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Governance, Risk & Compliance Services

Compliance That Does
More Than
Pass the Audit

From SOX and J-SOX to internal controls and IT risk, we build governance programs that satisfy auditors and scale with the business, led by senior advisors who implement controls that actually work in practice.

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The Practice At A Glance

Our Approach to Governance & Controls

 

Understand

Step 01

Understand

Diagnose the context, data, and timeline, so we solve the real problem, not the symptom.

Align

Step 02

Align

Bring finance, operations, and leadership into one plan, moving in the same direction.

Execute

Step 03

Execute

Senior-led delivery, accountable to results you can see and measure.

What we do

Service Offerings

Senior-led advisory across controls, audit, and risk.

All offerings
Internal Controls Consulting & Automation We assess, document, and test controls across finance and operations, and build SOX/J-SOX programs that satisfy audit requirements and stay sustainable as you scale, including automation that cuts manual effort and improves control reliability over time.
Audit Readiness Services & Support We close control gaps and documentation issues before fieldwork begins, not in response to auditor requests. Includes operational audits and outsourced or co-sourced internal audit support, senior-level expertise without the overhead of a permanent function.
ITGC & Risk Assessments IT general controls are often under-assessed relative to their role in financial reporting. We evaluate IT controls and cybersecurity risk against your compliance requirements and build remediation roadmaps that address audit exposure and operational risk.
Controls Remediation & Optimization When controls break down after process changes, system transitions, or growth, the root cause matters as much as the fix. We build controls that are practical, clearly owned, and consistently effective.
Not sure which offering fits? We'll help you figure it out in 15 minutes.
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What’s At Stake

Most control gaps are predictable and preventable.

They widen quietly as the business grows, changes systems, or takes on a transaction, often without clear visibility until an audit or an event makes them obvious. Spotting them early is half the work.

Signs Your Controls Are At Risk

−

Recurring audit findings

The same findings appear in consecutive cycles, and the conditions that caused them persist.

−

Hidden risk in manual workflows

Manual processes carry more financial-statement risk than leadership realizes.

−

Outdated documentation

Documentation describes a process the business stopped running months ago.

−

An unassessed IT environment

The IT environment has changed significantly since it was last formally assessed.

−

Single points of failure

One or two people whose departure would leave the control program without an owner.

With Acclarity

✓

Reliable financial reporting

Stronger controls improve the accuracy and reliability of financial information.

✓

Reduced regulatory exposure

Lower exposure across audit, SOX/J-SOX, and broader regulatory obligations.

✓

Greater stakeholder confidence

Auditors, investors, and the board trust the integrity of your numbers.

✓

Faster, cheaper audit cycles

Consistently executed controls cut the time, cost, and disruption of each cycle.

✓

Compliance that enables growth

A control environment that supports business performance rather than impeding it.

Closing control gaps before an audit, a transaction, or a regulatory deadline is far less costly than addressing them under pressure.
Proof

Case Studies

Recent transaction engagements: what we walked into, and what changed by the close.

All case studies
SOX Readiness
SOX Deadlines Met After an Acquisition Interim Surge, No Permanent Headcount
A $1B+ financial services internal audit team was juggling integration priorities while still owning SOX testing deadlines. Acclarity audit consultants ramped up with minimal lead time and supplemented the team, completing both interim and year-end testing on schedule, at a lower cost than permanent hires. Read the story
SOX Compliance
40% More Testing Efficiency at Peak Audit Season ~$80K Estimated Cost Savings
A $1B+ retailer's SOX control testing converged with fiscal year-end into a compressed September-to-February window. Seasonal surge support from consultants with prior-year knowledge completed testing on time and within budget, increasing testing efficiency 40% and saving an estimated $80K versus adding headcount. Read the story
SOX Governance
40+ Controls Defined, Early Completion in 5 Months A Scalable SOX Framework
After M&A activity, a manufacturer's IT team was new to SOX and behind schedule. An agile plan, compliance training, and a quarterly monitoring dashboard defined 40+ controls and an annual testing calendar in 5 months, establishing a scalable SOX governance framework. Read the story

Why Acclarity

Transaction advisory partners, not observers.

One senior team, embedded from diligence through integration.

Senior-led from day one

Senior-led from day one

Every engagement is staffed and managed by experienced professionals. Direct access to the people doing the work.

90+ acquisitions of experience

90+ acquisitions of experience

Across PE-backed platforms, manufacturing, commercial services, and residential services environments.

Finance, ops, and systems

Finance, ops, and systems

One team that brings accounting, operational, and technology depth to stand up functional business units that last.

Embedded, not at a distance

Embedded, not at a distance

We work as an extension of your finance team, inside the process, accountable for your outcomes.

Want to talk to a transaction advisor directly? We'll route you to the right person on the team.
Talk to an Expert
People

Expert Spotlight

The senior advisors who'd actually run your engagement, not a pitch team.

Our full team
Managing Director

Jill Kernes

Transaction Advisory Expert

A solutions-oriented, CISA-certified professional, Jill brings over 20 years of experience in internal controls, IT security, and regulatory compliance. She has led and executed projects across industries, including SOX and JSOX testing, SOC examinations, and audits related to data privacy. With a strong background in IT risk and internal audit, she specializes in helping organizations strengthen security and compliance frameworks. Jill began her career at Deloitte in Enterprise Risk Services, where she conducted IT audits and implemented SOX programs.

Contact Us
Point of view

Thought Leadership

What deal teams get wrong, what we've learned across 90+ acquisitions, and how to be ready before the process starts.

Browse all insights
Featured · Governance

Hidden End-of-Year GRC Priorities

The governance, risk, and compliance items that quietly pile up before year-end, and how to get ahead of them.

Read the article
Controls

Turning a Material Weakness into Momentum

How to treat a material weakness as a catalyst for stronger controls, not just a finding to remediate.

Read the article
Risk

Getting the Most Out of Your Risk Assessments

How to turn a risk assessment into a clear plan for stronger controls and confident oversight.

Read the article
Common Questions

About Governance, Risk & Compliance

Click any question to expand the answer.

What are governance, risk, and compliance services?

Governance, risk, and compliance services help organizations design and maintain internal controls, manage business risk, and meet regulatory and audit requirements. Depending on the engagement, that can include control assessments and documentation, SOX or J-SOX compliance support, audit readiness, IT general controls review, and enterprise risk management, with the objective of building a compliance program that aligns with and supports the organization's broader business strategy.

When should a company invest in GRC consulting services?

Ideally, before a problem forces the issue. Most organizations come to us at an inflection point, such as when audit findings keep recurring without resolution, a transaction or period of growth has outpaced the existing control environment, or an operational change introduces risk the current program wasn't designed to handle.

In some cases, the internal team simply doesn't have the bandwidth or specialized expertise to manage compliance obligations at the level the business now requires.

What is included in audit readiness services?

A control assessment, documentation review, gap remediation, and support through fieldwork. The objective is to address the conditions that produce findings before the audit begins, rather than managing them reactively once the process is underway.

How do strong controls reduce business risk?

Well-designed and consistently executed controls improve the accuracy of financial information, reduce exposure to process errors or failures, and support compliance with regulatory requirements. They also reduce the time and cost of each audit cycle by limiting rework caused by poorly documented or inconsistently applied processes, and they provide auditors, investors, and leadership with the foundation they need to make well-informed decisions.

Get DEAL-READY with confidence.

Transactions move fast. The businesses that close on their terms are the ones that showed up prepared. Whether you're at the start of a deal process or already in it, we're built to support you with senior expertise through close and beyond.

Prepare For Your Next Transaction