Governance & Assurance

Strong governance and well-designed assurance functions are essential for making informed decisions, managing risk, and demonstrating accountability to regulators, auditors and stakeholders.

Poleis supports organisations in establishing and strengthening governance frameworks that are clear, proportionate and evidence-driven — enabling decision-makers to operate with confidence and transparency.

Decision rights & governance structures

Clear and well-defined decision rights are central to effective governance.

• Definition of roles, responsibilities and decision authority
• Governance forum design (boards, committees, working groups)
• Escalation routes and cross-functional alignment
• Alignment with organisational strategy and risk appetite

This creates clarity about who decides, who owns, and who is accountable.

Operating models for governance and assurance

Operating models must be practical to implement, simple to explain, and consistent with organisational priorities.

• Design of governance operating models and oversight cycles
• Integration with risk, compliance and security functions
• Definition of control ownership and delivery expectations
• Alignment with first, second and third line responsibilities

Our approach ensures that governance operates smoothly, with credible handoffs and clear evidence of effectiveness.

Control frameworks & effectiveness

Controls must not only exist — they must be effective, measurable and defensible.

• Development or refinement of control frameworks
• Control rationalisation to reduce noise and duplication
• Assessment of control design and operational effectiveness
• Evidence expectations for internal and external audit

This helps organisations demonstrate that controls are well-designed, maintained and operating as intended.

Assurance design & evidence readiness

Assurance activities must provide real visibility and withstand audit scrutiny.

• Design of assurance activities across lines of defence
• What to evidence, for whom, and how it should be reviewed
• Review of existing assurance mechanisms and coverage
• Preparation for internal and external audits

We ensure assurance is meaningful, actionable and aligned to governance needs.

Reporting & executive communication

Clear reporting enables better decisions and provides confidence to executives and stakeholders.

• Executive dashboards and risk reporting design
• Metrics and narrative development
• Escalation guidance for material issues
• Alignment with regulatory and audit expectations

Outputs are designed to be simple, defensible, and decision-oriented.

Who this service is for

This service is suitable for organisations that:

• Need clearer governance structures and decision rights
• Require stronger oversight or assurance mechanisms
• Must demonstrate internal or external accountability
• Want reporting that supports executive decision-making