Our EQA clients
We have completed reviews for a variety of organisations
These include FTSE100 companies, charities and public sector bodies. Read some of our client reviews below.
Financial services | Private sector | Public sector | Non-profit & education
Financial services
Clients include:
A J Gallagher International
BUPA
C. Hoare & Co
Enstar Insurance
International Bank of Qatar
Paragon Bank
RPMI
Santander
Scrutton Bland
Students Loan Company
The MDU
Talbot Underwriting
Vanquis Bank
RPMI
We commissioned an EQA by the IIA at a time when we had recently introduced a new audit software package and a revised audit strategy and we felt it was important to test our process and direction against best practice.
We found the process to be supportive, constructive and professional and the final report was succinct and well presented. The opportunity to independently elicit the views of a range of our clients was particularly helpful.
More importantly, however, there were a number of significant suggestions that we were more than happy to take forward, will add value and are consistent with our strategy and desire for self-improvement. In addition the team have been enthused by the process and the outcomes.
Overall, I strongly recommend this process as an aid to self-improvement and I highly commend the approach of the IIA.
Peter Ennis
Business Assurance Manager
Scrutton Bland
We had high expectations of our IIA EQA review and we were not disappointed. Our reviewers were thoroughly professional, they took time to understand our organisation and our sector, and their approach was very tailored. We were pleased that they provided advice and guidance in addition to their suggested improvements.
Sharon Gravener
Managing Partner and Head of Internal Audit
Vanquis Bank
Although the prospect of having an external review fills most people with dread, I cannot recommend it enough.
The EQA was carried out in a professional manner resulting in a chance to demonstrate our conformity to the standards whilst utilising the knowledge and expertise of the reviewers. The process was sometimes challenging but always useful resulting in a quality report that can be utilised to develop an ongoing action plan.
The CIIA brand on the report has meant that the findings have been given credence by the audit committee.
Every head of internal audit should do this (not just because the standards say so but because it helps you develop the team and highlight the level of professionalism within internal audit)
From my perspective at the end of the week I came away with a clear development plan, and assurance of conformity to the standards plus a 'fired up' audit team.
Ian Whybrow
VB Internal Audit
Private sector (non FS)
Clients include:
Atomic Weapons Establishment
BDO
BT Group
BSI Group
Bunzl
Greencore PLC
Imperial Tobacco Group PLC
Jersey Electricity
Kerry Group (Ireland)
National Grid
QinetiQ Group PLC
Shop Direct
TalkTalk
United Utilities
BT Group
Following the recent implementation of a new audit workflow software package we took the opportunity to rationalise our methodology and simplify some of our processes.
It was vital for us to ensure that our leaner approach to auditing remained in step with the professional standards and leading practices and so we engaged the services of the IIA EQA team to provide an assessment of our new system and audit approach.
The EQA not only provided us with the positive validation that we required, we also received some very helpful suggestions and insight into other practices which we are aiming to deploy. Although the team reviewed an extensive amount of documentation and interviewed a wide range of senior managers, the whole exercise was very slick and caused minimal disruption to our people.
Overall, a very worthwhile exercise that enabled us to obtain independent assurance over the adequacy of our audit methodology and gave us a very clear roadmap to help us improve our service further.
Grant Harrison
Head of Internal Audit Operations
National Grid
Having utilized the IIA for our EQA in 2011, we knew the IIA was the right organization to perform our EQA in 2016. The team from the IIA were very professional in their approach to the review, and had a wide range of experiences that they brought to the review. The team had a good understanding of our business, were flexible and able to accommodate the timescales we were working towards, as well as, adopt a pragmatic approach to the complexities of our many locations on both sides of the Atlantic.
The report from the IIA team was helpful and contained not only a full view of how the audit function compared to the IPPF, but a useful maturity model and additional information and advice to enable us to improve the processes operated within the team. Overall a worthwhile experience that enabled us to gain independent assurance and that added value to the audit function.
Lorraine M. Lynch
Group Head of Audit
United Utilities
The key decision was not whether to do an EQA, but who should do it. Mark put forward the idea of using the Chartered IIA rather than one of the Big Four accountancy firms and we were very pleased with what this produced.
From my point of view it wasn’t time-consuming and I had confidence in the assessor because she’s been a head of internal audit at a FTSE 100 organisation herself. The feedback was well structured and was very positive. This meant there weren’t any huge changes recommended, but I had full confidence in the assessor’s opinion and felt it had gravitas.
Brian May
Audit committee chair at United Utilities
Public sector
Clients include:
Civil Aviation Authority
Court Services, Ireland
Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade
Gloucestershire County Council
Historic Royal Palaces
Home Office
Irish Courts Service
Kent County Council
Mid Kent IA consortium
Northern Ireland Water
Office for National Statistics
Research Councils UK
Rural Payments Agency
Southern Internal Audit Partnership
West Norfolk Borough Council
Northern Ireland Water
Our internal customers and stakeholders expect more than a ‘fit for purpose / conforming’ Internal Audit service. The CIIA’s EQA not only provided the necessary assurance over how we conform against the Standards, it also went ‘beyond the Standards’ – assessing the quality and value proposition of the service. The reviewers struck the balance between examination of our processes and working practices, with obtaining feedback from a representative range of our key customers and stakeholders, via interviews.
The reviewers immersed themselves in the review, and the whole process went very smoothly, from start to finish. The professionalism and calibre of the review team also brought that essential credibility to the review.
The end product was a report which not only provided assurance of our conformance to the Standards, but also, comfort that we are operating towards the leading end of the spectrum, in terms of value provided to the business. The recommendations made will provide a helpful platform for us to take forward plans to build further on the value added aspects of the service.
Nicola Brennan
Head of Internal Audit
Rural Payment Agency
We found the EQA undertaken by the CIIA to be a very useful exercise. We were very pleased with the result and whilst there were no recommendations for improvement, we found the positive affirmation and external validation of our approach, processes, governance and stakeholder engagement to be a very powerful message that we were able to send to our key stakeholders.
The CIIA was able to tailor its approach away from its traditional EQA to fit the new cross-government IAQAF requirements which was a necessity for us. That the assessors focussed on the higher level issues in addition to detailed operations and file reviews fit the approach we were looking for neatly and enabled us to focus on the major risk areas
Iain Rolland
Head of Internal Audit
Charities, non-profit, education
Clients include:
Barcud Shared Services
Barnardo’s
British Standards Institute
Charities Aid Foundation
Circle Housing Group
Dublin Institute of Technology
East Thames Group
Gentoo Housing
Guinness Partnership (Housing)
London and Quadrant Housing Trust
MHS Homes
Open University
Progress Housing Group
Save The Children International
Southern Internal Audit Partnership
UNIAC Higher Education
University of Kent
University of Surrey
London and Quadrant Housing Trust
The review team were absolutely first rate in terms of the approach taken, the insightful comments and help they were able to offer. I was entirely impressed; as were the audit team and L&Q staff I spoke with. The assessment got us really thinking about our approach and how we could leverage more from our audit unit as we move forward. What we got was a strategic insight, sound advice and some very clever ideas from two very professional people that really understand the audit profession.
Chris Wigmore
Head of corporate assurance
Open University
The EQA from the IIA team was a very positive and constructive experience for us, and one I would wholly recommend to any internal audit unit. The team were efficient and effective in undertaking the work, provided regular and constructive challenge and feedback as the exercise progressed and offered some valuable suggestions as to how we might further improve.
The assurance of meeting the IPPF could not carry more credibility than one coming from the standard setting body. I could not be more satisfied with the outcome.
Stan Farmer
Chief Auditor, The Open University
UNIAC
Like many internal audit teams, we were initially daunted and apprehensive about the EQA process. Having been through it, I thoroughly recommend it. We found that the EQA team were flexible and they were good listeners too. They took the time to mould an approach to the review that fitted with our business, and they invested considerable time in talking to our clients too.
During the review, and in the report, we got some positive feedback about things we do well, and some very useful recommendations about areas where we could apply the IIA Standards more effectively. The recommendations were very well made and well delivered, and we have accepted them willingly as we are convinced they will improve what we do, and so our competitive position.
The fact that the review is undertaken by the IIA itself is particularly valuable. The review process gave us increased confidence in what we do, and it has given our clients increased confidence in us too.
Sean Ryan
