About Russell Tomoum

Career record

1. 2026 to presentFounder and PrincipalCtrl WorxSOX, ICFR and IT controls advisory for public companies. Russell has delivered SOX work through engagements with PwC, Protiviti, CFGI and Robert Half. Clients include Gilead Sciences, Kadant, Ciena, Cabot, Skillsoft, Chase Corporation, Trex and Frontier Communications. Work includes self-assessment programs, board reporting on progress and deficiencies, and independent testing of high-risk controls alongside co-sourced auditors. Built a 147-requirement compliance-to-control matrix for Community Health Councils’ federal subaward under 2 CFR 200, and performed agreed-upon procedures for MOORE Egypt on 23 World Bank-financed wheat shipments.
2. 2026AI evaluationContract AI evaluation workDesigned SOX and ITGC evaluation tasks for AI agents and graded the agents’ work. Reviewed AI training data for SOX and ICFR work.
3. 2023FounderUniform Guidance Compliance (start-up)Designed a GRC platform to automate 2 CFR 200 compliance for nonprofits, universities and state and local governments, built on the Unified Compliance Framework’s Common Controls Hub and Mapper. Mapped the three layers of compliance in any federal award (the Uniform Guidance, the program statute and the agency’s own rules) into common controls, with self-assessment, monitoring and audit modules for recipients, subrecipients and auditors.
4. 2023 to 2024Internal Controls LeadViega, Broomfield, ColoradoOwned the internal control framework of about 150 controls across 26 sub-processes, including the risk and control matrix, delegation of authority and segregation of duties. Trained the team on internal control processes and coordinated internal audits with third-party consultants.
5. 2022 to 2023Risk Compliance ManagerFirst Advantage, AtlantaRepresented the company before FBI auditors on CJIS compliance, and the audit closed with zero major findings. Reviewed IT systems and application controls against NIST standards.
6. 2016 to 2019Senior Audit ConsultantRobert Half Management Resources, Greater BostonSOX and audit engagements for Greater Boston companies, working directly with CFOs, controllers and external auditors. Ran SOX across 900+ controls in the US and worldwide at Nuance. Led SAP segregation of duties remediation at Nuvera Fuel Cells, mapping all 172 conflicts to mitigating controls. Documented every finance process at Greencore USA and Peacock Foods to carry the business through an M&A transition. Tested stock compensation and tax provision controls at Anika Therapeutics. Led governance audits of National Grid’s capital recovery mechanisms across electric and gas operations.
7. 2015 to 2016Process and Compliance ManagerAl-Futtaim Retail, DubaiBased in Dubai, ran operations in Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, led the SAP ERP implementation for the retail division and set uniform controls across the region. Carried out 24 store compliance reviews in 2015 across six brands, including Marks & Spencer, Toys R Us, Guess and Esprit, raising 321 findings. Led three special reviews, ran surprise checks and supported operational due diligence on new acquisitions.
8. 2012 to 2015Governance Manager, International Institutions and Donor AssuranceMoore Stephens, CairoAudits and assignments for the European Commission (EuropeAid), The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and UN agencies: financial reviews, systems audits, evaluations, forensic audits and expenditure verifications. External audits of Egypt’s National AIDS Control Program and National Tuberculosis Program. Country focal point for group audit teams of up to 25 people. Reviewed IDP Education’s Middle East regional office for its internal audit program, under Australian assurance standards, reporting about 24 findings to its Audit and Risk Management Committee and rating the controls inadequate.
9. 2011 to 2012Chief Audit ExecutiveSAPESCO (Sahara Petroleum Services), CairoSet up the internal audit function, its plan and charter. Built an organization-wide risk management framework, with a risk management policy and risk assessment surveys across the firm, and reported to the Board on risks and action plans. Built the first two-year audit plan over 85 processes, costed at about a quarter of an outside firm’s estimate, and trained 19 process managers in risk assessment. Audits covered treasury, document management and non-conformance reporting, where testing found 28 unreported incidents.
10. 2010 to 2011Internal Audit Senior SupervisorEtisalat Misr, CairoDrafted and rolled out the whistleblowing regulation and designed the Business Continuity Plan, audited Oracle procurement (12 deficiencies reported), and ran risk assessments with top management for the annual audit plan. Led special reviews of misconduct and negligence. Received a thank-you letter from the Chairman and CEO for identifying a critical control gap in an automated application, safeguarding assets worth several million dollars.
11. 2005 to 2010Staff Associate to Audit SupervisorPwC Middle East: Oman, Dubai, Tripoli and CairoSOX 404, ICFR and integrated audits for SEC registrants, and special reviews into inventory loss, cash embezzlement and misreporting. Chosen for the hand-over team in the first year of the Shell audit, when it moved to PwC from KPMG in 2005. Promoted to Audit Supervisor 18 months ahead of the usual track. Managed up to 35 staff auditors, and in FY2008 ran 8 engagements with 30 auditors across 4 countries at once. Led the consolidation for an energy client covering 4 entities and 2 LNG trains. On Eni North Africa’s SOX 404 program, wrote the entity-level controls test plan and tested tax and cost-recovery reporting controls. Knowledge broker for compliance, energy and SOX engagements, and a member of PwC’s National Technical ERP Support Group.

PwC audit clients

Clients audited at PwC Middle East spanned oil and gas, energy and utilities, carbon mining, automotive, technology, manufacturing and retail, in-country and overseas.

• Shell
• Chevron Texaco
• British Gas
• Eni (IEOC Egypt and Eni North Africa)
• GlobalSantaFe
• Atwood Oceanics
• Tanganyika Oil
• Scomi Oiltools
• Oxbow Carbon and Minerals
• Coca-Cola
• Reckitt Benckiser
• DHL
• NCR
• OTIS
• UnionAire
• Dover Investments

Recognition

Speaking

Education and memberships

BSc in Commerce (Accounting), Ain Shams University. Member of the Institute of Internal Auditors.

Languages

English and Arabic.

Frameworks and systems

• SOX 404 and 302
• COSO 2013
• PCAOB AS 2201
• SOC 1 and SOC 2
• NIST
• FBI CJIS
• SAP and SAP GRC (Virsa)
• SAP MIC
• Oracle EBS and Oracle Cloud
• NetSuite
• Hyperion
• PeopleSoft
• AuditBoard
• TeamMate
• ACL
• Visio

Advisory services. Russell also advises on SOX and internal control programs. Ctrl Worx takes no new paid advisory work from a company while it’s on the Watch List or for 12 months after. Read the independence policy.

What clients say · Client stories · LinkedIn

Outside the day job: coxing an eight to gold at the Egyptian Rowing National Championship, Dale Carnegie recognition for excellence in public speaking, and teaching: internal audit courses at the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, business English at Berlitz and test preparation at Amideast.