Last December I recognized 15 exceptional internal audit thought leaders through the annual Internal Audit Beacon Awards. Each demonstrated sustained commitment to advancing the profession through writing, speaking, research, and social media engagement.

After the awards are announced, I routinely receive the same question. Who else should I be following?

I am inspired by far more professionals than I can highlight in a single article. So, as I have done in previous years, I am sharing a separate list. This post recognizes 25 additional voices who consistently contribute practical insight and professional perspective on internal audit and related topics.

Between the Beacon Awards honorees and this article, I have now recommended 40 professionals worth following. I could easily have named twice that many.

For much of my career, a significant portion of internal audit knowledge flowed from a relatively small number of professional sources. Those sources remain valuable today. However, we now operate in a very different environment. Social platforms, broad access to information, and emerging technologies have enabled a far wider exchange of ideas. We are living in an era of “distributed thought leadership” (DTL). I view this as a healthy development for the profession. Internal auditors learn faster when more practitioners share experiences, lessons, and viewpoints.

I do not agree with every opinion shared by the individuals below. That is not the point. The real value is participation. They are engaged in the conversation, and they push thinking forward.

This year’s group hail from 10 countries and averages more than 11,000 LinkedIn followers each. The list is subjective, and yours may differ. If I missed someone you believe should be included, I welcome the suggestion.

The following “professionals”25 to follow in ’26” are listed alphabetically:

• Samira Al Azri, Oman – Vice President of Assurance at OQ
• Abbas Al Lawati – Oman – Chief Internal Auditor Shell Oman Marketing Company
• Alaba Awolaja, Nigeria – Lead Consultant, IAGRC Advisory Services
• Jorge Badillo, Chile – Internal Audit Manager, SCM Minera Lumina Copper
• Sandro Boeri, UK – Immediate Past President of the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors
• Dr. Sabine Charles, USA – CEO of Charles Financial Strategies, LLC
• April Crichlow, USA – Chief Marketing Officer at AuditBoard
• Jas Gill, UK – Senior Manager, Internal Audit and Assurance, RELX
• David Hill, UK – Managing Director HillAudit Training Ltd
• Dr. Sara I. James, UK – Owner, Getting Words to Work
• Jenitha John, UAE – Chief Strategic Officer, UAE IAA
• Ric Kimball, USA – Principal, Internal Audit & Controls Leader, KPMG
• Andy Kovacs, UK – Principal Consultant and Co-founder, ELC Consultants
• Tim Leech, Canada – Managing Director, Risk Oversight Solutions, Inc
• Joseph McCafferty, USA – Editor and Publisher, Internal Audit 360°
• Francine McKenna, USA – Author, The Dig
• Francis Milambo, Zambia – Head of Internal Audit, Bayport Financial Services
• Dr. Ahmed Shawky Mohammed, UK – CEO, SustainGRC ®
• Anthony Pugliese, USA – President and CEO, The Institute of Internal Auditors
• Dr. Joyce Omina, Kenya – CEO, IIA Kenya
• Trent Russell – USA – Founder, Greenskies Analytics
• Andrew Struthers-Kennedy – USA – Global Lead – CAE Solutions, Protiviti
• Jon Taber, USA – Host, AUDIT 15 FUN Podcast
• Mari Yonezawa, Japan – General Manager, Head of Internal Audit, Astemo, LTD
• Imran Zia, UAE – Director of Internal Audit, AD Ports Group

In addition to these individuals, several organizations maintain active social media platforms that regularly provide useful resources and perspectives. I follow these closely:

• AuditBoard
• Chartered IIA, UK
• Global IIA
• Greenskies Analytics
• IIA Indonesia
• IIA South Africa
• Internal Audit 360
• The Internal Audit Collective
• UAE IAA

That’s my 2026 list of social media influencers on topics relevant to our profession. In all, I have now recommended 40 men and women you should follow in 2026. As always, I welcome your ideas (including those I might have overlooked) via LinkedIn or by email to blogs@richardchambers.com.