INTRODUCING CANDICE JAMIESON, SENIOR MANAGING CONSULTANT
Background In Systems Development
Candice Jamieson found herself with Mobius Consulting as a result of hard work and a touch of luck. Coming from a background in systems analysis, design and development, it did not take long for her to seek a new challenge and head down the path into Information Technology (IT) Consulting and Technology Assurance.
It all started when a large audit firm came looking for candidates to help them attest that adequate and effective controls were in place at their external audit clients’ systems. Candice welcomed the opportunity to explore this relatively new industry and expand her breadth of knowledge.
“They said they were looking for a person who understands technology, someone able to give them a view that they can trust what people have been building and developing.” – Candice Jamieson.
Experience In IT Auditing
After completing her three-year training contract, Candice was approached by a prominent South African retailer and transitioned from an external role audit with a very defined purpose to being a part of an internal auditing division with a broader scope of work activities.
She focused on wider operational and regulatory requirements in this role -instead of simply financial audit controls.
“I started looking at the IT operations and how we could improve those, and then giving the management team and Risk and Audit committee a view of benchmarking what our business was doing from an IT perspective.” – Candice Jamieson
Within the realm of internal auditing, Candice broadened the scope of her responsibilities after completing an internal audit certification to support the wider internal audit team’s requirements and perform non-IT audits too. Candice had the opportunity to understand the business as a whole – from finance, supply chain, even human resources –and see how technologically-driven processes support all avenues of a modern business.
A New View Of Information Technology
IT is a small yet critical component of a business ecosystem. In her internal audit role, Candice successfully demonstrated how the IT division is not only a support function, but a strategic driver, a business partner per se, and how it assists in delivering shareholder value.
This view matters more than ever in today’s world, where everything is getting digitised. If your business wants to reap the benefits of new technologies without being exposed to risks that range from a data breach to a damaged reputation in the market, you need to be assessing and implementing risk mitigation strategies within IT constantly.
“IT is something a business should take along on their journey. Being on the leading edge with new technologies introduces risk, so you end up in a situation where the business needs support as they move forward to take the opportunities that come with new technologies.” – Candice Jamieson
Journey With Mobius Consulting
Candice began her journey with Mobius equipped to solutionise the issues their clients were facing. This involved everything from defining a company’s Information Security strategy to assisting organisations in navigating new Data Protection legislation like the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Delving into these different areas of Information Risk is an exciting prospect for Candice.
Not only is she growing her skillset and helping organisations across various industries (something she had been eager to do more of in her previous role), but she finds herself surrounded by a team of specialists, experienced resources, committed to sharing their learnings and giving each other access to the latest trends in their area of expertise.
“With Mobius, I have the opportunity to be part of a like-minded group of people where I’m fed continuously with knowledge and people who are pushing boundaries. I’m not this person who’s an island in a corporate who really has to work hard to keep up to date.” – Candice Jamieson
Tell Us About The Technology Assurance Service Line
The Technology Assurance service line is a passion project for Candice. When Sandhya Mohan-Pillai was appointed Managing Director of Mobius Consulting South Africa, Candice took up the challenge of taking over the service line with a vision to help build digital trust by offering services that provide companies and their Audit / Risk Committees with assurance over the technologies that support their businesses.
“We can be there when you need us to be. Not only to implement a solution but to provide an attestation to say that things are being done the way they should be.” – Candice Jamieson.
It’s a full-circle moment for Candice. Instead of designing and building systems, she can now step in at the end of the process to perform the independent reviews required to give companies, stakeholders, and third parties peace of mind regarding IT Risk.
Building Digital Trust
Building digital trust is at the heart of the Technology Assurance service line. Candice and the Technology Assurance team embody this concept to give everyone from an organisation’s management team to external role-players the comfort that comes from knowing you can balance the need to introduce new technologies to drive strategic and operational business requirements without exposing the organisation to undue risk.
“I want to walk that journey of building digital trust with our team and with our clients. To build the view of whenever you’re uncertain, you can call on Mobius.” – Candice Jamieson.
Why Choose Mobius Consulting
The Mobius Consulting team can help organisations build the required systems and programmes. Seeing what practically worked and what didn’t work during that process puts Candice and the team in the unique position to offer an attestation once the building is complete.
If your organisation fails to meet the required benchmark, then Mobius Consulting can also offer practical recommendations to help you reach the desired level of maturity.
The Mobius Consulting Difference
Candice has also seen first-hand how organisations -big or small -struggle to retain the skill sets needed to perform the necessary reviews. There are always constraints -whether resources or people. This applies regardless of industry or business size.
Candice is committed to meeting that challenge.
“What Mobius provides our clients is at any point in time to be able to pull on a specialist and reach out into our pool of resources to get a specific task done. And then to constantly walk the journey with that client where they need either more assistance in the same space or completely new assistance.” – Candice Jamieson.
The Mobius Approach To Technology Assurance:
Hear more from Candice:
Get in touch with Candice Jamieson and the Mobius team to start building trust in your technologies: info@mobiusconsulting.co.za