December 2021

December 27, 2021

Internal Audit Isn’t the Brakes, It’s Part of the Navigation System

I have always been on the lookout for clever ways to describe internal audit’s role in an organization. Elevator speeches are fine when you have 60 seconds to describe the value your profession brings to an uninformed bystander. I even shared some ideas for the elevator speech in a blog earlier this year. However, an elevator speech doesn’t hold a candle to a well-crafted sound bite that will leave a lasting impression.

One of my favorites used to be “internal audit is the brakes that allows the organization to drive faster.” The reasoning behind this analogy is that brakes are a critical component in a vehicle.…

December 19, 2021

A Dozen Who Made a Difference

The 2021 Internal Audit Beacon Awards

In 2019, I shared a list of the internal audit thought leaders of the decade. The list alerted internal auditors around the world about outstanding men and women in our field who worked tirelessly to elevate and promote the internal audit profession through writing, speaking, use of social media and networking. The blog was so popular that I crafted a new list at the end of 2020 to recognize the ten thought leaders of the year.

After stepping down from The IIA earlier this year, I pledged to continue advocating for the profession around the world.…

December 13, 2021

What My 10 Most-read Blog Posts of 2021 Say About Internal Auditors

Each year about this time, I reflect back on the year and the blogs I have written. Having authored more than 530 blog posts over the past 12 years, I have come to believe their readership is a good litmus test of contemporary internal auditors’ priorities and concerns. So, as I did in past years, I have identified the 10 most-read blogs in 2021 to re-share with you – in case you missed some.

Identifying the most popular blogs this year was bit more challenging than in the past, because I transitioned my blog series from The IIA to my own website after I stepped down as The IIA’s President and CEO in March.…

December 9, 2021

New 2022 “Top Risks” Report Is Required Reading for Internal Auditors

Each year, there are a handful of survey-based research reports that are highly anticipated for those of us who like to peer into the risk horizon. In September, I shared insights on the ECIIA’s 2022 Risk in Focus report, which surveyed European chief audit executives on vulnerabilities facing their organizations in the year ahead. The blog, which was posted the same day the report was released, generated more readership than any blog I’d written in 2021.

Today, another highly anticipated report is being released. The 10th annual Executive Perspectives on Top Risks is a joint undertaking by North Carolina State University’s ERM Initiative and Protiviti.…

December 6, 2021

The IIA at 80: A Legacy of Leadership, Collaboration, and Advocacy

Two events occurred 80 years ago this week that are still remembered decades later. The Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor plunged the United States into the middle of a raging world war that had already engulfed much of the planet. Two days later, on Dec. 9, the 11 founders of The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) held their long planned inaugural annual meeting in New York City. After the formalities of the meeting that evening, they took time to gather around a radio and listen to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fireside chat with the nation in the wake of the attack.…