Global Audit Leadership: A Practical Approach to Leading a Global Internal Audit Gia Function in a Constantly Changing Internal and External Landscape

Leaders across the globe have a common challenge they cannot ignore: CHANGE. This must be embraced and effectively managed to remain relevant and successful in a dynamic operating environment. Embracing change, including technological innovations, collaboration, and timely sharing of information, is paramount to the survival and success of everyone in an ever-changing environment.

In times of rapid change, organizations are often forced to adjust their strategic plans. Stakeholders usually need assistance to effectively manage the risks, unprecedented at times, and to capitalize on the opportunities that usually come with change. Change management must be effectively executed to assist in ensuring the viability of the organization.

This book provides advice and guidance to assist stakeholders in navigating the challenges and demands of change. It includes insights, measures, and tools that have contributed to my success as a leader in the internal audit profession for 27 years.

Audley L. Bell, CPA, CIA, CISA, CFE, DHL, has a professional career that spans over 40 years, including 35 in internal audit and 4 in public accounting. Additionally, he spent four years teaching accounting at the undergraduate level at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. During his 27-year tenure leading internal audit functions, he served as the leader of internal audit for seven organizations, including two global organizations for 13 years. He also developed five internal audit functions and two in-house investigations units within the internal audit function. Additionally, he served as a member of the ethics, compliance, and enterprise risk management leadership team at one organization, and he oversaw the development of the plan for the implementation of an ERM program at another. His work experience covers several sectors and industries, including publicly traded companies, financial institutions, quasi-governmental entities, colleges and universities, construction, manufacturing, distribution, telecommunications, transportation, non-governmental organizations, micro-finance, and a credit union. The role included working closely with senior management and audit committees and other internal and external stakeholders.

Prior to realizing his passion for internal audit, his first career was on the tennis court. He won several singles tennis tournaments at the junior and adult levels in Jamaica and represented Jamaica as a junior player and in Davis Cup competitions. He was the runner-up for the 1971 men’s singles National Junior College Tennis Championships (NJCTC) while he attended Wingate Junior College, now Wingate University, on a tennis scholarship. The team, coached by Ronnie Smarr, won back-to-back national tennis championships in 1970 and 1971. Unbeknownst to him, Mr. Bell was the first Black tennis player in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He continued his college tennis journey at Wake Forest University on a full tennis scholarship, where he played in the number-one singles position in his senior year. After defeating the number-one tennis player from the University of North Carolina, Wake Forest’s main rival, he decided to drop out of Wake Forest in the spring of his senior year in 1973 to pursue tennis professionally. In the summer of 1973, he lost in the third round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tennis Championships and in the final set of the final qualifying round of the US Open Tennis Championships. He also played Ilie Nastase, the number-one tennis player in the world at the time, in the Jamaica Invitational in November 1973 and lost to him 6-2, 7-5. After assessing his options, he did not believe he had a sustainable future in tennis as he was unable to financially support himself on the tennis tour.

Mr. Bell graduated cum laude with a BS in management studies and a concentration in accounting from Boston College. He is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Internal Auditor, a Certified Information System Auditor, and a Certified Fraud Examiner. He received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Wingate University, where he is a member of the board of trustees and the chair of the audit committee. He is a former chair of Xcel’s Federal Credit Union Supervisory Committee. He also served the Institute of Internal Auditors at the global and chapter levels in various roles in the past. This includes his being a member of the Board of Trustees of the Research Foundation, District Representative for the Caribbean, and Chair of the Government Relations Committee of the New York Metropolitan Chapter.