Guest Bio:
Michelle Wagner is Vice President and Head of Internal Audit at DocuSign, where she leads global audit strategy and helps the organization strengthen governance, risk management, and internal controls while supporting a culture of integrity and accountability.
With more than 25 years of experience across consulting and industry,
Michelle has held leadership roles at Deloitte, Costco, and SAP, where she led large audit portfolios, built high-performing teams, and drove governance and risk transformation initiatives across complex global organizations.
Michelle is known for her practical, people-centered approach to risk leadership and for translating complex risk insights into clear, actionable guidance. She is passionate about mentoring emerging leaders and helping organizations move from reactive risk management to proactive, insight-driven decision-making.
Show Notes:
Risk is often framed as technical work, but at its core, it is deeply human.
In this episode of Great Women in Compliance, Dr. Hemma Lomax sits down with Michelle Wagner, Head of Internal Audit at DocuSign, to explore how curiosity, empathy, and partnership help organizations manage risk more effectively and build stronger ethical cultures.
Michelle shares insights from a career spanning consulting and global leadership roles, reflecting on the moments that shaped her leadership philosophy and the lessons she has learned about influencing without authority, building trust, and helping teams see risks as opportunities to improve rather than problems to avoid.
Together, they discuss the evolving role of internal audit, the importance of collaboration across risk functions, and how emerging technologies such as AI can help leaders identify patterns and generate insights while reinforcing the need for human judgment.
This conversation is a reminder that great risk leaders don’t just protect organizations — they help them succeed.
Episode highlights:
- Why risk management is fundamentally a leadership discipline
- Lessons from moving from consulting to executive leadership roles
- What makes an internal audit function truly valuable
- How audit, compliance, and business teams can partner effectively
- The role of curiosity and psychological safety in surfacing risks
- Michelle’s perspective on AI and the future of risk management
- Leadership lessons from mentoring and building teams