• 1,000 audit professionals from across the world to attend Dubai meet

Internal auditors in the Middle East are in for a unique opportunity to gain clinical skills in investigating and reporting emerging risks of fraud when they attend the forthcoming 21st Annual Regional Audit Conference (ARAC) hosted by the UAE Internal Auditors Association (UAE IAA) from May 16 to 18, 2023 at InterContinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City.

More than 1,000 internal audit professionals will be attending the three-day event with the theme “ESG - Embracing Sustainability in Audit” that will showcase the best the profession has to offer and provides participants from around the world with an understanding of the latest developments in internal auditing.

The Regional Conference is the premier event for internal auditors who want to hear powerful keynote speakers and international presenters representing the global internal audit profession. Pressing topics such as ESG, Sustainability, Agile Auditing, Governance and Risks, Fraud and Corruption, Information Security and Transformational Leadership will be discussed by experts at the conference.

“We always strived to enable our internal audit professionals to keep abreast of the latest development and practice. The innovative theme is chosen as Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Sustainability are becoming increasingly important topics in the business world. Internal auditors play a critical role in assessing and evaluating an organisation’s adherence to ESG and sustainability principles. This conference will help them gain technical skills in distinguishing evidence of fraud from information. Further, the internal audit profession can contribute to the advancement of ESG and sustainability by promoting accountability and good governance within organizations,” said UAE IAA Chairman of the Board, Abdulqader Obaid Ali.

“Internal auditors can help an organization identify and mitigate potential reputational risks associated with ESG and sustainability. The enhanced program will focus on investigating and reporting emerging risks of fraud and how auditors need to gain technical skills in distinguishing evidence of fraud from information,” he added.

The internal audit profession can contribute to the advancement of ESG and sustainability by promoting accountability and good governance within organizations, he said.

The conference assumes more significance at it will be attended by Mr Benito Ybarra, Chairman of the Global Board of Directors of The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and past chair of The IIA’s North American Board. He joins a long line of successful and dedicated internal audit professionals from around the world. His theme for his term is “One IIA - Building Trust Together.” The One IIA concept aspires to harness the power of internal audit professionals worldwide and recognize opportunities for collaboration and improvement.

The first day will be devoted to the Conference Masterclass, which will cover “Assessing Fraud Evidence – Advanced Skills for Auditors, and the other two days will be devoted to conducting the conference.

Ian Ross, the listed expert with The International Criminal Court of Justice (ICC) The Hague, and a world class international specialist in the investigation and prevention of financial crime, will be conducting the pre-conference Masterclass ‘Assessing Fraud Evidence - Advanced Skills for Auditors.’

The enhanced program will focus on investigating and reporting emerging risks of fraud and how auditors need to gain technical skills in distinguishing evidence of fraud from information.

This innovative workshop will provide skills and method to bolster the auditor’s skill-set and advance beyond ‘red flags and probe into evidence and the approach of the perpetrator.

There will be concurrent sessions conducted by the strategic partners and the sponsors and other invited renowned speakers that will focus on topics related to the conference theme.

Tracie Marquardt, a highly sought-after audit communication specialist, will also be attending. She will be empowering Chief Audit Executives and their teams to bring more added value to their global communication, and ultimately to their businesses.

Tracie, who has trained more than 5,000 international internal auditors in major global conglomerates, is passionate about inspiring audit professionals to be more, do more and create more through positive communication.

Attendees will be presented with a number of concurrent sessions on current issues and trends, industry best practices seeking to address common challenges, and knowledge-sharing opportunities. The overall experience enhances professional development, provides engaging peer-to-peer networking, affords access to key service firms and vendors, and much more.

Attending professionals can earn 22 CPEs+ credits to maintain their IIA certifications.

They can share and discuss innovative ideas and concepts with recognized more than 20 global thought leaders, speakers, and practitioners.

UAE IAA, a non-profit organization, was set up in 1995 along the lines of its parent body, the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA Global) which has 200,000 members from more than 190 countries and organizations. The UAE accounts for about 45% of the total number of internal auditors working in the region, estimated at about 7,000 auditors, of which 22% are Emiratis.

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