Global Head of Internal Audit

Windsor, UK | Hybrid | Permanent

Assurance is getting harder. Controls are increasingly automated, decisions are increasingly influenced by models, and some of the evidence auditors have relied on for decades now looks different.

IHG Hotels and Resorts needs a Global Head of Internal Audit who can help define and deliver what independent assurance looks like in that environment.

IHG has a capable, established Internal Audit function; this role provides senior, Board and Executive-facing leadership.

This role leads Global Internal Audit at IHG; a senior, independent assurance function covering the strategic, operational, regulatory, reporting and technology risks that matter most to the business. It is a senior assurance leadership role, grounded in professional judgement, independence and credibility. It also helps lead the continued evolution of audit, as IHG becomes more digital, more data-driven and more dependent on automated controls.

IHG is growing and changing quickly: through its brands, its digital platforms, its owner relationships and its global operating model. The Board and Audit Committee place real importance on assurance that helps them understand whether that growth is well controlled, whether risks are being managed well, and where confidence needs to be strengthened. This role is close to that agenda.

The role reports to our General Counsel, has direct access to the Audit Committee, sits on the Business Reputation and Responsibility leadership team, and is part of IHG’s broader senior leadership group. This reflects an enterprise-wide remit and the independence, access and standing to provide clear challenge where it matters, supported by evidence and a clear sense of proportion.

You will lead a global team and co-source model, working across regions, functions and brands. The role combines the discipline expected of a dual listed-company audit function, and with the judgement needed to focus assurance where it will most improve confidence for management, the Executive Committee and the Audit Committee.

What you'll do

• Lead independent, risk-led assurance across the areas that matter most to IHG’s strategy, control confidence and stakeholder trust
• Own the audit strategy, methodology and operating model, and the risk-based audit plan that goes to the Audit Committee for approval
• Set the direction and standards for audit delivery across strategic, operational, regulatory, financial and technology controls, assessing the design of governance and controls and how they work in practice
• Provide the senior independent assurance voice to the Executive Committee and the Audit Committee in a way that is concise, credible and points clearly at what needs to happen next
• Hold the line on follow-up and closure of management actions, and escalate when confidence is at risk
• Provide independent challenge over risks arising from digitalisation, automation and AI, including data quality, explainability and reliance on automated controls
• Bring analytics and automation further into how audits are planned and delivered, to widen coverage and deepen insight
• Continue to develop the team’s judgement, risk calibration and evidence-led approach, and lead the co-source model with clear expectations and consistent quality
• Oversee Internal Audit’s role in confidential disclosures and sensitive investigations, including where independent assurance, escalation or Audit Committee visibility is required
• Build senior relationships across risk, compliance, legal, finance, technology and operations, while preserving management’s ownership of risk and control

What you'll bring

• Significant senior internal audit leadership experience gained in a large, complex, global organisation
• Credibility and composure in front of a Board, an Audit Committee and an Executive Committee, and the ability to hold a position when it is challenged
• A strong understanding of risk management, internal control and assurance expectations in a listed company
• The ability to deliver difficult messages with clarity, evidence and a sense of proportion
• Intellectual rigour and professional scepticism, alongside the judgement to know which findings matter and which do not
• Practical experience of data analytics and modern audit techniques, and a clear view on how AI and automation change where assurance is required and how it can be obtained
• Comfort operating across a matrix organisation and multiple regions, including a real understanding of how cultural differences change the way assurance work lands
• A broader business outlook alongside audit depth, with the ability to lead through influence, judgement and credibility, not just through methodology
• A relevant professional qualification such as CIA, ACA, ACCA or CPA

This is an opportunity to help shape the continued evolution of modern internal audit in a global business: independent, commercially aware, evidence-led and focused on what is relevant to the risks that matter most in a fast-evolving environment.

Interested?

Appointments at this level rarely start with a formal application. If the role is of interest, or if you would like to understand more before deciding, apply here and we will arrange a confidential conversation.

Closing date for applications: 16 th September 2026

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