The one-stop shop for books, tools, training and consultancy for Governance, Risk Management and Compliance, IT Governance, has appointed Steve Watkins to its Board to oversee the rapid growth of its consultancy practice (http://www.itgovernance.co.uk/consulting.aspx ).

Watkins, over the past three years, has played an instrumental role in the development of IT Governance's consultancy arm, which helps organisations to manage operational risks by achieving compliance and certification to best practice standards. IT Governance is increasingly called upon to advise in areas including data protection, business continuity and the management of diverse risks within the supply chain, in addition to its acknowledged expertise in information security.

Enabling them to sustain best practices for the long-term, while achieving significant economies over conventional consultancy relationships, IT Governance emphasises, in its consultancy, the transfer of practical and proven skills to clients' in-house teams. IT Governance, therefore, in addition to offering strategic advice and project coaching, provides extensive training services (http://www.itgovernance.co.uk/training.aspx ) for senior and junior members of client teams.

Driving its services into new areas of risk management and compliance, while expanding its geographical footprint to take in an increasing proportion of international assignments, Watkins will oversee, in his new position, the continued diversification of the consultancy practice.

Watkins, 38, is a highly respected trainer, consultant and author in the fields of IT Governance, Risk Management and Compliance. Including the maintenance of Information Security, Quality, Environmental and Investor in People certification, he has over 17 years' experience of managing integrated management systems. From multinationals to SMEs, as well as public sector organisations, he has worked with a wide range of private sector companies. Watkins is a trained EFQM Assessor and holds diplomas in safety and financial management, in addition to being a trained ISO27001 and ISO9000 auditor.