A polished balance sheet and a flawless compliance checklist can hide evidence of a rotting corporate core. While traditional auditing excels at spotting misallocated funds and missing approval signoffs, it is often blind to the “soft side” of corporate culture—those unwritten rules, silent anxieties, and behavioral shortcuts that raise ethical Read More
Internal audit is a key part of organizational transformation projects. It has changed from a traditional inspector of compliance to a strategic partner that protects value creation and drives long-lasting change. With this new job, auditors can plan for disruptions, build resilience, and make sure that changes are in line Read More
Internal auditors across all sectors are intimately familiar with this pattern: you find an operational failure, trace the steps back through interviews and documentation to understand the root cause, and discover that the underlying process itself was sound. Procedures were well designed. Safety controls were properly established. The risk evaluation Read More
Chief audit executives spend a great deal of time focused on plans, risks, and deliverables. That focus is necessary, but as leaders more is needed. The effectiveness of an internal audit function is shaped as much by how the team is led as by the work it delivers. Strong internal Read More
Last year in this space, we wrote about a profession emerging from a period marked by uncertainty, disruption, and rapid change. As 2024 turned into 2025, internal auditors were still grappling with the aftershocks of the pandemic, accelerating technological change, geopolitical instability, and questions about where—and how—they could add the Read More
Internal auditors are a rare breed. To perform well in their jobs, they must possess a mix of skills that are seldom found in one person. They need to be analytical with laser-like focus, while also being true “people persons” with strong communication skills. They must be rule-followers who respect Read More
Most recent college graduates don’t aspire to become chief audit executives. For that matter, most business graduates probably don’t even set out to become internal auditors. Maybe they take an internal audit job after a stint at a Big Four firm. Or they find themselves in the role from a Read More
GUEST BLOG POST One of the biggest challenges for any chief audit executive or head of risk management is getting and maintaining the respect of senior management and other top executives. I want to share some tactics that worked for me, as well as where I failed to earn that Read More
For years, the internal audit profession has watched artificial intelligence from the sidelines — intrigued, occasionally skeptical, and increasingly aware that the sidelines are not a place to stay for long. Now, with generative AI reshaping industries and predictive analytics powering risk management across functions, internal auditors are asking a Read More
No internal audit team is perfect, and some perform better than others. But will you realize it when the internal audit team is really steering into rough waters? Will you see the signs that the internal audit team isn’t only performing poorly, but it is floundering? There will likely be Read More
