ACCA (now FCCA) qualified for over 20 years, I trained in practice before moving to the corporate sector some 18 years ago. I sampled various roles in finance, including Senior Finance Analyst, Corporate Reporting and Finance Manager positions before finding my calling with Risk & Internal Audit. Now CIA qualified (Certified Internal Auditor), I have over 15 years risk and internal audit experience.

I took an internal audit role with a FTSE 125 house builder in 2005 when the UK was riding the crest of a building boom. A third of their business was in North America so I had the fantastic opportunity to travel there to carry out audits. I hadn’t travelled much at that point in my life, so exploring Florida, Texas, Arizona, LA and Toronto as part of my job was fantastic (going for a swim after work in a LA hotel was not something I thought 28-year-old accountants did!).

I’ve worked in different sectors; construction, retail and manufacturing, some were national businesses, some global. I had great exposure to the rigor of SOX auditing with a US listed tractor manufacturer, which was useful when the pandemic turned the world upside down as I took a short-term contract role that was purely SOX testing. As well as giving you a very good grounding of controls testing in a relatively short space of time, you also very quickly develop project management skills. 

Again, the opportunity to travel was a big plus, as well as European destinations such as Paris, Frankfurt and Rome, I also had the opportunity to visit Mumbai, Moscow and Helsinki – the latter being destinations I may not have visited under my own steam.   

In my current role, I’m creating a new Internal Audit department for a contracting and building maintenance company. One of our larger clients is a major UK hotel chain where we refurbish tens of rooms at a time to the same exacting standards. Clients also include NHS Trusts, colleges and housing associations where we perform reactive maintenance or standard maintenance programmes. Initially standardising the business’s Risk Management process, management are now getting used to the annual internal audit program, reporting and follow-up processes.   

Why Internal Audit?

I realised while I can “do numbers” my skills are more attuned to communicating with people. In that sense, Internal Audit is a great career. You rapidly get to know how a business works, and the job itself is a stimulating blend of risk assessment, understanding a process, and communicating your findings. I love the fact that auditors must listen, interact and engage with people, getting to know different departments and their teams in the organisation. And for those internal auditors at the start of their careers, you gain immediate exposure to senior management. Building strong relationships and becoming a “trusted advisor” brings a high degree of job satisfaction.

Challenges and Opportunities

Depending on the organisation’s culture, size and prior exposure to audit, it is imperative for internal auditors to “win hearts and minds” in all the interactions they have across all levels of the business. If senior management have had a bad experience with auditors in the past, this is where your communication skills are required. Internal audit teams must add value, helping the business and its people achieve its strategic aims and objectives. Just as importantly, Internal Audit must be seen to add this value. 

Final Thoughts 

Internal Audit is a very rewarding career.  It is very portable, skills are transferable, and for me personally it has led to many opportunities.  By its very nature, the work is varied, remains relevant and important to all organisations. And Internal Audit will remain relevant in the future. Yes, technology changes, but people will always be required to interpret data and make informed decisions. The fundamentals of good corporate governance will always be in demand by society. The new Global Internal Audit Standards will hopefully raise the profile of Internal Audit further and keep the profession at the forefront of an ever-changing world. So yes, try Internal Audit; you can make a difference and enjoy the ride along the way!