Identify governance, risk, compliance and control gaps before they become business problems.
CATO's Risk & Governance Review is a structured, independent assessment of your risk, governance, compliance and control settings. It is led by a senior practitioner, with CATO oversight, and delivered as practical, prioritised recommendations your board can act on.
Structured, independent review
2 to 6 weeks, depending on scope
A senior practitioner, with CATO oversight
Executive summary and prioritised recommendations
Are your risk, governance and compliance settings good enough?
Boards and executive teams are expected to know, but it is difficult to judge from the inside. Responsibilities grow, obligations change, and earlier reviews may no longer reflect how the business operates today.
Without an independent, structured assessment, gaps can go unnoticed until they surface as business problems. The review is designed for boards, chief executives and executives responsible for finance, operations or risk, including risk and audit committees. It is particularly relevant to regulated organisations and to businesses whose obligations have grown faster than their governance.
A significant decision is approaching
You are preparing for a board decision, investment, transaction or audit and want confidence in your current settings.
Scrutiny is increasing
New obligations or a period of closer regulatory or stakeholder scrutiny are raising the standard your settings need to meet.
The business has outgrown its settings
Growth or change has moved faster than your governance, risk and compliance arrangements have been reviewed.
A new leader wants a baseline
A new chair, chief executive or head of risk wants an independent view of current settings early in the role.
Priorities are needed before larger work
You want a clear, prioritised view of gaps before committing to a larger programme of work.
When another route fits better
For one focused question, an expert call through Expert Access may be enough. If you want ongoing access to risk and governance expertise rather than a point-in-time review, Advisory Desk is likely to be the better fit.
What the review examines.
The review looks across four connected areas of how your organisation identifies, governs and controls risk.
The depth of work in each area is agreed during scoping, so attention goes where it matters most for your organisation. Where relevant, scope can extend to privacy, information governance and operational risk.
Risk
How risks are identified, assessed, owned and reported, and whether the board receives a reliable picture.
Governance
Board and committee structures, delegations, decision rights and how oversight works in practice.
Compliance
How obligations are identified, met and evidenced, and how changes to them are picked up.
Control
Whether key controls are well designed, clearly owned and operating as intended.
How the review works.
Four stages, from agreeing the scope to presenting the findings. Each review is scoped to your organisation before work begins.
Scope
A discovery discussion to confirm priorities, scope, timing, the material required and who should be involved.
Review
Review of relevant documents, policies and controls, with structured interviews to gather input from key stakeholders.
Assess
Assessment of risk, governance, compliance and control settings against the agreed scope, including their maturity.
Report and present
Risk and control observations, an executive summary and prioritised recommendations, with an optional board presentation.
2 to 6 weeks, depending on the scope agreed and the size and complexity of the organisation.
One senior risk, compliance, audit or governance practitioner from CATO's network, with CATO oversight throughout.
Mostly remote, with time on site where it adds value.
A second reviewer can be added for multi-entity or heavily regulated organisations.
How CATO assures quality.
Each review is scoped, led and overseen so that its findings are useful for board and executive decisions.
Relevant senior experience
Led by a senior practitioner with direct experience in risk, compliance, audit or governance leadership.
Scoped before work begins
Scope, timing and outputs are agreed at the start, with CATO oversight from discovery to final report.
Written for decisions
Recommendations are practical, prioritised and usable for board and executive decisions.
Handled confidentially
Findings are prepared for you and the stakeholders you agree, in line with the agreed terms of the engagement.
CATO works through a curated network of experienced practitioners. We assess the client's issue, identify suitable expertise, and structure the engagement. If the proposed advisor is not the right fit, CATO can identify another suitable practitioner from the network.
Clear findings and a prioritised plan.
The review produces written outputs for your board and leadership team. Their exact form and level of detail are confirmed during scoping.
Executive summary
A concise summary of findings and priorities, written for the board and senior leadership.
Risk and control observations
Clear observations on where current settings are working and where they fall short, based on the evidence reviewed.
Maturity assessment
A view of how developed your risk and governance arrangements are across the areas in scope.
Prioritised recommendations
Practical recommendations, ranked so you know what to address first.
Board presentation (optional)
Where agreed in scope, a presentation of the findings to the board or one of its committees.
A clear view of current settings
An independent, evidence-based picture of where your organisation stands, rather than an internal self-assessment.
Clarity on the gaps that matter
A shared understanding of the most significant gaps, so leadership attention goes where it is needed first.
A practical basis for decisions
A prioritised starting point for decisions on what to strengthen, where to invest and how to prepare for scrutiny.
Where this sits in CATO.
The review is a defined engagement, delivered through one CATO service and drawing on one practice.
Advisory & Delivery
The review is delivered through CATO Advisory & Delivery, which can also support you to put its recommendations into practice.
Risk, Compliance & Governance
CATO's wider practice across enterprise and operational risk, governance, compliance, assurance, privacy and information governance.
If you want risk and governance expertise available after the review, Advisory Desk provides ongoing, retained access.
Common questions.
What is CATO's Risk & Governance Review?
It is a structured, independent assessment of an organisation's risk, governance, compliance and control settings. A senior practitioner from CATO's curated network reviews documents and controls, gathers stakeholder input and assesses current settings, then provides an executive summary and practical, prioritised recommendations.
How long does a review take?
A review typically takes 2 to 6 weeks. Timing depends on the size and complexity of the organisation and the scope agreed at the start, and is confirmed before work begins.
Who carries out the review?
The review is led by a senior practitioner from CATO's curated network with direct risk, compliance, audit or governance experience, with CATO oversight throughout. A second reviewer can be added for larger or more complex reviews. If the proposed advisor is not the right fit, CATO can identify another suitable practitioner from the network.
Is the review confidential?
Yes. Engagements are handled confidentially in line with the agreed terms, and findings are prepared for you and the stakeholders you agree.
Is the review an audit or a certification?
No. The review is an independent advisory assessment. It provides observations and prioritised recommendations to inform your decisions; it does not provide an audit opinion, a certification or legal advice.
How is the review different from Advisory Desk?
The Risk & Governance Review is a defined, point-in-time assessment with a clear start and end. Advisory Desk is a retained model for organisations that want ongoing access to risk, governance and compliance expertise. For one focused question, Expert Access may be the simpler route.
Ready to request a Risk & Governance Review?
Tell us about your organisation and what you would like the review to cover. CATO will help scope the right engagement.