Global Internal Audit Leaders Leave IIA 2023 International Conference with Focus on the Future

Premier global internal audit event spotlights Vision 2035 project, global risk research, preliminary feedback on new proposed Global Internal Audit Standards, and how to respond to rapid change

Roughly 2,600 attendees from 112 countries took part in discussions with visionaries and global professional leaders. This year’s program – “One World. One Future.” – reflected the interconnected nature of business and growing strategic role that internal auditors are playing. It explored new and emerging risks and opportunities like the expanding capabilities and rapid adoption of generative AI and the impacts of bank and crypto failures.

Keynote speakers included global futurist Rohit Talwar, CEO of Fast Future, who shared ideas about how internal auditors can evolve to take on the challenges that will define the profession’s effectiveness in the coming years.

IIA President and CEO Anthony Pugliese, CIA, CPA, CGMA, CITP, and outgoing Global Board Chair Benito Ybarra, CIA, CISA, CFE, CCEP, delivered a joint keynote spotlighting the current state of the internal audit profession and its bright future. They shared updates on The IIA’s global advocacy program and efforts to evolve the profession’s standards and certifications. They also provided insights into how internal auditors can help their organizations understand and navigate issues like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data privacy, fraud, digital disruption, ESG, and more. Their primary takeaway is that the profession cannot sit back and merely react to change. The profession must instead take an active role in shaping its own future, which The IIA is doing through historic efforts to evolve its professional standards and envision what the profession will look like in 2035.  

Standards Board Analyzes Feedback on Global Internal Audit StandardsTM
The IIA shared an update on its historic project to comprehensively review and update the International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF) and Standards. The 90-day public comment period closed recently, and roughly 19,000 comments were received. The International Internal Audit Standards Board is now translating the comments and analyzing the survey responses and other feedback and making necessary revisions. The Standards Board expects to release the new Global Internal Audit StandardsTM before the end of 2023. Learn more here.  

Internal Audit: Vision 2035 Project
Pugliese updated attendees on the Internal Audit: Vision 2035 project, which is led by the Internal Audit Foundation. This project is designed to identify what the internal audit profession will look like in 2035, how to elevate the value of internal audit during that time, and what steps to take to make that future a reality. The multi-phase research project, which will involve thousands of participants, has completed its foundational research phase and is beginning to schedule focus groups and interviews with the profession’s key stakeholders. The final report is expected in Q3 2024. 

2023 Professional Achievement Award Recipients Announced
The IIA presented four Professional Achievement Awards, recognizing recipients from around the world who have excelled in research, education, publishing, advocacy, and other activities in the field of internal auditing and related professions: 

• Victor Z. Brink Award for Distinguished Service - Jorge Badillo Ayala 
• Bradford Cadmus Memorial Award - Rainer Lenz
• William G. Bishop III, CIA Lifetime Achievement Award - Paul J. Sobel 
• John B. Thurston Award - Theresa Grafenstine

View the full list of awards, recipients, bios and photos. 

IIA Announces First Ever Regional – and Re-Branded – GAM Conference
The IIA also announced a global expansion and re-branding of its annual event formerly known as “General Audit Management” (GAM) Conference that convened internal audit leaders in North America. Building off the success of GAM in North America, The IIA announced the “GAM” brand will evolve to stand for “Great Audit Minds,” which better reflects the modern focus for the future of this marquee event.

Additionally, The IIA is collaborating with affiliates to offer regional GAM conferences to their members. The IIA’s first regional GAM conference will be hosted by the UAE IIA and take place November 6-8 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.