Internal auditors have their say for Internal Audit Awareness Month

Nobody dreams of becoming an internal auditor when they grow up. But for variety and social impact, a career in internal audit offers more than you might expect, according to a poll of BDO auditors for Internal Audit Awareness Month.

The variety of the work was cited by 60% of BDO internal auditors in the poll, which is hardly surprising considering that they get to see the workings of so many types of business.

"It's fun," declares Alison Rowe, who works in Risk Advisory Services and Internal Audit at BDO's Nottingham office. "Every day is different. It's a unique and privileged opportunity to get to know organisations from the inside out, often better than they know themselves."

Rowe says the job has taken her to underground bunkers, building sites, meerkat centres - whatever they are - and engine test labs.

"In what other job could you one day be speaking to the CFO and the next the estates manager, have the ear of the audit committee and unfettered access to whomever you want to speak to?" she says.

Laila Mohammad, an internal auditor in BDO’s Leeds office, says: "I enjoy that I am always learning something new.

"With each new review, we get to learn more about our clients and how they run their businesses, how the political and economic updates would impact their performance or profitability, and how the operations really work."

Aaron Winter, director of public sector internal audit at BDO, agrees. "Gone are the days of internal audit looking at core financial and operational processes,” he says. "Now the work is much broader, looking at risk areas you would never expect to cover."

Many of our internal audit people also relish the ability to help their clients. Client service is at the core of BDO’s culture, and internal audit provides one of the best environments for true partnership with our clients.

"I really enjoy being an internal auditor, especially when ideas and recommendations are taken on board and there is partnership between management and internal audit in the journey of growth and change,” says associate director Dominic Chuah.

Max Armstrong, an internal audit assistant manager, says he has been able to witness the impact of his work first hand. "I have been fortunate to work with UK Sport and Sport England in delivering governance reviews at sports organisations," he comments.

"Over four years, it has been satisfying to see the sector improve and fewer news headlines relating to governance issues within these organisations. This demonstrates the positive impact that our work has provided for a whole sector."

Assistant manager James Fesemeyer, meanwhile, says he has been able to help his clients resolve major business issues.

"I've picked up million-pound errors that would have had material impacts on strategic decisions and solved very complex valuations that clients didn't want to look at ever again," he says. "But that said, I think the main positive impact would be the support and mentoring I have given to junior staff."

The advice that public sector internal auditor Akalya Ahilan provides comes close to being a life-or-death affair. "I have completed numerous health and safety audits at hospitals, which does directly ensure that patient safety is maintained," she says.

"Working in the public sector internal audit team, I feel that all the work we do has a positive impact on our clients and on society."

Another oft-cited benefit of the internal audit role is the ability to learn throughout your career. "It provides great exposure and opportunities to learn and develop, meeting and interacting with different people, building relationships and networking," says senior manager Sonal Shah.

"I love the learning," chimes public sector internal audit assistant manager Nadine Turner. "We get a good understanding of how each department works and the strategic importance to the organisation, the risks they face and the control environment."

The joy of internal audit is such that its status as an underappreciated career could be under threat.

"I love that I have been able to make a lot of people understand the role of an internal auditor, which is more to help improve the processes rather than finding faults," says Shrey Choudhary, assistant manager.

"My role has also made some of my friends and family curious about this industry - and glad that I have been able to share my insights with them," Choudhary says.

The comments from practitioners illustrate just how transformative internal audit can be - and why everyone should sit up and take notice of the practice during International Internal Audit Awareness Month.