2017 North American Pulse of Internal Audit

Courageous Leadership: Instilling Confidence From Within

​The 2017 North American Pulse of Internal Audit report from The IIA’s Audit Executive Center® urges deeper examination of four often-overlooked risk areas and shows how strong leadership can instill self-confidence in internal auditors, boost management and the board’s confidence in the internal audit function, and heighten stakeholder confidence in the organization overall.

Key Findings:

• 66% of internal audit leaders have concerns regarding reputation risk due to faulty communications; only 9% of internal audit functions provide assurance.
• In 2015, EPA and OSHA fines cost U.S. organizations over US$13 billion; only 11% rely on internal audit to provide EHS assurance to the board.
• 95% of internal audit functions use data analytics; only 22% use data analytics for risk assessment in developing the department audit plan.
• 29% of CAEs reported increases in staffing levels in 2016; 14% reported decreases.

The IIA’s Audit Executive Center® (AEC®) has gathered insight from leaders in the profession through the annual Pulse of Internal Audit survey since 2009. Each survey collects information about both established and emerging issues that are important to the profession as well as internal audit management metrics for staffing, budgeting, audit planning, and more.