Laura Soileau, the Institute of Internal Auditor’s (IIA) 2021-2022 North American Board chairperson, said in an article that getting younger individuals hooked on internal auditing is key to the sustainability of the profession. A big focus of Soileau’s in her new role will be investing in the next generation of auditors.
As part of her efforts, Soileau would like to see a greater number of internal auditing courses offered at universities. While she was an accounting major at the University of Arkansas, she elected to take an operational auditing course. It was there that she fell in love with the profession, and believes others would as well given the opportunity. Along with pushing for more course offerings, the industry has to do a better job of encouraging “nontraditional” paths to the profession, according to Soileau.
In order to be successful and work cohesively with the new generation of internal auditors, current professionals will have to meet them in the middle, says Soileau. Adapting to technologies that are second nature to college students such as Zoom, Teams, and other collaborative platforms is crucial. To read more about Soileau and her vision for the future of internal auditing, find the Internal Auditor Magazine’s article here. 