In my last blog of 2022, I recognized 12 outstanding thought leaders from around the world as A Dozen Who Made a Difference over the past year. These men and women elevated internal audit’s full potential through a full body of thought leadership that included writing, speaking and use of social media.

The annual Beacon Awards prompt a great deal of interest, and I am often asked for a list of individuals who are active on social media. Given the amount of time I devote to this space, I obviously have developed an extensive lineup of people and organizations I follow.

For this blog, I want to highlight those leaders in social media who make important contributions on internal audit-related topics. I must emphasize that I don’t always agree with everything they advocate or share, but they are in the arena. That’s the value they bring. My apologies in advance for those I may have overlooked. Here are my top 25, in alphabetical order, with a LinkedIn link embedded in their names:  

Alaba Awolaja, Nigeria – Chief Managing Consultant, GOARISC

Jorge Badillo, Chile – Internal Audit Manager, SCM Minera Lumina Copper

Robert Berry, USA – President, That Audit Guy

Dr. Dominik Foerschler, Germany – Managing Director, ARC Institute

Hal Garyn, USA – President, Audit Executive Advisory Services, LLC

David Hill, UK – CEO, SWAP Internal Audit Services

Sara James, UK – Owner, Getting Words to Work

Jenitha John, South Africa – Veteran CAE and board director

Tim Leech, Canada – Managing Director, Risk Oversight Solutions, Inc

Dr. Rainer Lenz, Germany – Director, Corporate Audit Services, SAF-Holland

Norman Marks, USA – Author, thought leader, blogger, and occasional consultant

Tracie Marquardt, USA – Senior trainer and internal audit subject matter expert

Joseph McCafferty, USA – Editor and Publisher, Internal Audit 360°

Tom McLeod, Australia – Risk and assurance advisor

Jason Mefford, USA – CEO, cRick Academy

Anne Millage, USA – Editor in Chief, Internal Auditor Magazine

Hock-Chye Ong, Malaysia – Founding Member: Audit Without Walls

Sally-Anne Pitt, Australia – Managing Director, Pitt Group Pty Ltd.

Anthony Pugliese, USA – President and CEO, The Institute of Internal Auditors

Trent Russell, USA – Founder, Greenskies Analytics

Ursula Schmidt, Luxembourg – Owner, Schmidt Advisory

Harold Silverman, USA – IIA Director, CAE and Corporate Governance Engagement

Jon Taber, USA – Internal Audit Manager, Casey’s; podcast host

Renato Trisciuzzi, Brazil – Head of President’s Off, Transpetro Petrobras Transporte

Benito Ybarra, USA – Chairman of the Board, The IIA

In addition to those 25 individuals, there are many organizations that have an active social media presence advocating for internal audit, including 10 that I follow closely:

AuditBoard

Chartered IIA, UK

Global IIA

IIA Argentina

IIA Brazil

IIA Indonesia

IIA South Africa

Internal Audit 360

SWAP Internal Audit Services

UAE IAA

That’s my list of social media influencers on topics relevant to our profession. As always, I welcome your thoughts.