaders bring people with them. It is about making risk management approachable, useful and relevant to the people who apply it every day.

What these nominations say about modern GRC

The Protecht customers nominated in this year’s Women in GRC Awards represent different categories, organisations and career paths, but their stories point to common themes.

GRC is becoming more crucial to business decision-making. Whether through risk MI, governance reporting, legal advice, assurance frameworks or board-level oversight, GRC professionals help organisations understand risk and act with greater confidence.

Risk culture matters as much as risk frameworks. Strong frameworks provide structure, but culture determines whether people engage with them, use them and apply them consistently.

Technology is now central to effective GRC. The strongest examples are not about technology in isolation. They are about using platforms, dashboards, workflows and reporting to improve visibility, accountability and decision-making.

Collaboration is essential. The nominees’ work spans first and second line teams, senior stakeholders, business units, peer networks, sector groups and external communities.

The profession is also being shaped by both experienced leaders and emerging talent. From rising stars early in their careers to senior leaders with decades of expertise, the future of GRC depends on people who combine technical knowledge with communication, curiosity, judgement and influence.

Every nomination is something to celebrate, and we are especially proud to recognise the three Protecht customers shortlisted in their categories following evaluation by a judging panel on behalf of GRC World Forums. Congratulations to Elena, Chloe and Mairead and good luck on July 2^nd.

Congratulations to all nominees. We look forward to celebrating their achievements, and the achievements of women across the GRC profession, at the Women in GRC Awards on 2 July.