Celebrating internal audit: Stories of value and growth

We’ve had a blast this May shining a light on internal auditors and the vital contributions they make to the organizations they serve. A key goal of this month is to spread awareness about the immense value internal audit brings — not just protecting existing value, but by partnering with fellow GRC colleagues to actively help companies make risk-informed decisions.

As Richard Chambers reflected in his article kicking off this year’s internal audit month, "We are never done learning. If we’re paying attention, there are always new lessons to learn." To conclude our celebration, we want to pause and share lessons from three audit leaders about how they advanced their careers. We're pleased to share a special video featuring Erin Banet, Andrew Ganey, and Nancy Yuen, who offer personal insights into their career journeys, highlighting unexpected opportunities, key connections, and significant impacts a career in internal audit can offer.

Now is always the right time to develop your network

Erin Banet, VP of Internal Audit at Humana: “When I first started my career at Deloitte at 21 years old, somebody told me how important a network was. I didn't believe them at the time, but seeing how I've grown and learned and seeing the people that I interacted with, I've learned how important a network can be.”

Embrace challenges – they’re opportunities in disguise

Andrew Ganey, CAE at Ruiz Foods: “One of the biggest challenges of my career was a new IPO and a 15-month SOX implementation. It was an incredibly tight timeline. We had to bring a whole new team together to meet that deadline. The challenges, the lots of hours, the new team — it all really shaped my career and gave me a lot of the opportunities that I've taken over the last decade.”

You never know who might be a mentor for you

Nancy Yuen, Senior Director, Finance Data & BP/IT SOX Governance, SoFi: “I’ve had many mentors, including ones where we never developed a formal mentorship. I've had some great people around me — some on my team, some that I reported to — and at the end of the day it was all about, did we look out for each other? Someone in that meeting room that I could count on to share with me the positives, and also the not positives. Someone to slack me a message saying, ‘Hey, you know what? Let's avoid that topic and let's take a step back.’ Those are my mentors, and they don't have to be in a formal mentor program.”

Continuing the Journey: Your Turn to Reflect

As you reflect on your own career journey in internal audit, we hope that you’re inspired by the stories from Erin, Andrew, and Nancy. Stories like these and the many lived every day by internal auditors around the globe are a powerful testament to this profession's value and the remarkable individuals who drive its success.

Looking for more inspiration? Check out these articles to continue celebrating the essential work of internal audit long after May ends!

• CAEs sharing more keys to career success
• 5 hacks to accelerate your audit career
• The value of an internal auditor’s portable skill set

Thank you to our incredible customers for another impactful Internal Audit Month!