May 2020

May 25, 2020

Congratulations South Africa! Jenitha John Is a Great Choice for IRBA CEO

In more than 11 years as the CEO of the Global Institute of Internal Auditors, I have come to have great respect and admiration for the governance institutions of South Africa. Organizations such as the prestigious King Committee on Corporate Governance and the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA) stand as shining examples that inspire countries around the world. So, I was truly delighted when IRBA’s board of directors recently named Jenitha John as the regulator’s next CEO. It seemed only natural that Jenitha, one of the most widely known and respected auditors in the world, would be selected for this important role.…

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May 18, 2020

​Return-to-workplace Risks: Is Internal Audit Stepping Up?

Last week, I urged internal auditors to “roll up their sleeves” and help their organizations navigate risks related to returning workforces to their normal places of business. Part of that examination was a look at internal audit’s role in providing assurance on employee health and safety risks.

I outlined four key questions for practitioners to consider:

  • Has management adequately identified and assessed return-to-workplace related risks?
  • Do proposed return-to-workplace policies and controls address the key risks?
  • Are policies/controls effectively implemented (including communications)?
  • Is the overall program functioning as intended, or are improvements warranted?

A new IIA poll of chief audit executives in North America provides a decidedly mixed answer to whether organizations are prepared and whether internal audit is sufficiently involved.…

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May 11, 2020

Returning to Workplaces Will Be Risky: Roll Up Your Sleeves, Internal Audit

After weeks of uncertainty and anxiety over the COVID-19 pandemic, sporadic signs of normalcy are beginning to appear. A growing number of jurisdictions are easing or lifting stay-at-home directives, and organizations are turning their focus to return-to-workplace strategies. Multitudes from all levels of the economy, from consumers to front-line workers to heads of industry, are eager to return to once-familiar settings and routine business activities.

But these signs of normalcy are only mirages. I am certainly not the first to note that business as we knew it before COVID-19 will likely never return. In less than six months, the pandemic has killed almost 300,000 people globally, wreaked havoc on economies, boosted unemployment to historic levels, and rewritten the rules for the workplace.…

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May 4, 2020

​Public Servants Are Vital to Defeating COVID-19

Each year, the U.S. celebrates the contributions of government workers during its Public Service Recognition Week, which is May 3–9. At a global level, the United Nations designates June 23 as Public Service Day, which includes announcement of the U.N. Public Service Awards, now in their 17th year.

These celebrations should take on added significance in 2020, in light of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. Public health workers around the world — the doctors and nurses who tend to the afflicted in thousands of public hospitals, the government scientists who toil to find treatments and develop a vaccine, the health department workers who operate testing facilities — are the front-line warriors who are giving their time, talent, and energy to fight this terrible scourge while putting their own lives at risk.…

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May 1, 2020

President’s Message: Evolving to Meet Your Needs

From its first issue in 1944, Internal Auditor magazine has chronicled the advances, the challenges, and the evolution of internal auditing. Through these pages, we have witnessed the profession rise from a focus almost exclusively on financial matters to its establishment as a major force in governance and crucial to organizational success.

More than ever, Internal Auditor readers are hungry for information when and where they need it most. That shows in increased readership of magazine and online-exclusive content on InternalAuditor.org, launched in 2008. In fact, since the coronavirus was designated a pandemic by the World Health Organization, visits to the magazine’s website have surged 13%.…

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