Last week, The IIA successfully hosted its annual Global Council where delegates from more than 80 countries assembled in Japan. While there, I learned that emojis originated in Japan. In fact, the word “emoji” comes from the Japanese for “picture” e+ “character” moji. As one who uses emojis with increasing frequency, I have been thinking light-heartedly about how our profession might use them.
Granted, internal auditors are a serious bunch. The work we do is steeped in integrity, honesty, and independence. In the view of many — both inside and outside the profession — internal audit often serves as the conscience of the organization.…
We kick off the 2019 General Audit Management (GAM) conference today in Dallas-Fort Worth with more than 1,200 in attendance either in person or through our new livestream offering. As always, the event is packed with informative sessions on issues and trends crucial to internal audit executives. In fact, the first general session this morning (at 9:15 a.m. Central Time) will be an in-depth conversation I am having with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissioner Hester Peirce. GAM is also where the Internal Audit Foundation will officially unveil my latest book, The Speed of Risk. It’s an update to my first book, Lessons Learned on the Audit Trail, published in 2014.…
For nearly five years, I have been urging practitioners to “audit at the speed of risk.” I first used the phrase in a July 2014 blog post that addressed the growing volatility of risk and how sticking to a traditional annual audit plan could leave audit functions addressing yesterday’s challenges.
We’ve made progress since then, but there is a long way to go.
Internal audit’s role in providing timely assurance on the effectiveness of risk management is more important than ever, as previously unknown risks quickly emerge and grow while thorny, known risks persist. That’s why it is essential for internal audit to be aligned with management and the board’s views on risks.…