When Adebola Aramide Olawaye stepped into her new role at SILAC Insurance Company, she was met not with a ready-made system but with a void. The IT audit function she was hired to lead simply did not exist. For many, that might have been a challenge too great. For Adebola, it was the perfect blank canvas.

In a time when digital threats are ever-evolving, Adebola doesn’t merely defend against them — she builds the systems that make defence possible. As Senior IT Auditor at SILAC, she turned absence into opportunity, creating from scratch a robust IT audit framework where none had stood before.

Drawing on best practices from COBIT, NIST, ISO 27001, and SOX 404, she designed and implemented a comprehensive IT audit structure that redefined how the company viewed cybersecurity and compliance. Within months, SILAC’s first fully functional and proactive IT audit process was in place — not just a set of policies, but an entire foundation for digital confidence.

But Adebola’s vision extends beyond systems. Recognising that human vigilance is as vital as technical control, she led company-wide training sessions for more than 200 employees, transforming cyber-awareness from an afterthought into a shared responsibility. The results were measurable: phishing vulnerability dropped by 75%, and a culture of security consciousness took firm root.

Her strategic influence soon reached the boardroom. Partnering with senior executives, she helped develop a three-year IT security roadmap that received full board approval. She also built a custom executive dashboard, giving decision-makers real-time insight into IT risks and compliance metrics. As SILAC’s Vice President of IT Security remarked, she “turned audit into a strategic function.”

The impact of her work is clear:

• Over 50 IT audits are conducted annually, with zero regulatory findings in two consecutive years.
• A 40% reduction in cybersecurity risks within 12 months.
• A lasting cultural transformation, where IT risk management has become everyone’s business.

Adebola’s strength lies not only in her technical mastery but also in her ability to connect it to business value. Her earlier career as a Mortgage Underwriter sharpened her eye for risk and taught her to translate complex data into actionable insights — skills that now underpin her IT leadership.

At the core of Adebola Aramide Olawaye’s philosophy is a belief that security and growth are not opposing forces but essential partners. She sees IT audit not as a policing mechanism but as a strategic enabler — a means of building resilience, fostering trust, and driving sustainable progress.

In an age defined by digital uncertainty, Adebola stands out as both architect and advocate — proving that with the right vision, integrity, and innovation, confidence itself can be engineered.