BCI World Hybrid 2026 Announces Arleen McGichen as Keynote Speaker

Internal audit and resilience leaders invited to explore how stronger assurance can help organizations build true resilience capability.

We are delighted to announce Arleen McGichen, Group Chief Audit Officer at Royal London and President of the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors (Chartered IIA) UK & Ireland, as a keynote speaker at BCI World Hybrid 2026.

Arleen will deliver the keynote session “Critical Friend, Catalyst, Challenger: Working with Internal Audit to Strengthen Resilience” at 2:00pm on Wednesday 11 November.

As organizations face an increasingly complex risk landscape, resilience has become a board-level priority. However, moving from resilience as a collection of plans and processes to a fully embedded, board-assurable capability requires robust governance, independent oversight, and continuous improvement. Arleen’s keynote will explore the critical role internal audit can play in supporting this journey.

Drawing on more than 26 years of experience in financial services, Arleen will provide valuable insight into what internal auditors look for when assessing organizational resilience, how audit functions provide independent challenge and assurance, and how resilience and business continuity professionals can work more effectively with audit teams to strengthen resilience outcomes.

The session will examine practical approaches to improving governance, evidencing resilience capability, enhancing testing programmes, and demonstrating continuous improvement to senior leaders and boards.

As Group Chief Audit Officer for Royal London, Arleen is responsible for setting the vision and strategy for internal audit and delivering high-quality assurance that supports the Board in achieving its strategic objectives. Throughout her career, she has led internal audit and risk teams across the financial services sector, developing extensive expertise in risk management, governance, and assurance.

In addition to her executive role, Arleen currently serves as President of the Chartered IIA UK & Ireland and is a Lay Member of the Finance Committee at the University of Glasgow. She holds a Master’s degree in Risk Management and has completed the Chartered Internal Audit qualification, alongside investment management and treasury qualifications.

Commenting on the announcement, David Thorp, said:

“Resilience is ultimately about confidence. Confidence that your organization can respond, change, and continue to deliver when faced with disruption. That confidence comes from assurance, testing, and strong governance, which is why I’m particularly pleased to welcome Arleen McGichen to BCI World Hybrid 2026. Arleen brings a valuable perspective from the world of internal audit, helping organisations move beyond resilience as a concept and towards resilience that is embedded, evidenced, and trusted. I’m confident our attendees will gain practical insights that will strengthen their own resilience journeys.”

Arleen’s keynote is expected to be of particular interest to business continuity, resilience, risk, governance, and audit professionals looking to build stronger relationships across functions and demonstrate the value of resilience to senior stakeholders.

Join us at BCI World Hybrid 2026 to hear from Arleen and other leading voices from across the resilience profession as we explore the strategies, technologies, and leadership approaches shaping organisational resilience today and into the future.

BCI World Hybrid 2026 takes place on 10–11 November 2026 at Convene St Paul’s, London, UK and virtually. Registration is now open for both in-person and virtual attendance.