Nottingham Building Society has appointed Riaan Thiart as its new chief internal audit officer. Thiart first joined the mutual in March 2025 on an interim basis, following Sally Gaudion’s move into the chief customer officer role.
In his position, Thiart will provide independent assurance to the board and executive team, ensuring a strong third line of defence on governance, risk management and internal controls.
He brings more than 28 years of experience in leading multinational internal audit functions and implementing governance frameworks in complex financial services organisations.
Thiart’s career includes senior positions at Nationwide Building Society and Old Mutual PLC, as well as managing director of Prelude Business Solutions Ltd. He has also served as interim group internal audit director at Old Mutual, chief internal auditor for the Skandia Group across the Nordics, Europe and Latin America, and acting chief internal auditor at Nedbank Group in South Africa.
Sue Hayes, chief executive officer at Nottingham Building Society, said: “Riaan has already made a significant impact during his interim role, providing valuable insight and assurance at a time of change for our Society.
“His depth of international experience, combined with his pragmatic and commercial approach, will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our governance and risk frameworks. I’m delighted to welcome him permanently to the leadership team.”
Thiart said: “I am proud to be joining Nottingham Building Society on a permanent basis. The Society has a strong purpose-led culture and a clear ambition for the future, and I look forward to working with colleagues, the executive and the board to ensure our internal audit function continues to add value, provide assurance and support the Society in delivering for its members.”
