# Waseem Samaan

Waseem Samaan works in internal audit and risk, with experience building audit, SOX, governance, and risk functions for high-growth SaaS and fintech companies. Posts focus on how organizations can manage emerging risks such as AI, cybersecurity, payments, and regulatory change.

- Profile: https://b2binfluencer.marketing/creators/waseem-samaan/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waseem-samaan-cpa-cia-9786b961
- LinkedIn followers: 5,911
- Topics: artificial-intelligence, cybersecurity, fintech, ai-governance, risk-management
- Based on 10 dated posts, latest 2026-10-07

## Summary

Waseem Samaan is useful for specialist thought leadership campaigns targeting senior internal audit and risk leaders.

- Best for: Governance, risk, and compliance software vendors seeking expert content on AI and cybersecurity.
- Not for: Broad consumer campaigns requiring high reach or lifestyle content for general audiences.
- Check first: Ask for a current media kit or sponsorship one-pager and platform analytics.

### Takeaways

- Internal audit should be judged on trust and growth, not assurance alone.
- Controls have to move at the speed of the business.
- Audit belongs inside transformation projects, not only after them.

## Main ideas

- **Internal audit should be judged on trust and growth, not assurance alone**: In an Internal Audit Awareness Month post, Waseem Samaan argues that internal audit is "no longer just about assurance" and instead helps organizations build trust, strengthen governance, navigate risk and enable growth. As AI, cybersecurity, third-party risk, regulatory expectations and business transformation accelerate, the function's value comes from connecting risk to strategy. They add that the future will require critical thinking, communication and collaboration alongside technical expertise.
- **Controls have to move at the speed of the business**: Reporting from the NextGen Payments & RegTech Forum in Austin, Samaan argues that instant payments and real-time settlement require real-time risk visibility, stating plainly that "the days of retrospective controls and annual audits are over." They also argue that AI is simultaneously a control, a risk and an opportunity, so governance frameworks must evolve faster than the technology; and that compliance and product should work as co-owners rather than checkpoints. Banks and fintechs are converging in ways that demand more integrated assurance across cybersecurity, AML and operational resilience.
- **Read risk priorities from evidence, then ask whether the audit team can respond**: Samaan summarizes the IIA's Risk in Focus 2026 report: cybersecurity remains the top global risk, cited at 86% in North America; digital disruption and AI have moved into the number two global position, with the sharpest increases in Latin America and the Middle East; and geopolitical risk in North America jumped from 26% to 45% in a year. Samaan links to the full report. Their framing: the challenge for chief audit executives is not spotting the risks but ensuring their functions have the skills, governance and agility to keep pace.
- **Audit belongs inside transformation projects, not only after them**: Reflecting on the IIA Great Audit Minds Conference, Samaan describes speaking on internal audit's role in driving transformative projects, amid discussion of emerging risk, AI, ESG and cybersecurity. The post is also a sponsor account: they write as part of Boomi's presence at the event and describe how Boomi's platform supports risk mitigation, compliance and audit efficiency. The product claims are Boomi's event messaging, not an independent assessment.

## Work to read

- [Real-time payments and risk controls](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/waseem-samaan-cpa-cia-9786b961_honored-to-join-so-many-brilliant-minds-at-activity-7395187444813389824-JWi3)
- [Internal audit's role in technology-led change](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/waseem-samaan-cpa-cia-9786b961_iiaconference-internalaudit-riskmanagement-activity-7174168797665247234-MGWA)
- [How the internal audit role is changing](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/waseem-samaan-cpa-cia-9786b961_internalaudit-riskmanagement-internalcontrols-activity-7466837883719630848-_waN)
- [Risk priorities in the IIA's Risk in Focus 2026 report](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/waseem-samaan-cpa-cia-9786b961_risk-in-focus-report-the-iia-activity-7378844766769356800-kcrf)

## Brand relationships

- **Boomi** (disclosed_partnership)
- **The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA)** (affiliate)

## Partnerships

The four posts show conference participation and one employer-side sponsorship: Boomi, where Waseem Samaan describes the company as a proud sponsor of the IIA Great Audit Minds Conference, with a booth and a speaking slot on internal audit's role in transformative projects. That sponsorship belongs to Boomi and the conference, not to Samaan as a creator; the posts don't describe creator-facing formats a brand could buy. Ask Samaan directly for a current media kit or sponsorship one-pager.

## Alternatives

- Michael Rasmussen: Choose Michael Rasmussen when a campaign needs a GRC analyst voice across governance, risk, compliance technology, AI governance, and risk quantification for a vendor audience. The October 2026 posts include a GRC Insights commentary roundup with a review of Tim Leech's book on mission-critical governance, an argument that GRC must move beyond inventories of risks and controls to focus on what matters most, and a piece on why AI governance cannot be reduced to periodic checkpoints. Another post describes a conference keynote on AI, risk, and resilience, and a session on risk quantification that moves beyond heatmaps. For a vendor campaign aimed at GRC technology buyers and conference audiences, Rasmussen is the stronger choice when the vendor wants analyst-style market commentary, continuous-governance framing for AI, and risk quantification content.
- Jess Mand: Choose Jess Mand when a campaign needs editorial interviews connecting AI governance and compliance to data architecture and C-suite technology decisions. The 2026 posts show an article conversation with Arron Lamp, CIO of Tokio Marine HCC, about building flexible AI governance while rules are still being written, and another conversation with Pierre Bourgeix, CEO of ESI Convergent, about why data architecture determines who wins the AI race. Jess Mand is a better match than Waseem Samaan if the vendor's angle is AI governance as an emerging executive and data problem, and the campaign benefits from named CIO and CEO interview subjects rather than audit-function commentary.
- Marcel Velica: Choose Marcel Velica when a campaign needs clear, saveable explainers mapping cybersecurity, GRC, and audit concepts for a broad practitioner audience. The October 2026 posts list the 14 domains of ISO 27001 and 17 audit types, using numbered explanations and a follow prompt. For a vendor campaign aimed at practitioners, Marcel Velica is the better choice if the vendor wants framework literacy content, glossary-style assets, or social posts that help practitioners understand where cybersecurity audit, internal audit, IT audit, compliance, and governance responsibilities sit.

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AI-assisted summary of public posts. Audience demographics are not available. Engagement appears only where we checked recent posts. Method: https://b2binfluencer.marketing/methodology/