Chief Audit Executive
As chief audit executive at Bank of New York Mellon, Paulette Bradnock realized that her department needed to embed innovation into every process.
So she set out on a journey to “reimagine” all aspects of the audit cycle, down to the most granular operational levels. “I quickly realized the first step was to equip everyone in the department with the skills required to innovate, so the initial focus was on training. I named a director of analytics and innovation to focus on education and implementation and embed 10X thinking” — a buzzword meaning improving processes by a factor of 10 —“throughout the team,” Bradnock said.
Powered by this initiative, Bradnock’s team was successful in replacing several manual-intensive and often subjective audit processes and classifying audit data by approximately 25 risk factors.
“We are building what we believe to be an industry-leading digital process that is automating the collection, assessment and documentation of key data for 25-plus risk factors,” Bradnock said. In addition, 50% of the department’s audits are now being managed through agile methodologies.
Bradnock has also been instrumental in helping BNY Mellon deliver on its diversity and inclusion goals, though she understands her work is far from done.
“I personally intend to continue to recruit and develop a diverse group of employees where all people are provided the opportunity to excel and advance,” she said. “I also intend to continue to act as a source of diverse talent for the entire corporation.”
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Outside of BNY Mellon, Bradnock is on the board of trustees for Queens College (City University of New York), serving as madam chair of its audit committee, and was recently named vice chair. She co-chairs a working group tasked with developing a five-year diversity and inclusion strategic plan for the college.
As a longtime supporter of the arts, Bradnock is a member of the board of trustees of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, where she will co-chair the company’s opening night gala later this year.
