Dispatches From IIA Conference
The Institute of Internal Auditors held its global annual conference this week in Chicago, drawing together more than 1,700 audit professionals for its first in-person conference since 2019 to talk about internal controls, audit reports, working with boards, and lots more. Yours truly was on the scene, and I’ve pulled together some dispatches from social media to give a sense of the event.
First, an outburst of enthusiasm from one random attendee, who probably spoke for many people so eager to network with colleagues again.
The conference kicked off on Monday morning with a performance from the Pack Drumline, a Chicago drumming group that was on America’s Got Talent just the other month. Then the Pack marched through the conference halls, which is a bit much at 9 a.m., but they did have talent.
Charlie Johnson, these days an audit consultant with Forvis and a long-time chief audit executive and member of the IIA’s certifications committee, won the organization’s Victor Z. Brink Award for his many years of service to the audit community.
You know what else a return to in-person conferences means? Goofy swag from vendors! Caseware knows it. Although I have enough branded coffee mugs already; I just go for the pens.
The agenda had lots of attention to fraud, as one would expect.
Fraud is a hot topic in the opening session. #TheIIA pic.twitter.com/s05G6xzpuz
— James Ruotolo, CFE (@jdruotolo) July 18, 2022
Numerous sessions also focused on the importance of diversity, inclusion, and workplace civility for a strong corporate culture. Shola Richards, below, spoke Wednesday.
Below, a cheat sheet of how the board, management, and workforce can all work together while embracing enterprise risk management.
Swanky party at the Chicago Field Museum on the evening of Day 2.
OK, I am all for dinners and other outings to relax and build a better team, but I was specifically told by numerous bellhops, taxi drivers, and folks on the subway that Giordano’s has the best pizza in Chicago, not Malnati’s. Perhaps Chicago pizza enthusiasts can clarify this question for the rest of us.
You can find more posts about the conference on Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media using the hashtags #TheIIA or #IIAIC. Congratulations to the IIA for a successful event, and for all you early birds, the 2023 global conference will be in Amsterdam from July 10-12.