Jim Barolak, a StoneTurn Partner, views risk management and compliance through the lens of sustainability with a focus on corporate social responsibility and ESG reporting. He offers nearly 40 years of experience as a trusted adviser, results-driven project lead, and engineer. Jim provides practical, data-driven insights to public and private sector clients on compliance risks, troubled projects and complex business disputes across many sectors, including natural resources, environmental remediation, construction, technology and finance.

Jim is a seasoned risk professional with extensive experience assessing corporate compliance programs.  Jim currently serves as a risks and controls subject matter expert (SME) for the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) appointed Independent Compliance Auditor monitoring a Top 5 automotive manufacturer accused of violating U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions regulations.

Jim has served similar roles monitoring large financial institutions. He was a SME on risk assessments and internal controls for the DOJ-appointed independent compliance and business ethics monitor to one of the world’s largest investment banks.  He was previously part a team monitoring a large U.S. mortgage servicer.

Jim has significant program management experience. Jim effectively leads large, multi-discipline teams of technical, financial and risk professional conducting management investigations, operational audits, and root cause analyses. He has evaluated information systems, fiscal controls, capital budgeting policies and cost accounting systems. He has assessed corporate mission statement, organizational structures, communication channels, decisional processes, strategic implementation plans, and other organizational initiatives designed to mitigate risk, enhance performance, and add value.

Jim recently led a team investigating widespread electrical power failures that occurred during the summer of 2019. Acting on behalf of the largest state public power utility in the United States and the state public services department, Jim and the team interfaced directly with energy industry and technical experts to pinpoint control weaknesses that led to the blackouts and proposed remedial actions to mitigate future risks.

As a geologist and engineer, Jim has first-hand experience in natural resource management, including oil and gas exploration and development, mining, and environmental remediation. He has advised industry executives, government regulators, and the public on complex multi-discipline environmental projects. Jim has worked with state and federal agencies on the environmental cleanup of leaking underground storage tanks and nuclear wastes. He has developed comprehensive programs for controlling remediation costs and he has interacted with the government regulators, environmental contractors, and the public to implement such programs.

Jim holds a Certification in Business Sustainability Management from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, where he serves as an assessor for the Institute’s online course, “Business and Climate Change: Towards Net Zero.” Jim also holds certifications in risk management, including the COSO Internal Control Certificate and the COSO Enterprise Risk Management Certificate issued by the Association of International Certified Public Accountants (IACPA).