Features
Stay up-to-date with topical issues from the world of internal audit and discover how industry professionals are shaping the market.
Explore our extensive back-catalogue of A&R features below
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2024
July/August
View from the institute: Professional values
“CPE is much more than a professional obligation, it is a lifeline that ensures internal auditors remain relevant, effective and knowledgeable in providing the highest level of assurance to their organisations. Given the current pace of change, this is more important than ever,” writes Anne Kiem OBE, CEO of the Chartered IIA.
View from the top: Proactive evolution
“I’ve spoken previously about the importance of not reacting to change passively, but of leveraging our understanding of how the global environment is evolving to create our own future. This mission is embodied in The Internal Audit Foundation’s forthcoming project, “Internal Audit: Vision 2035 – Creating Our Future Together", says Anthony Pugliese, CIA, CPA, CGMA, CITP, President and CEO of IIA Global.
Outside the box: Could our internal audit team improve its public relations tactics?
If you ask one question this week, make it this one.
Interview with Professor Hannah Fry: Human and machine
Harness hope, but recognise the risks. The future of human endeavour lies in collaboration with machines, Professor Hannah Fry will tell the Internal Audit Conference in her keynote address on 2 October.
Evolutionary pressure – A&R award-winning internal audit at Save the Children Global Assurance
With a team of only 18, Save the Children’s Global Assurance (GA) function has a remit to provide assurance across global projects in 120 geographical locations. This is why it cannot rest on its laurels despite winning the Audit & Risk Award for Outstanding Team – Third Sector in 2023. Its Chief Assurance Officer (below in red) explains why being first a nominee (2023) and then a judge (2024) on the A&R Awards has helped to inspire further improvements.
Safely social – social media risks
Social media risks are developing fast and internal audit needs to understand them from numerous viewpoints – employees, managers, customers, third-party endorsers, legislators and regulators. How can internal auditors work with technology and HR managers, among others, to create appropriate policies and monitoring processes?
Tools for the job: Time to prepare for the Global Internal Audit Standards
What’s the latest information on the new Global Internal Audit Standards and what guidance is already available?
Training insights: syllabus changes
The syllabus for IIA Global’s CIA and for the Chartered IIA’s Chartered by Learning and IAP certifications is changing to conform to the new Global Internal Audit Standards, so plan ahead and check the updates regularly. However, there’s no need to panic.
Our technical helpline provides valuable advice to members on a host of professional issues. Here are some of the questions
you’ve recently asked.
May/June
View from the institute: Visibility – how do we reach new people?
“It’s good to be mentioned positively by those in the know, but how can we also reach people who are not? These people are investors, students, potential future internal auditors, CEOs and audit committee chairs. Their opinion of internal audit matters now and will matter more in the future,” writes Anne Kiem OBE. CEO of the Chartered IIA.
View from the top: Natalie Butler - awards and rewards
“There is so much we can learn from how others tackle similar problems. In our profession, especially, it’s easy to focus entirely on our own organisation’s goals. But stepping back is crucial to allow space for growth, impact and improvement,” writes Natalie Butler, Global Internal Audit Director and Regional Compliance Director at Edelman.
Outside the box: can I make the value of internal audit ESG work more widely appreciated?
If you ask one question this week, make it this one.
Joined-up thinking: reasons to welcome a combined Internal Audit Code of Practice
Richard F Chambers welcomes the Chartered IIA’s proposed combined Internal Audit Code of Practice – and highlights eight ways in which it goes beyond the Global Internal Audit Standards.
Local authorities are under pressure from rising costs, increasing demand for services and tight budgets. How can internal auditors collaborate to increase the support they can offer to help hard-pressed councils to mitigate risks?
Integrate, aggregate, communicate: award-winning internal audit at HMRC.
A two-year project to aggregate information from across all audit and non-audit work to identify ten overarching themes, plus improvements to the management of the control framework have enabled HMRC’s Internal Audit Team to increase its impact and reputation. Its work won it the Audit & Risk Internal Audit Added Value Award in 2023.
Green impact: internal audit and the opportunities and risks of ESG.
Organisations’ approaches to environmental, social and governance issues are evolving – as are the ways internal audit provides assurance and offers advice in this rapidly developing area. Dr Ahmed Shawky discusses how internal auditors can navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities this presents to demonstrate the value of the internal audit role.
Tools for the job: Fortify your defences against cyber threats.
Ricardo Gameroff highlights the vital role of internal audit in confronting cyber threats.
Training insights: New shoots – refresh your approach to root-cause analysis.
The long-running success of the Chartered IIA’s Introduction to Root-cause Analysis workshop has prompted two new courses to help internal auditors raise their practical skills in the technique to the next level and get ahead of references to it in the new Global Standards, writes James C Paterson, course leader.
Q&A Tools for the job May 2024.
Our technical helpline provides valuable advice to members on a host of professional issues. Here are some of the questions you’ve recently asked.
March/April
View from the institute: Regulations – supporting the spirit of the law
“All rules, scandals and sanctions have one thing in common; they reinforce the importance of strong corporate governance and the value of internal audit,” says Anne Kiem OBE, CEO of the Chartered IIA.
View from the top: Proportionality – focus on internal controls
“With the updated Corporate Governance Code, progressive internal audit leaders will continue to play a role in improving corporate governance. For boards seeking to enhance governance, now is a good time to consider how they invest in their internal audit programmes as a strategic priority and resource,” writes Richard Moriarty is CEO of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC).
Outside the box: how can we ensure that what we believe is true?
If you ask one question this week, make it this one.
The weakest link – internal audit and supply chains
Supply chains are vital to the way our global economy operates and they touch every part of our lives. Yet geopolitical stresses, global crises, emerging technology, climate change and shifts in consumer sentiments and expectations are all making supply chains more complex and vulnerable. Mo Warsame explains how two new Chartered IIA reports will help organisations to embed strategies for resilient and sustainable supply chains.
Values, vision, visibility – an interview with Elizabeth Honer
Five years at the helm of the GIAA and a place on IIA Global’s board has made Elizabeth Honer CMIIA passionate about helping to create next-generation internal audit. What does this look like and what is “outcomes-based auditing”?
Next gen now – award-winning internal audit at BNY Mellon
When BNY Mellon Investment Management Internal Audit Team asked what it needed to do to provide the next generation of internal audit, it set off on a journey of change and development that expanded its influence and improved the way it recruited talent and communicated across the organisation. Its success won it the Audit & Risk Award for Outstanding Team – Financial Services.
Sleeping danger – emerging AI risks you need to know about
From “sleeper agents” to “AI assistants” the risks posed by poorly managed, or maliciously hacked, artificial intelligence are still emerging and will develop as rapidly as the technology develops within organisations. Patrick Ladon asks what internal audit can do in terms of alerting management to potential issues and helping to develop robust governance processes.
Tools for the job: what next for audit reform?
Where do we go from here? What next for UK audit and corporate governance reform? Keith Fenner discusses what organisations need to do now and why internal audit has a major part to play.
Training insights – cross-border contagion
Geopolitical risks are rising rapidly up the boardroom agenda. Current conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, with tensions mounting in other parts of the world, plus significant elections and potential government changes in economically significant areas are all creating a volatile mix. Internal audit should be aware of the possible ramifications and can play a key role in supporting organisational resilience, says Derek Leatherdale, leader of the Chartered IIA’s newly updated geopolitics course.
The role and uses of the audit universe and assurance maps; the difference between the audit mandate and the audit charter in the new Global Standards; artificial intelligence in internal audit work; internal audit career pathways.
January/February
View from the institute: Growth – building on strong foundations
“At the Scotland Conference last year, I saw an apt quote by Ginni Rometty, CEO of IBM: ‘Growth and comfort do not co-exist’. However, change is also exciting and opens doors to new projects and opportunities,” writes Anne Kiem OBE, CEO of the Chartered IIA.
View from the top: Innovation – building a new internal audit team from scratch
“From day one, NEOM IA (NIA) was clear that its purpose is ‘to protect NEOM’. Wherever possible, this must be done as partners – not to catch people out. We are there to guide and be the conscience of the business wherever needed," writes Jason Davies, Chief Internal Audit Officer at NEOM, one of the Giga Projects redeveloping Saudi Arabia.
Outside the box: Where do I want to go? What do I want to do (and how can I get there)?
If you ask yourself one question this week, make it this one.
A mission for more – Sandro Boeri, President of the Chartered IIA.
Sandro Boeri was elected President of the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors UK and Ireland at the AGM in October. What does he want to achieve in his time in office and why does he believe it’s time for internal audit to come out of the shadows?
Raising the bar – the new Global Internal Audit Standards.
The Global Internal Audit Standards will become effective in January 2025. They have huge potential to increase best practice and improve the reputation of the profession globally. What is changing and what do you need to do?
Division vision – award-winning internal audit at the Central Bank of Ireland.
Over the past three years, The Central Bank of Ireland Internal Audit Division has restructured; developed and implemented a new strategy and improved its performance against a series of targets. Its success won it the Audit & Risk Award for Outstanding Team – Public Sector in 2023. So what did they do?
Count the carbon – why sustainability teams need internal audit support.
Sustainability requirements are complex and developing fast. Richard Brasher looks ahead to a day when carbon accounting is as auditable as financial accounting. But to reach that point, sustainability teams need internal auditors’ skills today.
Valued worldwide – global career opportunities with an internal audit designation.
John Chesshire explains why governments and cross-border organisations value Chartered IIA certification and internal audit experience highly – and how this can lead to a global career and opportunities to make a real difference to governance and peoples’ lives.
Tools for the job – root-cause analysis
It’s time to look again at root cause analysis, says James C Paterson.
Training insights – what will you learn this year?
Pondering the challenges you and your team will face in 2024? Then it’s time to think about skills and training.
Q&A: You asked us January 2024
Our technical helpline provides valuable advice to members on a host of professional issues. Here are some of the questions you’ve recently asked.
2023
November/December
View from the Institute: Thank you – recognising the value of Council directors, staff and members
“Many Council members serve on Institute committees and all except the CEO contribute their time and energy free of charge to champion the profession and support the Institute for the benefit of all. We are hugely grateful to all of them for their ongoing and vital work," writes Anne Kiem OBE, CEO of the Chartered IIA.
View from the top: Culture – listen, understand and plan ahead
“Culture and behaviour interacts with so many other risk areas. There are many powerful undercurrents in our society today and we need to understand these to deal with them effectively,” says Sandro Boeri, President of the Chartered IIA.
If you ask one question this week, make it this one: Am I ambitious enough – for myself, for the team and for internal audit in my organisation?
What does it mean to be human? Nina Schick posed that question to the Internal Audit Conference in October and asked internal auditors to think deeply about the implications of generative AI and machine-created data.
Skills for the future: the times they are a-changin'
“You better start swimmin’/Or you’ll sink like a stone” – Bob Dylan may not have been thinking of internal audit when he wrote this in 1964, but we are being deluged with change and it is creating fast-flowing currents. What does it mean for the profession and internal audit skills development?
Award-winner case study – Kingfisher internal audit
A two-year change programme won Kingfisher’s internal audit team the A&R Award for Outstanding Team – Private Sector. What did they do and what have they achieved?
Winning combinations – Chartered IIA special interest networks
Among the Chartered IIA’s special interest networks, there are three communities that aim to support specific demographics, rather than those currently working in the same area – for internal auditors who are women, from an ethnic minority background or new to the profession. What do they offer and who can benefit?
Win-win opportunities – the benefits of nominating for the A&R Awards
There are more things to gain from submitting a strong nomination for the Audit & Risk Awards than a winner’s trophy. What are the potential benefits – and what do you need to do to get them?
Stay on track – changes to the IIA CPE requirements
Continuing professional education (CPE) is an essential component of membership – and everyone benefits from it. So what do you need to do and why is it more important than ever to stay up to date?
Q&A – You asked us – November 2023
Giving presentations on internal audit; the benefits of an internal audit manual; undertaking a fraud investigation; implications of a bankruptcy.
September/October
View from the institute: Change: develop and adapt
“At times of rapidly emerging risks, organisations need assurance, a critical view of their own exposure and advice on best practice more than ever. If internal audit does not provide this, they will look elsewhere,” says Anne Kiem, CEO, of the Chartered IIA.
View from the top: transparently honest – what makes a strong anti-bribery programme?
“A proactive stance against bribery and corruption is about more than simply meeting your legal and ethical obligations. It is about contributing to long-term sustainability and stakeholder trust,” writes Armoghan Khan, Senior Director and Head of Internal Audit at Aetna International.
Outside the box: If you ask one question this week, make it this one.
Who could I nominate for the Audit & Risk Awards and what makes a strong nomination?
Creative curiosity – interview with Dr Rosa Vásquez Espinoza.
Dr Rosa Vásquez Espinoza explains why her experiences as an Amazon jungle scientist should resonate with delegates at this year’s Internal Audit Conference.
Influence builder – Steven Welsh on winning the A&R Inspirational Leader Award
Steven Welsh took up his role as Chief Internal Auditor at Funding Circle with a remit to increase internal audit’s impact. His abilities to win friends and influence people won him the Audit & Risk Award for Inspirational Leader.
Minds matter: the psychology of internal auditing strategies
Matt Cox considers the psychology of internal auditing strategies and why internal auditors need to understand each one for their reports to create real change.
Collect, connect and protect – internal audit's role in climate change assurance
Organisations have an urgent need for improved climate change assurance. Steven Brown argues that this is an opportunity that could unlock the unseen potential of internal audit.
Tools for the job – leadership styles
Internal audit leaders should understand how the impact they have on their team translates into team success. Colin Hunter, CEO at PotentialSquared, asks how you can assess your leadership impact and adapt your style in challenging times.
Training insights – Introduction to Professional Internal Auditing
We often hear that people don’t understand internal audit and what internal auditors do. That is why members of the Chartered IIA should encourage more people to go on the Introduction to Professional Internal Auditing course, says Stephen Maycock.
Q&A: You asked us – September 2023
Considering geopolitics; writing insightful audit reports; planning a payroll audit; embarking on unfamiliar internal audit work.
July/August
View from the institute: Vision – our three-year objectives
“With a new Chief Executive on board working closely with the Council, it seemed the perfect time to reassess where we are today and where we want to be in three years’ time,” write Peter Elam, President, and Anne Kiem, CEO, of the Chartered IIA.
View from the top: Success drivers – the factors that enable internal audit impact
“The process of submitting a nomination for the Audit & Risk Awards was both reflective and humbling. Even if the team had not been successful, the process recognised its achievements and we found it a rewarding experience. Winning the award led to benefits not only for the team, but also for the wider organisation,” says Maria Craig, Director of Internal Audit at Homes England and incoming Chair of the IIA Global Professional Certifications Board (PCB).
Outside the box: If you ask one question this week, make it this one.
What can I do to make internal audit attractive to the next generation?
Earn while you learn: the value of internal audit apprenticeships.
Internal audit apprenticeships are becoming ever more attractive – to candidates and to their employers. What is involved and why should more people consider them?
Shifting sands: navigating geopolitical risk
Geopolitical risks are escalating, yet many organisations and managers are unprepared and lack the skills to respond effectively. How can internal audit offer assurance in this area and support corporate risk management approaches, asks Derek Leatherdale.
Last issue we asked how internal audit is using artificial intelligence today. Now we ask what it may mean for internal audit in the future – and whether we are ready for it.
Tools for the job – understanding risk appetite
Risk appetite is one of those areas where theory and practice often diverge. Zoe Davies, Principal Auditor and Risk Manager at Cornwall Council, explains how establishing a clear framework changed her organisation’s view and led to a variety of benefits.
Training insights: Basics of Sustainable Supply Chain Management
You don’t need to give up days to explore an unfamiliar or emerging area. What can the Chartered IIA’s new online course on Basics of Sustainable Supply Chain Management offer you in just one hour?
Changing the audit opinion; timing audit engagements; data analytics; and auditing crisis management.
May/June
View from the institute: Trust – seize the opportunities
“What internal auditors do is satisfy the need or desire for trust. That is a gift that, more than ever, can counter the lack of trust elsewhere,” says Anne Kiem OBE, CEO of the Chartered IIA.
View from the top: Independent – not isolated
“Smaller financial services firms offer some of the most rewarding experiences, deploy the most cutting-edge tech, and have some of the sharpest, most innovative people out there. Moreover, opportunities within internal audit are equally fulfilling and diverse and offer a platform for driving transformational change in the business in a way I’ve not seen elsewhere. And that’s why we’re all here, right?” asks Philip Hart. chief internal auditor at ClearBank.
Outside the box: Accentuate the positive
If you ask one question this week, make it this one: how can we ensure we are as proactive about looking for opportunities as we are about spotting risks?
Geopolitical risk: Not if, but when
Geopolitical crises have rocketed up the risk agenda, so why do internal auditors spend so little time working on the risks and opportunities they create? As the Chartered IIA publishes a new report highlighting internal audit’s role in this area, its co-author, Gavin Hayes, explains why the profession must act now.
Non-executive roles: Get on board
Why do so few internal auditors become non-executive directors, asks Carolyn Clarke. Organisations need their skills and expertise
Audit & Risk awards case study: Bupa Group Internal Audit Team
The WoW factor: Active leadership, an annual internal audit Expo and multiple development streams all contributed to Bupa Group Internal Audit team’s Ways of Working programme – and won it the A&R Award for Best Innovation in Training and Development.
How are internal auditors using artificial intelligence already and why does the profession have a vital role in the AI conversation?
Tools for the job: leadership skills
What skills do you need to lead an internal audit team? Sharon Hardcastle and Stephen Moreton at PotentialSquared offer advice based on recent workshops held with the Chartered IIA.
Training Insights: "People auditing – assurance over employee engagement"
“Our people are our business”. If the cliché is true, why do people risks continue to move up the priority list for internal auditors? As the Chartered IIA launches a new course on “People auditing: assurance over employee engagement” later this year, course leader John Chesshire explains how this complements the existing course on “Auditing HR and People Risk” and why it is necessary.
Training Insights: The IIA Certificate in Internal Audit and Business Risk
The IIA Certificate in Internal Audit and Business Risk is aimed not just at internal auditors, but also at their colleagues in compliance, risk and other governance roles. Why should you be urging others to get accredited?
Out-of-scope audit work, communicating audit results, benchmarking the internal audit function, resource allocation, controls models.
March/April
View from the institute: Priorities – listen, learn, engage
“We can’t afford to sit and wait while the world changes around us. We need to be promoting the ways in which internal audit can help organisations to deal with the real dangers that beset us this year, and we also need to make your role far more widely known,” says Anne Kiem, CEO of the Chartered IIA.
View from the top: integrating assurance – finding a risk-based pragmatic balance
“We have been transforming our control environment and approach to integrated assurance at SSE and I hope our experiences will be interesting and useful to others across the profession,” writes Ewan Currie, director of Group Risk and Audit at SSE plc.
If you ask one question this week, make it this one...
Good to chat: how much do you know about ChatGPT?
ChatGPT – what do you know about it? Have you used it? What can it do for you? So many questions. We asked ChatGPT and next we want to hear from you.
Perfectly formed: award-winning internal audit work at ClearBank
Established in 2016, ClearBank needed a professional internal audit function capable of supporting its rapid growth and technological evolution. The team’s success at balancing complex skills needs and team development while innovating and building its reputation and influence won it the Audit & Risk Outstanding Team – Financial Services Award.
The only one in the room: diversity and inclusion at senior internal audit levels.
Cyndy Nkyi-Acheampong asks why there is diversity at junior levels of internal audit, but far less at senior levels – and suggests ways in which senior teams can support talented Black women.
Tones from the top: the role of the Chartered IIA Council and the people who sit on it.
Who sits on the Chartered IIA Council, what do Council members do for the institute and why do they do it?
Power within: why self-knowledge is essential to good leadership
Drawing on a series of workshops held with the Chartered IIA, Sharon Hardcastle and Stephen Moreton at PotentialSquared discuss how self-knowledge is vital to being the very best version of yourself as an internal audit leader.
Tools for the job: forewarned and forearmed
How can audit functions deliver change assurance in a way that has a real effect on outcomes? Martin Masson, director of assurance practice at Proteus, offers some guidance.
Training insights: understanding sanctions risks
Forbidden fruit - Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought more organisations within the scope of sanctions regulations and legislation than ever before. If you are new to auditing sanctions risk, or are not sure whether sanctions could apply to your business or supply chain, take a look at the Chartered IIA’s new course “Sanctions: It’s a world of pain out there”.
Mapping assurance, quality self-assessment and EQAs, maintaining the internal audit manual, horizon scanning for emerging risks and continuous assurance.
January/February
View from the institute: Past and future – three years of change.
“The journey is not over, but we’ve come a long way. All my thoughts and best wishes are with the new CEO and the Chartered IIA staff as they continue along the next stage,” writes John Wood, outgoing CEO of the Chartered IIA.
View from the top: Inclusion – socioeconomic status matters
“While many organisations now have diversity policies, even companies celebrated for their diversity and inclusion efforts often fail to consider the perspective of social class," writes Kate Ireland, chief internal audit officer at Yorkshire Building Society.
If you ask one question this week, make it this one.
Group rethink: understanding ecosystem risk
How well do you understand ecosystem risk? Richard Anderson explains its complexities and why internal audit should understand it better.
Supplying value: award-winning internal audit at Lidl
Lidl’s keen prices are driven by a mantra of efficiency, so it’s not surprising that its internal audit team has looked for new ways to increase its value to the business. In the process, it became a destination for talent and won the Audit & Risk award for Outstanding Team – Private Sector.
Makers & breakers: the perils of poor management
It’s a tough time to be a manager – changing workstyles, disruption and complex economic conditions necessitate new skills just when many feel they lack the time or opportunity to acquire them. Internal audit managers face the same challenges – but they should also consider the risks of stressed and poor management in the wider business.
Disruption: threats and promises
We are seeing more disruption to our organisations and our lives than most of us have ever encountered before. So how should internal audit respond? This was the topic of a discussion hosted by the Chartered IIA in partnership with Protiviti in November.
Training insights: auditing cash flow management
Cash flow is the oxygen of all organisations, but it’s often low on internal audit’s list of priorities. This must change, warns Raj Gandhi, course leader on the Chartered IIA’s new Auditing Cash Flow Management course.
Leading investigations; auditing the compliance monitoring function; post-auditee feedback and producing the internal audit opinion.
2022
November/December
View from the institute: Be prepared – change, change and change again.
“Strong governance becomes more vital at times of flux and stress. Those who watch to see where the cracks are forming elsewhere, and ensure that management and staff have contingency plans and guidance in place to cope with sudden shocks, can add real value,” writes John Wood, CEO of the Chartered IIA.
View from the top: Roots – help young internal auditors to thrive despite current storms.
“We must remember that we are nurturing the internal audit professionals of the future – we need to equip them to lead and develop the profession to make the world better for them, not for us,” says Richard Brasher, vice-president (corporate audit) at LKQ Corporation.
Outside the box: See the wood for the trees.
If you ask one question this week make it this one – how can I create more time to think?
Reality checkpoint – interview with Professor David Halpern, CEO of The Behavioural Insights Team
Professor David Halpern, CEO of The Behavioural Insights Team, was a speaker at the recent Internal Audit Conference. He shares his thoughts on how internal auditors and behavioural scientists could learn from each other to create a fairer, more rational world.
Trailblazers: award-winning work on diversity and inclusion at Nationwide Internal Audit.
Nationwide Internal Audit team has not only improved its own diversity and inclusion practices and data, but it’s used this experience to influence practices across the wider business. Its work won it the Audit & Risk Award for Enabling an Organisation to Gain Opportunities from its Diversity and Inclusion Agenda.
Virtual invaders: how geopolitics affects cyber security.
Magdalena Skorupa considers how geopolitics – in particular, the war in Ukraine – is affecting the risk of cyber attacks and how internal audit should respond.
Rules & regulations 2023: what to watch in the coming year.
Political events and global risks are changing by the minute, but it still makes sense to plan ahead. What regulatory shifts should internal auditors be watching in the coming year – and how can they factor uncertainty into their plans? We asked some experts for their views.
Tools for the job: stress busters
Moving to collaborative, agile processes helped the internal auditors at SWAP Internal Audit to meet the challenges of the pandemic and become more effective and resilient – however, unexpectedly, it also improved the wellbeing of the team. David Hill explains why.
Training insights: Set a date for data.
If you’re not currently talking about how to use data in your audits, or you’ve been tasked with finding out more, you should consider the Chartered IIA’s Data Analytics for Auditors course.
Q&A You Asked Us November 2022
Our technical helpline provides valuable advice to members on a host of professional issues. Here are some of the questions you’ve recently asked.
September/October
View from the institute: Leadership – great leaders need great internal auditors
“Information is vital to good decision-making. We may not be able to head off the sharks, but we can find out where they are swimming, in what direction and how fast,” says John Wood, CEO of the Chartered IIA.
“View from the top: A fresh view – on joining IIA Global's board of directors.
“Collaboration across nations can only bring a greater vibrancy and diversity of thought to our future professional practices,” says Elizabeth Honer, chief executive of the Government Internal Audit Agency.
Outside the box: Value in variety.
if you ask one question this week make it this one - am I getting maximum benefit from my membership of the Chartered IIA?
Deep currents: interview with marine biologist Dr Helen Scales
Dr Helen Scales explains why she will be telling delegates at the Chartered IIA's Internal Audit Conference that they need to value and protect our oceans.
Bounce forward – tips for organisational and operational resilience
Rodrigo Souza explains why internal audit needs to help organisations reconsider operational resilience and improve strategic resilience.
Human focus – Kris Wallace on winning the A&R award for Inspirational Leader.
Kris Wallace became head of internal audit at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the first Covid lockdown; the job was in Geneva and he was unable to leave Scotland, and many of his team members had not met in person. The winner of this year’s Audit & Risk Inspirational Leader Award explains why, when your job is to run towards crises, you need to focus on the humans as well as the humanitarian.
How to audit for diversity and inclusion
Diversity and inclusion has never been more relevant and important, as organisations in all sectors struggle to attract and retain talent. It’s not always necessary to do a full diversity and inclusion audit – if internal auditors are aware of the main issues and reference these in all their other work, they can add considerable value.
Audit in Action – what internal audit can gain from active management.
Could active management techniques help internal audit leaders to make the function more efficient? Jonathan Chapman and Louisa Latham draw on a recent project to explain what it involves.
Training insights: Introducing behavioural risk into audit assignments.
If culture can be seen as the climate of an organisation, behaviour is the day-to-day weather – and a better understanding of behavioural risk can help organisations to focus their cultural efforts and help internal audit to identify and disperse future storm clouds. This is the basic premise of a new Chartered IIA course “Introducing behavioural risk into audit assignments”.
Budgetary controls and cashflow management; fraud risk assessments; reviewing management information; hybrid working.
July/August
View from the institute: transform – prepare for the future
“While we should congratulate ourselves about what we have achieved over the past couple of years, it is more important that we focus on where we need to get to if we wish to retain our relevance,” writes John Wood, CEO of the Chartered IIA.
View from the top: share – lessons from the A&R awards
“If you conclude that your team has done nothing transformative in the face of so many new risks and opportunities, you should be asking why not,” writes Ed Moore, head of internal audit at the Bank of England.
Outside the box: The Red Queen
If you ask one question this week make it this one: How can I ensure that I and my team stay up to date with a rapidly changing risk environment?
Fraud up! Lessons from the Chartered IIA's report on fraud.
The motivations and opportunities for fraud are increasing and internal audit can do more to help organisations address this risk. The Chartered IIA’s new thought-leadership paper explains what the profession can do to help.
Public eyes – how to tackle rising fraud risk in the public sector
Simon Bleckly discusses the challenges – and the mitigations – when dealing with rising fraud risks in local authorities and explains why internal audit has an important role to play.
The government has published its response to the BEIS White Paper “Restoring Trust in Audit and Corporate Governance”. What does it mean for internal audit?
Investing in investigation – inside Nationwide's Audit Investigations Team
When Nationwide Building Society decided to develop and set up a new Audit Investigations Team it had to start from scratch. Darren Cooper, who created and leads the team, explains what this involved and what it has achieved.
Pay better – why payment practices matter to internal audit
Liz Barclay, the UK’s small business commissioner, explains why she welcomes the Chartered IIA’s guidance on payment practices and why this is an important issue for internal auditors and for their organisations.
Tools for the job – one-page wonders: better report writing
Focus on what matters and tell it straight – Sara I James explains how to produce reports that managers want to read.
The Prompt Payment Code; cybercrime; inflation risk and internal audit Standards.
Training insights: Geopolitical risk and the the role of the internal auditor
As the war in Ukraine pushes geopolitical risk ever higher up the corporate risk agenda,the Chartered IIA has launched a new course on “Geopolitical Risk and the Role of the Internal Auditor”. So,why does geopolitical risk matter to you?
May/June
View from the institute: resilience – people and culture are key
“Internal audit should be driving organisational awareness of the critical role of culture and the way in which a strong culture underpins so many of the elements that make a business resilient and strong in the face of constant disruption,” writes John Wood, CEO of the Chartered IIA.
View from the top: the CAE and the audit committee – engage, engage, engage
“Continuous and effective communication is a vital part of engaging the audit committee chair and building up the kind of relationship and trust that is necessary when you need to have a difficult conversation on an audit finding, or in relation to resourcing,” writes Jeremy Lawson, group internal audit manager at Persimmon Homes.
Outside the box: conversation pieces
If you ask one question this week, make it this one: How can I develop and improve the conversations I have with key stakeholders?
Geopolitical risk – misfortunes of war
As companies focused on recovery following the travails of the pandemic, few had a European war on their risk radars. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been a wake-up call, showing that geopolitical risk should never be ignored.
The Chartered IIA’s recent publication “Cultivating a healthy culture” has attracted widespread media and business attention, yet it highlights the way this crucial area is still underappreciated in many organisations. What can internal audit do to raise awareness?
Human capital and talent – happy hive
A new overview examining the challenges and opportunities for chief audit executives around “Human Capital, Diversity and Talent Management” has been produced jointly by the Chartered IIA and institutes of internal auditors across Europe. What does it tell us about what internal auditors need to know and what can they do now?
Talent management – make internal audit cool again
What options do CAEs have when they are struggling to attract the people they need to their team? Is it true that internal audit isn’t seen as “cool”? Richard Brasher, vice-president of corporate audit at LKQ Corporation, offers a personal perspective on a common experience.
Bigger, closer, faster – award winning work at Allianz Insurance
When Allianz Insurance Internal Audit had to refocus and integrate after the largest merger in the business’s 115-year history, it wasn’t expecting to do it under lockdown conditions. Its success won it the Audit & Risk Award for Outstanding
Team – Financial Services.
The Chartered IIA Audit Committee Subscription Service – the knowledge
The Chartered IIA is launching a new Audit Committee Subscription service offering resources and a network for audit committee members. What will this offer and who should be interested?
Tools for the job – Connect and correct
Gerry Mansey explains how he and his internal audit team used data to delve into the root causes of audit findings and support business-wide improvement.
Training insights – bespoke benefits
The Chartered IIA’s training courses are also available as in-house courses for teams to attend together. Why can this be a better option?
Corporate criminal offence controls; the EU directive on human rights; supply chain disruption; the evolving risk of fraud.
March/April
View from the institute: change – supporting growth
“Internal auditors have helped to steady the ship – but now they must help management teams to navigate the stormy seas and start to chart new courses and move ahead in a changed and changing world,” writes John Wood, CEO of the Chartered IIA.
View from the top: Forewarned – stay one step ahead
“In response to Covid-19, and AstraZeneca’s decision to partner with Oxford University to develop a vaccine, the internal audit team decided to strengthen and formalise our processes for identifying and tracking emerging risks,” writes Rachel Harper, vice-president internal audit at AstraZeneca.
Outside the box: Laws of attraction
If you ask one question this week, make it this one: How can I attract the people I need into my team?
Green reveal: internal audit, TCFD and ESG compliance
The UK’s largest companies will have to comply with mandatory standards on climate change risk disclosure from April. Are they ready – and why should internal auditors in smaller organisations also pay close attention?
Responsible reckoning: how internal audit can support new ESG controls
Francesca Passalacqua examines the need for new ESG controls and how internal audit can support these.
Green vision: how technology can help to connect views of ESG
How can internal audit use technology to move from a disconnected approach to risk to an integrated risk management solution that provides a connected view of governance and ESG risk, asks Keith Fenner MD, International, at Diligent.
Out of the comfort zone – award-winning internal audit at DFS
The internal audit team at DFS Furniture Group has been pulled apart, put back together and emerged from the Covid pandemic stronger than ever. Its success won it the Audit & Risk Award for Outstanding Team – Private Sector, but it has no intention of standing still now.
Test-setters: could you write CIA questions?
Who writes the questions for candidates taking the CIA exams – and could you join them? Mark Harris, from IIA Global’s Test Development Team (TDT), explains what's involved and who could benefit.
Tools for the job: Black swan opportunities
From disruption to innovation – why the upheaval of, and lessons from, the pandemic could be internal audit’s best opportunity in a generation.
Training insights: Auditing fraud – shout about the F word
Opportunities for fraud proliferate in times of disruption, while the attention of management and internal audit is distracted. This is why the Chartered IIA’s Auditing fraud and financial crime course has never been more relevant.
Rating the maturity of controls; establishing a skills matrix; handling disagreements.
January/February
View from the institute: 2022 challenges – change, learn, adapt and improve
“As a profession, we have learnt huge amounts from the crises we have faced in the past couple of years and we have moved at a pace that no one would have previously thought possible, let alone likely. We are not in the same place we were before the pandemic,” writes John Wood, CEO of the Chartered IIA.
View from the top: Strategy – focus on the process
"Going beyond the realm of strategic risks, we must audit the strategy process itself, and its execution, to determine its impact," writes Veesh Sharma, chief assurance officer at Save the Children.
Outside the box: Fair and free
If you ask one question this week make it this one: How inclusive is our internal audit team and how can we foster better understanding of diversity and differences?
Internal audit leaders' New Year's resolutions
What do CAEs want to see and achieve this year?
Brave for Scotland: Award-winning work at Scottish Enterprise
The internal audit shared service team at Scottish Enterprise has survived and thrived in a period of rapid change and expansion throughout the pandemic. Its work won it accolades from its stakeholders and the Audit & Risk Award for Outstanding Team – Public Sector.
Wanted: Dealing with a staffing crisis
UK businesses are facing the worst staffing crisis since the early 2000s with unfilled vacancies in all sectors and roles. For many internal audit functions, understanding this risk and how effectively it is being managed by their business will be a top priority in 2022.
Compare & contrast: EQA performance report 2020/21
The annual “External quality assessment: internal audit performance” report for 2020/21 was unusual because it covered a period of intense pressure on, and rapid transition in, internal audit functions across all sectors. What does it tell us about internal audit today – and where do we go from here?
Honesty brokers: internal audit and fraud
Heads of internal audit from a variety of sectors attended a recent roundtable event hosted by Liz Sandwith, chief professional practices adviser at the Chartered IIA, and in collaboration with Workiva, on the challenges of tackling fraud. These are the highlights of the discussion.
Training insights: Focus on the fundamentals
A close examination of the details of your work programmes may prove the key to overcoming many of the challenges facing internal auditors today. This is why the Chartered IIA has launched a new training course on “The Basics That Matter: Scoping and Work Programme Design”.
Tools for the job: Think local
The pandemic has changed how and where we work, and how and where we network and find inspiration. The Chartered IIA has therefore developed new forums and working groups, and adapted the way it offers training and events. How has this affected its events at a regional level and can members gain more from their local contacts?
Audit programmes, climate change, budget approval, co-sourcing, reports and more.
Audit & Risk Awards: Top tips for a great nomination
Our top tips for submitting a great nomination for the Audit & Risk Awards, including video insights from former Audit & Risk Awards winner, DFS.
2021
November/December
View from the institute: Consequences – time to reassess your risks
“Complex risks usually have multiple causes as well as multiple, hard-to-predict consequences. This makes internal auditors’ jobs even more challenging right now,” says John Wood, CEO of the Chartered IIA.
View from the top: Advocacy – a route to the future
“Internal audit functions of the future must be data led, data literate and data analytical to understand their businesses and deliver assurance with valuable insight. This is not easy, but it is no longer optional, and it represents an exciting challenge,” says Jeremy Eagles, group chief audit officer, Group Internal Audit, Bupa Group.
Sophie Malleson challenges audit committees to ask themselves whether they’re taking full advantage of their internal audit functions in tackling the growing risks from climate change, drawing on the Chartered IIA’s new guide, “Harnessing internal audit against climate change risk: a guide for audit committees and directors”.
Your future – you decide: the future of the profession.
Richard Chambers on how internal audit needs to develop over the next decade.
Pulse of change: award-winning internal audit at the British Heart Foundation.
When Covid struck in 2020, the Risk and Assurance team at the British Heart Foundation responded with innovations that will significantly change the way it works long after the pandemic is over. As a result, the team won the A&R Award for Change and Innovation in a Crisis.
Business models are being disrupted at a dizzying pace. Many companies are having to seize upon new markets and revenue sources to recapture growth and ensure their long-term relevance. Amid this strategic pressure, what can internal audit bring to the table?
Climate change; assurance mapping; comparing audit models; drafting an Audit & Assurance Policy.
Out of the box: Use your influence
How can you help your team/function/organisation to be more sustainable?
Training insights: strong foundations
The IIA Certificate in Internal Audit and Business Risk is aimed not just at internal auditors, but also at their colleagues in compliance,
risk and other governance roles. Why should you be urging others to get accredited?
September/October
View from the institute: Planning for the unknown
Hear what our CEO John Wood has to say on planning for the unknown and why it's important.
View from the top: Holly Sykes and Nicholas Crapp, winners of the A&R Inspirational Leader Award
The joint winners of the Audit & Risk Award for Inspirational Leader offer their reflections on, and answers to, critical issues affecting all internal audit leaders.
Internal Audit Conference 2021: Cyber clarity
We must dispel the myths around cybercrime and develop corporate governance structures to improve the way we manage cyber risks, Ciaran Martin, founding CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre, will tell delegates at the Internal Audit Conference in November.
The pandemic has been a wake-up call for businesses, forcing rapid change as companies adapt to new challenges, threats and opportunities in order to survive and thrive. For internal audit, too, speed is of the essence.
Diversity in internal audit: Balanced agenda
Research by the steering group of the Chartered IIA’s Women in Internal Audit network has highlighted key developments in diversity and inclusion – but there is still a long way to go. Change does not happen by accident, they warn.
Risk in Focus: The power of knowledge
The latest edition of the Chartered IIA’s annual “Risk in Focus” research is released this month. Sophie Malleson explains the value and importance of this unique European project and offers a peak into what the 2022 edition has in store.
How to choose internal audit software: Tech know-how
It’s not often that you get a chance to choose and implement a whole new internal audit software system and the opportunity can be daunting as well as exciting. So how can you ensure you get the full benefit and avoid the pitfalls?
Tools for the job: Carbon countdown – auditing climate change
What can internal auditors do to help organisations monitor and tackle climate change risks, asks Neil Kitching.
Q&A You Asked Us September-October 2021
Our technical helpline provides valuable advice to members on a host of professional issues. Here are some of the questions you’ve recently asked.
Outside the box: The race for pace
If you only ask one question this week, make it this one: Could we move faster and work more flexibly without compromising internal audit credibility?
Training insights: Pick and mix
John Chesshire explains the thinking behind our new accelerated series of short, flexible training courses and why they could be just what you need to keep up with topical issues.
July/August
Disruption: Challenges for the future
“The pandemic brought out the best in internal audit teams, however we will need all this agility and flexibility to rise to the challenges ahead,” writes John Wood, CEO of the Chartered IIA.
View from the top: Resilience – time to celebrate and prepare
Unlock key resilience lessons from Maxine Grainger, group audit & risk director for Sofology and a recent Audit & Risk Awards winner.
View from IIA Global: ESG – internal audit's role
Hear what IIA Global president, Anthony J Pugliese, has to say about internal audit's role in ESG reporting and why it's important.
Out of the box: If you ask one question this week make it this one:
How resilient were we over the past 18 months and how can lessons learnt help us to deal with future disruption?
Spotlight on trust: the Chartered IIA's response to the BEIS White Paper on audit reform
Ever since the government published its White Paper on audit reform, the Chartered IIA has been consulting members and stakeholders to inform its response. Gavin Hayes lays out the institute’s case.
The human factor: auditing culture
Culture is rising up the corporate agenda – just as working practices are changing radically. How can internal audit find new ways to offer the assurance that its customers need?
All change: internal audit and disruption
Periods of disruption create opportunities and threats. What has internal audit learnt over the past year and how well do chief audit executives feel they are equipped for whatever the future holds?
Guarding the guards: how to prepare for an external quality assessment (EQA)
An EQA is an investment and an opportunity – how can you prepare to ensure you get the most from it?
Pros and comms: Communication in a virtual world
Do you make the most of virtual meetings? The pandemic has changed the way we interact with others, presenting new opportunities and risks.
Ben Rawal highlights some of the challenges.
Training insights: Reassess, reform, reposition
Top training insights from Chartered IIA trainers John Chesshire and James Paterson, including common elephant traps for CAEs.
Q&A: You asked us - July/August 2021
Our technical helpline provides valuable advice to members on a host of professional issues. Here are some of the questions you’ve recently asked.
May/June
View from the institute: Change – expect the pace to accelerate
The past year has shown us how we can transform rapidly in a crisis. We must build on this to meet the challenges ahead, writes John Wood, CEO of the Chartered IIA.
View from the top: Could you be a great chief executive?
Ask yourself some important questions – and answer honestly, advises David Hill, CEO of SWAP Internal Audit Services.
Who is on the Audit & Risk Awards shortlist?
See which nominees have made their way their way onto the Audit & Risk Awards 2021 shortlist.
Outside the box: Could I collaborate better?
Could I collaborate better to share, explore and find out what others already know?
Collaboration: A problem shared – a problem halved
Internal audit forums, networks and roundtables are greater than the sum of their parts. As businesses continue to navigate highly uncertain terrain, seeking the counsel, knowledge and insights of fellow audit practitioners has never paid greater dividends.
The government has launched a major consultation on audit reform. Sir Jon Thompson, CEO of the FRC, recently addressed the Chartered IIA’s Internal Audit Leaders’ Forum to explain what this could mean for large companies.
Interview: Anthony J Pugliese - President of IIA Global
Anthony J Pugliese, president and CEO of IIA Global, explains why the future of internal audit lies in mastering new skills, collaboration and ensuring that others appreciate the profession’s true value.
80 years of the IIA: Time to reflect and project?
As the IIA globally celebrates its 80th birthday, what issues should internal auditors be discussing and improving? James C Paterson offers a personal view.
Interview: Dev Daworaz - A&R Awards 2019 Best Newcomer
When Dev Daworaz joined Deutsche Bank he was already passionate about risk and controls and driven by a commitment to increase efficiency and support other people keen to enter the profession. Winning the Audit & Risk Award for Best Newcomer in 2019 was, he says, the cherry on the cake.
Tools for the job: Ethical decision-making for internal auditors
Ethical decision-making has never been more important for internal auditors. Matej Drašček offers some tips to improve ethical competencies.
Training insights: Remote auditing
John Chesshire explains why our training course on effective remote internal auditing is so crucial for internal audit – both now and for the future.
Q&A: You asked us - May/June 2021
Our technical helpline provides valuable advice to members on a host of professional issues. Here are some of the questions you’ve recently asked.
March/April
View from the institute: Recovery - focus on the future
“Resilient” does not mean “reactive”. Opportunities are as important in surviving disruption as threats, writes John Wood, CEO of the Chartered IIA.
View from IIA Global: Own the future as agents of change
“We have incredible opportunities to be the trusted advisers that our organisations need. But as we move into the future, internal auditors must not only be trusted advisers, we must also be agents of change.”
View from the top: Expectations | trust, balance and influence
“I don’t want just to receive 100 audit reports, but also to hear what the chief audit executive thinks," writes John Devine, audit committee chair at Standard Life Aberdeen PLC.
Outside the box: if you ask one question this week, make it this one
If I were to start our internal audit function again from scratch what would it look like?
Cybercrime may involve high-tech criminals and solutions, however auditing cyber risk does not necessarily require specialist resources. As Covid-19 has driven the world online, so the risks have multiplied. Now, more than ever, organisations need internal audit to assess their security culture and recovery plans.
Interview with Peter Elam, president of the Chartered IIA
Peter Elam will be the president of the Chartered IIA for the next two years. Who is he and what does he hope to help the institute achieve in this period?
The rapid changes and organisational crises prompted by the global pandemic have created fertile soil for fraud. Internal auditors
do not manage fraud risk, but they can help to eradicate any weeds that have emerged.
Roundtable discussion: The internal audit tipping point is now
Heads of internal audit from a range of sectors attended a recent roundtable event hosted by the Chartered IIA and supported by Galvanize to consider the proposition that internal audit has reached a tipping point. Here are the highlights of the discussion.
What are the implications of changes to the Chartered IIA’s Financial Services Code and why did it need to change? Sophie Malleson, senior policy and external affairs executive at the Chartered IIA, explains.
Chartered IIA Tutor Stephen Maycock explains why internal auditors should now be concerned about the integrity of their evidence and findings, and outlines what they could gain from attending our new training course on ethics.
Q&A: You asked us - March/April 2021
Our technical helpline provides valuable advice to members on a host of professional issues. Here are some of the questions you’ve recently asked.
January/February
View from the institute: Opportunities for the future – position yourself now
“We need to reset our plans from where we are today, not from where we were before the pandemic. This raises a host of questions for the internal audit profession,” writes John Wood, CEO of the Chartered IIA.
View from IIA Global: Disconnected – differing perceptions of risk
Latest views from Richard Chambers, president and CEO of IIA Global, on differing perceptions of risk.
View from the top: Local authorities - a new focus on internal audit
Insights from Sir Tony Redmond, author of a critical independent audit review, on why the relationship between external audit and internal audit needs to change.
Positive steps: If you ask one question this week, make it this one
Re-focus your personal development and enhance your profile with the help of this brilliant self-reflection question.
Skills for the future: Your company needs who?
Organisations are changing, the world is changing – does internal audit have what it takes to be relevant?
Lessons from the pandemic: Best foot forward
What changed in 2020 – and what can this teach us for 2021?
Audit & Risk Awards case study: Agents of change
A case study of the Government Internal Audit Agency's BEIS/DCSM team. A former winner of the Outstanding Team Public Sector award at the 2019 Audit & Risk Awards.
EQA at ARA Gloucestershire: Time to talk
When the head of ARA Gloucestershire invited in the external quality assessors, she was determined to get the maximum benefit from the experience and to emerge with fresh inspiration. So how did it go?
Read about our Chartered by Experience route, including who is eligible for it and why it matters.
Tools for the job: Public interest
The recent publication of a review into the quality of local government audit by Sir Tony Redmond reveals a lack of understanding of the local authority framework and highlights“lost”areas.Can internal audit help to transform the form and focus of public sector audit?
Training insights: Agile – aim higher, react faster
Find out why an agile mindset is the starting point for any audit team that wants to change. With insights from Mark Williams, founder of Agile Outside IT.
Q&A: You asked us - January 2021
Our technical helpline provides valuable advice to members on a host of professional issues. Here are some of the questions you’ve recently asked us.
2020
November/December
View from the top: Helen Clarkson, CEO of the Climate Group
Helen Clarkson, CEO of the Climate Group, shares her thoughts on climate change and why we should view it through a risk lens.
View from IIA Global: Scepticism - whose job is it, anyway?
IIA Global president Richard Chambers shares his thoughts on professional scepticism and how it should be applied.
Internal audit and climate change: Bigger than Covid?
COVID-19 has shown what people and businesses can do in a crisis. Internal auditors can harness this collaboration, energy and experience to tackle the crisis of climate change.
A&R Awards 2019 case study: Essentra
Read all about the success story that is Essentra's internal audit team and how it won 'Outstanding Team - Private Sector' at the 2019 Audit & Risk Awards.
Mergers and acquisitions: two into one
We asked heads of internal audit in different sectors with experience managing mergers or acquisitions for their views on a fictional merger scenario.
Virtual internal auditing: remote control
Read about the impact COVID-19 has had on remote working. With contributions from industry experts.
Training: The new Internal Audit Practitioner programme
Everything you need to know about the new Internal Audit Practitioner programme, including what it is, who it's for and how we're supporting it.
Explained: The new Three Lines Model
Read all about the new Three Lines Model and how it applies to internal auditors in the UK and Ireland.
Q&A: You asked us - November 2020
Our technical helpline provides valuable advice to members on a host of professional issues. Here are some of the questions you’ve recently asked us.
September/October
View from the top: Bottling the lessons from COVID-19
Nicholas Crapp, Group Chief Audit Executive for NatWest Group, uncovers how key learnings from COVID-19 can help improve the way we work in the future.
New lines: A fresh look at the Three Lines Model
The new Three Lines Model replaces the previous Three Lines of Defence model. IIA Global President Richard Chambers gives his insights on the framework and its application.
Diversity and inclusion: Unequal shares
A current look at inequalities in the UK and to what extent they've been exacerbated by COVID-19.
Interview: Stevie Spring, Chair of Mind, the mental health charity
Internal Audit Conference keynote, Stevie Spring, chair of mental health charity Mind, explains why every business needs to take mental health more seriously.
Lessons from Rugby Union: an interview with Ollie Phillips
Get to know former rugby player and Internal Audit Conference keynote Ollie Phillips and the life skills he has to offer.
Pillars of Progress: award-winning internal audit at Santander UK
What is the future of internal audit? Find out how Santander UK addressed this with the launch of its Internal Audit: Assuring the Future programme in 2019.
Leading lights: what makes good leadership?
Explore what good leadership looks like and what internal audit can take from these learnings.
Q&A: You asked us - September 2020
See what questions our technical helpline was asked this September.
Resilience training: How to bounce back
Institute tutors Ros Goodall and Marian Silltow explain the aims behind our new live virtual course “Resilience – bouncing back from adversity” and why resilience is more important now than ever.
July/August
View from the top - Sir Jon Thompson explains why good governance is more important than ever.
“This is no time to slacken off; if anything, organisations should be focusing more on internal audit in the months ahead,” writes Sir Jon Thompson, chief executive of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC).
Disruption - how to deal with it and how to be more disruptive
Where were you during the great pandemic of 2020? Crises happen all the time, but few in the past 50 years have affected as many countries, sectors and people as the Covid-19 virus. What can businesses learn from disruption, what is the “new normal” for internal audit and should auditors be more disruptive themselves?
Power to the people: An interview with bio-genome engineer Andrew Hessel
What can biotechnology do for us? Here to answer that question is Andrew Hessel, President of Humane Genomics, who explores how bio-engineering can help solve long-term challenges and create a more sustainable world.
Best of both: Award-winning innovations at Standard Life Aberdeen
The internal audit team at Standard Life Aberdeen has undergone a “once in a lifetime” transformation programme, which won the Audit and Risk Award for Best Innovation in Training and Development in 2019. How did they do it?
Culture shock: auditing culture
The economy and organisations are in crisis and culture is more important than ever. What can internal auditors do to ensure their organisation’s culture is what they think it is?
Tools for the job: How to audit innovation
Will it fly? Matej Drascek and Miha Skerlavaj suggest a checklist for auditing innovation and explain why internal auditors need to get involved in this difficult area.
See what questions our technical helpline were asked this July.
View from IIA Global: Internal audit’s response to COVID-19
“Too many internal audit functions are not being invited to help address some of the biggest risks their organisations are confronting. This is unacceptable," writes Richard F Chambers, president and CEO of IIA Global.
Training insights: Managing your career to map your future success
What do you want from your career? Martin Robinson, leader of our live virtual course, 'Managing your career to map your future success', says now is a good time to take stock. Find out why.
View from the Institute - Risk: challenges and opportunities
“At an uncertain time, if we can't demonstrate our relevance in the chaos the world is facing today, when will we be able to?” asks Liz Sandwith, our chief professional practices adviser.
A day in the life of: internal audit at MI5, MI6 and GCHQ
What's it like to be an internal auditor at M15, MI6 and GCHQ? This article, written in association with MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, explains what a job here would involve.
May/June
Crisis management – predictable unpredictability?
The coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic has shocked the world and led to unprecedented state and corporate reactions. Should organisations re-think how they prepare for high-impact, lower probability risks and could they do more to ensure their operational resilience in future?
Cyber security for remote workers: safe connections?
The onset of the global pandemic was accompanied by a new wave of phishing emails, malware, spam and other security threats. Stephen Watson of Watson Hepple Consulting offers four top tips for internal auditors
to help ensure organisations are managing IT risks and controls during a period of business disruption.
Net zero: risk lessons from Covid-19
At a single swoop, Covid-19 has changed our view of business as usual. But what are Chapter Zero - the UK chapter of the World Economic Forum’s Climate Governance Initiative - doing to address the concern? Find out now.
Auditing the NHS in the pandemic - behind the front line
Who are the NHS's internal auditors? What are their priorities? And how can they best support their frontline colleagues during the current crisis? Audit & Risk Magazine explore.
Training insights: live virtual training with the Institute
Social distancing is no barrier to learning - our live virtual courses are proof of that. Read about the success of them and why new skills will be more vital than ever once lockdown ends.
Our technical helpline provides valuable advice to members on a host of professional issues. Here are some of the questions you’ve recently asked us.
Codes for crises: IIA research
Clarence Arciuch, our senior policy and external affairs executive, reveals the findings of a new Institute survey and explains why our two codes of practice for internal auditors are particularly important at times of crisis.
Interview: David Hill, CEO of SWAP Internal Audit Services, on the new normal
David Hill, CEO of SWAP Internal Audit Services, explains how his organisation is working through the pandemic crisis and why he thinks internal audit will grow and develop from the experience in the long term and transform the way it works.
Disaster recovery: lessons from a crisis
Richard Chambers, president and CEO of IIA Global, shares his thoughts on the coronavirus pandemic and the potential opportunities to come from it.
March/April
Guiding light: the new internal audit code
Corporate crises continue to happen, so is internal audit doing enough to highlight risks at the appropriate level, are its warnings being heeded and what can auditors do to improve the type and level of assurance they offer? The Chartered IIA has launched its Internal Audit Code of Practice to help internal auditors address these questions, and more, at the highest levels.
Snakes and fakes: the value of trust
How can we rebuild trust in an untrustworthy world?
The transformers: how do you transform the third line?
Expectations of internal audit have never been higher. But how can those expectations be met? What does first-class audit look like? And how should one go about transforming the third line?
View from the top: we need to talk about audit
“It is essential that the new Internal Audit Code of Practice is a living document. It is not something to read and file in a drawer – share it with your board and audit committee," explains Brendan Nelson, chair of the audit committee at BP.
View from IIA Global: staff and skills: the gig economy
“In ‘Uber auditing’, audit executives who need a specialist auditor might turn to an app and ask someone to be there at an appointed day and time, just as we now go to an app and order a taxi," writes Richard F Chambers, president and CEO of IIA Global.
Q&A: You asked us - March 2020
Our technical helpline provides valuable advice to members on a host of professional issues. Here are some of the questions you’ve recently asked.
Lean audit and Agile audit – what's the same and what's different, asks James C Paterson leader of the Chartered IIA's course on Lean Auditing.
January/February
Climate change: If not now when?
We asked a panel of lawyers, insurers, academics and heads of internal audit in critical industries what is at the top of their climate change agenda.
Internal Audit Careers 2020: tools for tomorrow
What skills will you need to further your career in the 2020s? Audit & Risk Magazine explores.
Independent viewpoint: lone rangers
How do you tell a fad from a genuine business opportunity and what can internal audit do to stay objective in the face of executive enthusiasm for the next big thing?
Audit & Risk Award winners 2018: John Lewis Partnership
In the last of our features on the winners of the Audit & Risk Awards 2018, we talk to the head of internal audit at John Lewis Partnership about how her team transformed the way they work.
Climate change for internal auditors: Project Zero
We chart the history of environmental audit regulations and how they have changed the way internal audit works.
Philippa Foster Back CBE, outgoing director of the Institute of Business Ethics, explores how views of the role of ethics in business have changed and what still needs to be done.
Smart work: the AI Audit Revolution
“Just as all internal auditors should be able to spot indicators of fraud, we should be knowledgeable enough about artificial intelligence to spot potential risks and opportunities,” writes Richard F Chambers, president and CEO of IIA Global.
Q&A: You asked us - January 2020
Our technical helpline provides valuable advice to members on a host of professional issues. Here are some of the questions you’ve recently asked.
