Meet our people – Luke, Senior Internal Auditor
Luke has been at LV= for over 20 years, working in a variety of roles during that time. Currently Luke is a Senior Internal Auditor.
20 years at LV= - Can you tell us a bit about your LV= journey?
I originally started my career at LV= as an Administrator in what was then our Banking Services department. After a few years I moved into a credit underwriting role before joining the Fraud team. I then went on to spend 10 years in our Risk Management department. During my time in risk management, I had various fraud and money laundering investigation roles, eventually moving to the Special Investigations team dealing with internal and business-to-business fraud. I went on to spend another three years in our Compliance department, before taking a secondment role within our Internal Audit department. The role became permanent and in February 2021 I was promoted to Senior Internal Auditor.
Can you tell us a bit about what the LV= Internal Audit department does?
The Internal Audit department provides independent and objective assurance to the Audit Committee and executive management on the effectiveness of systems of risk management and internal controls across LV=. That’s a lot to take in so to put it simply, we ensure all our risk controls are fit for purpose.
As a Senior Auditor, my day-to-day responsibilities are largely spent working with other Auditors, Audit Managers and senior management delivering all stages of an audit from planning, through fieldwork, to reporting. This involves talking to a wide range of stakeholders across the business to understand and test how the business is being run and report on any observations where there are weaknesses in risk management. Where any issues have been identified, we follow up with management actions to address any control gaps.
The Internal Audit department is always looking to improve how we operate as a team and we are all involved in the annual Improvement Plan. I’m currently leading on how we use data analytics to support our audits and give insights that may not be identified through traditional auditing techniques.
What do you like most about working in Internal Audit?
No two days are ever the same in Internal Audit. And you get to see all aspects of how the business operates. My role also gives me great exposure to key people across the business and allows me to build new working relationships with stakeholders. As a team we work at pace. It’s a healthy working environment though and the management team are great at supporting us through challenging times. Whilst delivery of the annual Improvement Plan is key, management treats us all like adults and will support flexibility where they can.
LV= aims to be a diverse and inclusive employer that offers flexible working arrangements. What’s your experience of this at LV=?
Over the 20 years I’ve worked for LV=, I’ve seen it change significantly. In 2014 LV= started its Diversity and Inclusion initiative and I’ve seen the positive and tangible impact this has had on our people and the business as a whole. I was chair of our Pride network for seven years, leading and supporting changes. These changes included gender neutral and inclusive HR People Policies, submissions to the Stonewall Diversity Champion Top 100 Workplace Equality Index, education of LGBTQ+ language, representative imagery in our literature, to name just a few. The Pride network is incredibly supportive and has a drive to make positive change. During my time as chair of the network, I’ve also been able to get involved in other diversity networks; Diversability (Disability), Respect (Multi-cultural) and Balance (Gender). Deirdre Davies, Internal Audit Director, is also the executive sponsor of the Respect network and a supporter of diversity and inclusion at LV=.
I believe that diverse thinking, especially in a department like Internal Audit, is a real asset to the business as our lived experiences shape how we approach things. Whilst I always say that my being gay is far down the list of things in relation to being a Senior Internal Auditor, it would be wrong of me to say my experiences and thought processes as a gay man aren’t an asset to the team.
Finally, for anyone considering a career with LV= in Internal Audit, what advice would you offer?
If you’re looking for an engaging, fast-paced role where your thoughts are valued and want to feel like you’re making a difference to how a business is operating, Internal Audit is an excellent role.
Fancy joining us at LV=?
We are always looking for great people to join our business. Take a look at our current vacancies.