The leadership team.

Ish H.

Founder & Managing Principal

Ishtiaq Hossain is the Founder and Managing Director of Somerset, bringing over two decades of Big Four experience in audit, risk, compliance, and advisory services. Throughout his career, he has led complex internal audit, external audit, SOX compliance, and risk advisory engagements for Fortune 500 and FTSE 250 organisations across the Insurance, Banking & Capital Markets, and Technology sectors.

Having worked extensively in major global financial centres including New York, London, and Australia, Ishtiaq has advised multinational organisations on strengthening governance frameworks, enhancing internal controls, managing technology and operational risk, and navigating complex regulatory environments. His experience spans Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance, Internal Audit transformation, IT General Controls (ITGC), SOC reporting, operational resilience, cyber risk, and enterprise risk management.

As a trusted advisor to Boards, Audit Committees, and executive leadership teams, Ishtiaq combines deep technical expertise with a pragmatic, business-focused approach. He is passionate about helping organisations move beyond compliance to build sustainable, value-driven risk and control environments that support growth and innovation. Under his leadership, Somerset has established itself as a specialist advisory firm focused on delivering high-quality assurance (SOX), risk, technology, and AI governance services. With the increasing adoption of emerging technologies, Ishtiaq is also at the forefront of advising organisations on AI governance, algorithmic accountability, control automation, and the future of intelligent assurance.

Faraz R.

Senior Director

Faraz is a Principal at Somerset Consulting and a qualified ACCA professional with over 16 years of Big Four experience delivering audit, risk, and controls advisory services. During a distinguished career with Deloitte UK, he led and delivered complex SOX programmes, internal controls reviews, IT audits, and external and internal audit engagements across a broad range of sectors, including Energy, Manufacturing, Healthcare, and the Public Sector.

Faraz has extensive experience in the design, assessment, and testing of both business and technology controls, helping organisations strengthen governance, improve risk management, and enhance the effectiveness of their control environments. He has led engagement teams through the full audit and assurance lifecycle, from planning and risk assessment through scoping, fieldwork, stakeholder engagement, reporting, and the delivery of actionable findings and recommendations.

His expertise spans Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance, Internal Controls over Financial Reporting (ICFR), IT General Controls (ITGC), business process controls, operational risk, and internal audit. He has worked closely with senior management, control owners, and audit committees to address control deficiencies, improve compliance frameworks, and deliver sustainable risk and control improvements.

Known for his practical, collaborative, and solutions-focused approach, Faraz combines deep technical knowledge with strong stakeholder management skills to help organisations navigate complex regulatory requirements while driving operational efficiency and business value.

Asima O.

Senior Associate

Asima brings 3.5 years of audit experience with a focus on ITGC testing, evaluating IT general controls and helping clients assess, remediate, and strengthen their control environments.

Bushra A.

Senior Associate

Senior Associate Consultant across technology risk, internal controls, and governance. She specialises in control testing and migration assurance, and leads Somerset's AI-enabled solutions for streamlining audit and controls testing.

Faizan R.

Senior Associate

Risk consulting professional experienced in SOX compliance, ITGC testing, and risk advisory, helping clients strengthen controls, systems, and governance. Also involved in developing AI solutions to automate controls, streamline internal audit, and bring AI-driven innovation to the audit industry.

M. Hassaan

Associate

Consultant focused on SOX compliance, business process controls, ITGC testing, and governance. Previously at Standard Chartered, he brings a multidisciplinary perspective spanning finance, consulting, banking, and technology to every engagement.

Mamun M.

Assistant Manager

ICAEW-qualified Chartered Accountant specialising in internal controls, risk management, and SOX testing. Big 4-trained, he leads engagements for multinational clients, strengthening governance frameworks and mitigating risk across complex financial environments.

Rafia K.

Senior Associate

Rafia has 3 years of audit experience specializing in ITGC testing, assessing controls over access, change management, and IT operations. She works with clients to pinpoint control gaps, drive remediation, and build a more resilient control environment.

Palize Q.

AI Engineer

AI Engineer building systems that automate document-heavy audit workflows to make them faster and more reliable. Comes from a product and data background; MSc Quantitative Finance student at Kiel University.