January 21, 2008

The Vision of Group Audit at SEB: To be the Best in Europe

By Nancy Hala, KnowledgeLeader contributing writer

The Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB) Group is a North European financial company with services structured along four main divisions: merchant banking, wealth, life and retail. In this profile, Agneta Brevenhag, group audit manager and head of internal audit at SEB Group, describes a recently launched methodology that embarks on a process-oriented approach for conducting risk assessments. This methodology incorporates COSO philosophies, helps evaluate the bank’s governance structure, and includes six key phases: Audit and Assurance Needs Assessment, Planning and Resource Scheduling, Execution Planning, Execution, Reporting, and Follow-Up and Tracking.