Sean Lyons
Sean Lyons is internationally recognized as a corporate defense pioneer and thought leader. As the architect of the cross-functional discipline of corporate defense management (CDM) he is widely regarded as the foremost authority in this emerging field. With almost three decades of experience in corporate defense activities he is a firm advocate of the requirement for corporate defense to play a more prominent role in corporate strategy.
Biography
Sean Lyons is globally recognized as a corporate defense thought leader and strategist. He is acknowledged as the pioneer responsible for proposing the umbrella term "Corporate Defense" to represent an organization’s collective program for self-defense, and also for being the first person to propose the extended "Five Lines of Defense"oversight model which is currently receiving increasing levels of regulatory attention. Sean is published internationally, and has lectured and spoken as a subject matter expert at lectures, seminars, and conferences in Europe, North America, and Asia. These speaking engagements include topics such as corporate governance, enterprise risk management (ERM), compliance, security, business continuity, internal controls, assurance, and governance, risk and compliance (GRC). His work on corporate defense has been cited in a number of books and multitude of other publications on the above topics. As the architect of the cross-functional discipline of Corporate Defense Management (CDM) he is widely regarded as the foremost authority in this emerging field. With more than 20 years experience in corporate defense activities he is a firm advocate of the requirement for corporate defense to play a more prominent role in corporate strategy. In an effort to help achieve this objective Sean has been an active contributor to public consultations in many of the above topics.In 2016 CRC Press published Sean's innovative book entitled "Corporate Defense and the Value Preservation Imperative: Bulletproof Your Corporate Defense Program". This book has since been critically acclaimed by a host of distinguished corporate commentators. In 2015 Sean was a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the inaugural publication of the Journal of Enterprise Risk Management, the first academic journal to focus solely on enterprise risk management. In 2013 he was the invited keynote speaker at the Asian Confederation of Institute of Internal Auditors (ACIIA) Chief Audit Executive Leadership Forum in Mumbai, for their two day conference entitled "Enterprise Defense Management: Internal Auditors to the Fore" (a theme which was based on his CDM framework). In 2011 he was an invited member of the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN)'s taskforce on promoting the "ICGN Corporate Risk Oversight Guidelines". In 2010 the Conference Board published his influential paper entitled "Security as a Critical Component of Corporate Defense" which was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as part of their ongoing project to assess security risk exposure and business preparedness in the private sector. Sean was shortlisted as a finalist in the GRC MVP 2009 Awards run by the US based GRC Group (SOX Institute) which was co-chaired by Senator Paul Sarbanes and Congressman Michael Oxley. These awards recognized individual achievements and professional contributions in governance, risk management, and compliance, and honored professionals who demonstrated excellence in this field.
For a number of years Sean was also the resident contributor in the field of corporate defense for the RiskCenter, a New York financial risk management media company (then based on Wall Street).
Education
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Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS), University of Limerick
Areas of Research / Professional Expertise
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Corporate Defense, Corporate Governance, Risk Management, Compliance Management, Corporate Intelligence, Security Management, Corporate Resilience, Internal Controls, Corporate Assurance.
Websites
Books
Articles
On Your Guard / Corporate Defence and Long-Term Value Preservation
Published: May 01, 2017 by Accountancy & Business (AB) Magazine (Ireland), May 2017 Issue
Authors: Sean Lyons
Subjects:
Business & Management
Corporate defence strategies have become essential to long-term value preservation, and accountants can have a major influence on their development, argues Sean Lyons
Is Anyone Watching the Backdoor?
Published: Mar 01, 2017 by Enterprise Risk Magazine, Spring 2017 Issue
Authors: Sean Lyons
Subjects:
Business & Management
Companies need to strike the right balance between bringing in the cash, and preserving value in the business. Is a new focus on corporate defence in order? - By Sean Lyons (Page 22-25)
21st Century Corporate Defence
Published: Aug 01, 2016 by The Risk Universe Magazine, Issue 56, August 2016
Authors: Sean Lyons
Subjects:
Business & Management
Corporate defence management strategist Sean Lyons, identifies and dissects the various elements needed to develop a sustainable and effective corporate defence strategy.
Forbes Interview: Evaluating Corporate Defense Through Different Lenses
Published: Jul 28, 2016 by Forbes, July 2016
Authors: Christopher P. Skroupa
Subjects:
Business & Management
Forbes contributor Christopher P. Skroupa interviews Sean Lyons about his new book.
Bulletproof Your Defence
Published: May 01, 2016 by The Ethical Boardroom Magazine, Spring 2016 Edition
Authors: Sean Lyons
Subjects:
Business & Management
The Ethical Boardroom Magazine - Spring 2016 Edition. Sean Lyons' article examines the role of the Board in delivering a robust corporate defense program.
Enterprise Risk Management and the Five Lines of Corporate Defense
Published: Feb 01, 2015 by The Journal of Enterprise Risk Management, Vol.1, No.1, February 2015
Authors: Sean Lyons
Subjects:
Business & Management
Applying the extended five lines of corporate defense oversight model to the ERM program can help to ensure that all strategic, tactical, and operational roles and responsibilities are clearly outlined, and to provide a mechanism for holding individuals (or groups) to account for the performance of these duties.
Striking a Balance: Offence v Defence
Published: Dec 01, 2014 by The Ethical Boardroom Magazine, Winter 2014 Edition
Authors: Sean Lyons
Subjects:
Business & Management
In the minds of many stakeholders, an organisation has a corporate responsibility to defend its stakeholders’ interests. This responsibility includes safeguarding, protecting and valuing the interests of all of its stakeholders, with a view to ensuring the long-term sustainability of stakeholder value. This responsibility begins with the board.
Corporate Defence Management and the Role of Accountants
Published: May 01, 2013 by International Accountant, Issue 70, May 2013
Authors: Sean Lyons
Subjects:
Business & Management
Achieving a healthy balance between offence and defence in business.
CSO Magazine Interview: Getting the Board on board
Published: Mar 01, 2013 by CSO Magazine, March 2013
Authors: Derek Slater
Subjects:
Business & Management
Q&A with CSO Magazine's Derek Slater: Sean Lyons argues that the Board of Directors must see themselves as an active part of corporate defense - not the beneficiaries of it
Achieving a Balance between Offence and Defence in 21st Century Capitalism
Published: Nov 30, 2012 by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Magazine, Issue 56, November/December 2012
Authors: Sean Lyons
Subjects:
Business & Management
If capitalism in the 21st century is to deliver long-term sustainable value, it must achieve a healthy balance between offence and defence. This will require a notable correction to the current imbalance.
Photos
News
A Spectrum of Positive Feedback
By: Sean Lyons
Subjects: Business & Management
Since its publication my book "Corporate Defense and the Value
Preservation Imperative" has received a wide spectrum of positive
feedback. This feedback has come from an eclectic mix of corporate
commentators, including those commenting from different
organizational perspectives (e.g. Strategic, Tactical, &
Operational), those commenting from the vantage point of different
lines of defense (e.g. the Board, Executive Management, Independent
Assurance, Tactical Oversight Functions, & Operational Line
Management), and those commenting through the lenses of different
corporate defense expertise (e.g. Governance, Risk, Compliance,
Intelligence, Security, Resilience, Controls, & Assurance).
Interestingly many of these commentators also hail from a variety
of geographic locations. Some of these commentators have included
the following:
- Prof. Arnold Schilder, Chairman of the International
Auditing and Assurance Standard Board (IAASB)
- Gemma Aiolfi, co-founder of the Basel Institute on
Governance and Head of the International Centre for
Collective Action (ICCA)
- The Risk Management Association (RMA) - April 2017 issue of
their RMA Journal (Mary Jo Taylor, SVP at CFG Community
Bank)
- The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) India - April
2017 issue of the IIA India Quarterly (Sudhir Varma, President
of the IIA India Delhi Chapter)
- James Bone, Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) instructor, Columbia
University School of Professional Studies
- Dr. Rainer Lenz, Head of Corporate Audit, Villeroy &
Boch
- The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) - November issue of
its ACC Docket magazine
For more information:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/corporate-defense-value-preservation-imperative-spectrum-sean-lyons
My book is reviewed in the April 2017 issue of IIA India Quarterly
By: Sean Lyons
Subjects: Business & Management
My book is reviewed in the April 2017 issue of the RMA Journal
By: Sean Lyons
Subjects: Business & Management
The April 2017 issue of the RMA Journal featured a positive review of my book. The RMA Journal is a peer reviewed award winning magazine published by the Risk Management Association (RMA) for risk practitioners. The book review was written by Mary Jo Taylor, Senior Vice President at CFG Community Bank. In the review Mary Jo states the following:
"Corporate Defense and the Value Preservation Imperative is a very well written book that includes a great amount of detail for developing programs in the areas promised by its title... The book presents a scenario for developing a cross-functional approach to risk as well as incorporating value preservation for a company over the short, medium, and long term... Lyons points out that the role of management is to assess risks and opportunities in conjunction with the CDM framework, and he provides a business case for developing a corporate defense and value preservation program... The book is not only a primer for developing a corporate defense program but also a guide to reviewing existing programs with an eye for potential enhancements... Large community banks would benefit from the book because of the details and varying perspectives it offers on the management of risk, corporate defense, and value preservation... Corporate Defense and the Value Preservation Imperative would be particularly useful to boards and C-suite management interested in developing a corporate defense program and a cost-benefit analysis business case."
The complete book review is available in the April 2017 issue of the RMA Journal (subscription required):
Columbia University risk management instructor mentions my book in article
By: Sean Lyons
Subjects: Business & Management
Co-founder of Basel Institute on Governance reviews my new book
By: Sean Lyons
Subjects: Business & Management
Gemma Aiolfi, co-founder of the Basel Institute on Governance, (www.baselgovernance.org) has recently published a review of my book. Ms. Aiolfi is the Institute's head of Compliance and Corporate Governance / Collective Action. She is also the head of the International Centre for Collective Action (ICCA) which is an anti-corruption collaboration involving the OECD, the World Economic Forum (WEF), United Nations (UN), Transparency International, the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA), TRACE, Universidad de San Andres Argentina, and the Basel Institute on Governance.
IAASB Chairman mentions my book in his keynote speech.
By: Sean Lyons
Subjects: Business & Management
Prof. Arnold Schilder, Chairman of the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB), recently delivered the keynote speech at a conference in Brussels entitled "The Future of Audit". This conference was jointly organised by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and Grant Thornton, under the patronage of the Slovak Presidency of the Council of EU.
In point 1 of a brief 4 point speech Prof. Schilder outlined the following :
"1. Understanding the business of the auditee, its corporate defense, and value preservation is a cornerstone of a robust audit.
The importance of the auditor’s understanding of the business was emphasized by many who commented on the IAASB’s Invitation to Comment (ITC), Enhancing Audit Quality in the Public Interest. It sounds like an open door. But it was mentioned so often with a twofold background. First, the rapidly changing world that all businesses are part of. Several panelists in the next discussion will elaborate on that. Second, a concern that audits have become a “check-the-box” exercise. Standards and rules can be good guides—but the real journey cannot be predicted. You have to find out yourselves. That is the essence of auditing—your professionalism and independence.
This understanding of the business includes how the auditee has organized its value preservation, and its corporate defense around that. I quote these concepts from a recent book by Sean Lyons that fascinated me. I don’t have the time to elaborate on this, but if I just mention the eight components of the “corporate defense umbrella,” the importance is clear: governance, risk, compliance, intelligence, security, resilience, controls, and assurance. Just one quote to illustrate: “Each organization is required to focus on bringing the dollar in through the front door (offense) while also focusing on preventing the dollar from leaving through the back door (defense).”
This certainly is a great challenge as well as an equal opportunity for assurance providers. This brings me to the next coin."
I am honored that Prof. Schilder has quoted my work and referred to my new book on corporate defense in his speech. The full transcript of Prof. Schilder's keynote address is available at the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) website:
https://www.ifac.org/news-events/2016-11/future-audit
Videos
Published: Aug 17, 2016
In this episode of RiskStudio, Manoj Kulwal and Sean Lyons discuss key ideas from Sean's new book entitled "Corporate Defense and the Value Preservation Imperative".
Published: Aug 17, 2016
Sean Lyons narrates a short 3D animation which gives an overview of the workings of the Corporate Defense Management (CDM) multi-dimensional framework.
Published: Aug 17, 2016
Sean Lyons discusses a new era of corporate defense at the RiskCenter, live on Wall Street.