Risk Beyond the Checklist: From Attestation to Accountability
Elizabeth Catlin
Owner, EA Enterprise
In this episode, Elizabeth Catlin joins us to discuss moving risk management beyond bureaucratic checklists toward genuine accountability. Elizabeth explains how periodic attestations have disconnected risk management from daily operations, creating fragmented, inconsistent practices.
She emphasizes that effective risk management must align with individuals' authority, job responsibilities, and operational processes. Using practical examples, including AI oversight and overworked teams, she illustrates how operational risks can escalate into broader enterprise risks if left unaddressed, and advocates for integrated, bottom-up reporting structures that embed accountability at every organizational level.
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Elizabeth Catlin
Owner, EA Enterprise
Biography
Elizabeth Catlin has worked internationally with various roles in auditing, assurance, risk management, internal controls, and accounting. These experiences were augmented by training in ERM, Supply Chain, and ESG risk management. She is an entrepreneur, launching a new business endeavor to help organizations better empower accountability.
Her career started with 11 years in public accounting, where she worked with clients in both Europe and the US, including the first implementation of financial reporting controls under Sarbanes-Oxley. This experience was enhanced when she left public accounting to work at the European headquarters of a US-based company. While there, she updated their internal control framework, enhancing buy-in from process owners by ensuring the controls were defined in line with their operational context. Further, she oversaw the ERM and internal control frameworks for a Swiss-based company.
Elizabeth holds a BS in Business Administration from Appalachian State University and an MBA from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
