Sam Riley

Sam Riley is the CEO and co-founder of Drova, an AI-enabled ESGRC platform built to integrate governance, risk, resilience and sustainability directly into business objectives and culture - not bolt them on as compliance functions.

He works with founders, boards and executive teams navigating one of the most significant technology shifts in modern business history: AI-driven disruption. Sam believes AI will expose weak governance models and dramatically strengthen well-designed ones. 

The opportunity is enormous for organisations that can assess AI's impact clearly and act opportunistically. The danger is equally real for those that move without structure, accountability or strategic alignment. Sam's work focuses on helping leaders navigate both sides of that equation - embedding governance into strategy so innovation and accountability reinforce each other rather than compete.

Before founding Drova, Sam was CEO and co-founder of Ansarada, where he led the company from a self-funded startup to a publicly listed global leader in the virtual data room and information governance market. Under his leadership, Ansarada became known for its customer-centric culture and early adoption of AI to improve M&A outcomes across thousands of transactions worldwide.

The name Drova is inspired by the Australian Drover - the person called in when it was time to move. A Drover helped transition people and livestock away from risk at their current position and onto higher ground and greener pastures. The role required judgement, discipline, resilience and forward thinking.

That spirit sits at the heart of Drova's mission. Governance is not about control for its own sake. It is about guiding organisations through uncertainty, helping them move decisively away from hidden risk and toward sustainable growth.

Sam believes governance should amplify strategic clarity, not slow it down. He writes about AI governance, integrated and objective-led GRC, business strategy in regulated environments, and how small and mid-sized organisations can simplify complexity without weakening control.