While we may not be ready to give up on summer just yet, the fall conference circuit is getting underway this week with the 2nd Annual Effective SOX & MAR Strategies in the Re/Insurance Industry Conference hosted by Marcus Evans in Boston. The event runs Monday, August 31st through Tuesday, September 1st and hones in on key strategies for managing SOX and Model Audit Rule (MAR) compliance, particularly for those in the insurance industry.

According to the event organizers, the Model Audit Rule (MAR) is quickly coming to fruition and compliance will be in full effect in 2010. The MAR presents unique challenges that must be discussed from all angles, both for non-SOX companies and those that are looking to evolve their SOX strategies into full MAR implementation. This conference will bring together SOX/MAR professionals from re/insurance to discuss these pressing issues.

CA will be co-presenting a special evening workshop tonight (Monday, Aug. 31) with PwC covering "How Insurers are Successfully Using GRC to Build Effective Model Audit Rule Programs." The session runs from 5:30-6:30 pm ET, and will include at least 30 minutes dedicated to Q&A and networking. Attendees will walk away from the session with:

• An understanding of what public insurers are doing to prepare for MAR


• The ability to define the scope of compliance, and how insurers are re-scoping their efforts


• Models for compliance that have been successful, including AS5 and risk-based approaches


• How to link internal controls to integrated GRC programs


• Pitfalls to avoid

In addition, Peter Stapleton, a regular contributor to the blog, will be leading a short session on Tuesday, Sept. 1, starting at 11:45 am ET, focused on "Leveraging a GRC Strategy to Manage Multiple Compliance Programs."

Peter will be touching on Lean GRC best practices, as well as:

• The challenges of multi-regulation compliance


• How standards and a program approach to compliance can help


• Lean thinking applies in many areas to GRC, and can help reduce costs and wasted efforts

If you plan to attend the event, make sure to say hello to the team at our booth on site, where you can also view a demo and learn more about managing MAR and SOX compliance with GRC.