A Conversation with IIA President David A. Richards: Elevating the Role of Internal Auditors

• Published in: The CPA journal (1975) 2008-11, Vol.78 (11), p.15
• Main Author: Tidrick, Donald E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Appointments & personnel changes; Associations; Audit committees; Auditing; Boards of directors; Certification; Corporate presidents; Employment training programs; Growth rate; Internal auditors; Leadership; Personal profiles; Presidents; Professional ethics; Professionals; Richards, David; Stock exchanges
• ISSN: 0732-8435

In an interview, David A. Richards, Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) president, talked about the institute's growth, his role as a president, and it's initiative to promote internal auditing education. According to Richards, historically, the IIA growth rate might have been 4% to 5% per year, but, more recently, it has tended to approximate 15% to 20%. About 45% of their members (that is, about 70,000) currently reside in North America. He also said that the responsibilities exceed what he might have expected when he took on the role of IIA president in 2004. Running a global professional organization is a huge challenge, considering the number of affiliates they have around the world. He added that the institute's previous academic initiatives had been modest at best. This initiative provides institutional-specific support designed to assist colleges and universities around the world in achieving their particular objectives, rather than a "one size fits all" model of assistance.