Park National Bank Transforms Enterprise Risk and Compliance with Workiva and Citrin Cooperman

Park National Bank, a mid-sized, regional financial institution known for its commitment to operational excellence and strong regulatory compliance, sought a more modern and integrated approach to governance, risk, and compliance (GRC).

As the business continued to grow, the complexity of its GRC responsibilities grew with it. What once worked for a smaller, more centralized organization could no longer keep pace with expanding business lines, increasing regulatory expectations, and a shifting risk landscape.

Recognizing the need for a more modern approach, Park National sought the expertise of Citrin Cooperman's Workiva team to implement a fully connected GRC ecosystem.

The Challenge: Complexity Without Connectivity

Park National maintained dedicated teams across enterprise risk management (ERM), Sarbanes‑Oxley (SOX) compliance, and regulatory compliance risk management, but each function operated independently. This siloed approach made it difficult to connect information in a meaningful way. As a result, the organization manually constructed risk reporting and enterprise-wide views for executive management and board committees. This was the only method available for leadership to have a unified view of risk, compliance, and performance.

To move forward, Park National desired a platform capable of integrating data across all GRC functions, and a solution provider with the expertise to configure it to the organization's scale, complexity, and regulatory demands.

The Approach: Building a Connected GRC Ecosystem

Citrin Cooperman began by establishing a unified foundation for risk management. The team imported and organized Park National’s entire risk universe, creating shared structure and enterprise GRC taxonomy. With a consistent baseline in place, teams could finally collaborate and analyze information using the same governance framework.

From there, the transformation expanded across the organization. The team built interactive dashboards and real time reporting tools that gave risk leaders immediate visibility into emerging exposures. Key risk indicators (KRIs) and key performance indicators (KPIs) were linked directly to strategic goals, which helped leadership understand not only how the organization was performing, but also what risks may impact the ability to meet goals.

The SOX function experienced a significant shift as well. Activities that once depended on email threads, manual updates, and multiple versions were replaced with automated workflows for testing, remediation, and documentation, strengthening efficiency and accountability.

The Approach: Building a Connected GRC Ecosystem

The regulatory compliance risk management program benefited from the same modernization. A regulatory obligations library provided a single source of truth, while enhanced testing frameworks and risk assessments improved Park National’s ability to stay ahead of examiner expectations. Visual tools such as heatmaps and issue tracking dashboards further improved oversight and examination readiness.

To bring all these components together, Citrin Cooperman created a consolidated reporting workspace that connected data across every GRC domain. Executives could review enterprise wide risk insights through integrated dashboards, making strategic planning faster, clearer, and more forward looking.

Following implementation/go-live, Park National entered into a phase of enhanced support (i.e., hypercare). Hypercare included hands-on training, issue resolution, and strategic guidance to ensure teams are confidently using and adapting to the new Workiva platform environment and continuing to embrace the platform capabilities as regulatory and business needs evolve.

The comprehensive Workiva implementation project included:

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) and Operational Risk Management (ORM):

• Imported and configured the client's risk universe
• Built dynamic dashboards and reports for real-time risk exposure monitoring
• Linked KRIs and KPIs to strategic objectives

SOX Controls Management:

• Automated control testing and remediation workflows
• Enabled centralized control and risk data management

Regulatory Compliance Risk Management:

• Developed a comprehensive regulatory library and testing framework
• Configured risk assessments and compliance testing procedures
• Created visual reporting tools including heatmaps and issue tracking dashboards

Consolidated Reporting Workspace:

• Unified data across all GRC workspaces
• Provided executive-level insights through real-time dashboards
• Enabled strategic planning through connected reporting

Hypercare and Strategic Advisory:

• Delivered post-implementation support
• Provided customized training, issue resolution, and strategic reviews
• Ensured alignment with evolving regulatory and business needs

The Impact: A Strategic, Scalable, and Insight-Driven GRC Program

The shift to the Workiva platform transformed how Park National understands and manages risk. Information that once served primarily as a reporting requirement became a strategic asset that directly supported organizational decision making.

Executives gained transparent, real time visibility across risk, compliance, and operations. Teams saw meaningful efficiency improvements through centralized data, automated workflows, consistent processes, and standardized reporting. Documentation became more efficient and dependable, which strengthened examination readiness and helped improve regulatory compliance assurance.

Park National now operates within a scalable governance, risk, and compliance framework. The new environment adapts to changing regulatory requirements, shifting business priorities, and emerging risks. With the Workiva platform at the center and a fully connected ecosystem guiding collaboration, the organization elevated risk management into a strategic capability that supports long term growth.

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