Alexander Heggen and Grant Wahlstrom receive 2023 Thurston and Keys Awards.
Authors of two tales of wrongdoing — from organizationwide corruption to an employee’s criminal scheme — receive Internal Auditor’s 2023 writing awards.
Online Exclusive: Internal Auditor Honors Top Authors
Articles Tim McCollum Jul 18, 2024
Anthony Pugliese, IIA President and CEO; Thurston Award winner Alexander Heggen; and Benito Ybarra, IIA Executive Vice President, Global Standards, Guidance, and Certifications.
Alexander Heggen received the John B. Thurston Award for Literary Excellence this week at The IIA’s International Conference in Washington, D.C., for the best article that appeared in Internal Auditor in 2023. Heggen’s June 2023 article, “Auditors in the Hot Seat,” describes how internal audit leaders could be fined or face enforcement actions for failing to address risks. Heggen is now an assistant professor at Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pa.
Heggen’s article draws on the findings of the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s report on the consumer account failures at Wells Fargo. That report recommended fines for three of the bank’s internal audit and risk executives. The article details the conditions that led to the enforcement recommendation and suggests opportunities for internal audit functions to “turn the magnifying glass on their own operations.”
“The lessons in this case are a reminder that all internal auditors have a responsibility to protect organizational value and provide assurance to help reach strategic objectives,” Heggen writes.
In addition to the Thurston Award, Internal Auditor recognized Outstanding Contributors for articles published in 2023:
- Rami Bareket, “From All Angles” (December).
- James Bone, “Hidden Depths” (August).
- Kitty Kay Chan and Tina Kim, “Squaring Off Against Blockchain Crime” (October).
- Jim DeLoach and Andrew Struthers-Kennedy, “Showing Your Talent” (June).
- Audra Nariunaite, “A State of Resilience” (December).
Grant Wahlstrom received the 2023 Ted Keys Award for Internal Auditor’s best department article for “Help Wanted,” which appeared in the February 2023 issue’s “Fraud” department. Wahlstrom is senior manager of fraud, forensics, and investigations at ADT in Boca Raton, Fla.
The article tells the tale of a wireless company customer service employee who processed fraudulent refunds and deposited the amounts into her bank account. The internal auditor who investigated the scheme discovered the employee had an extensive criminal record, including identity theft. “Organizations should run criminal background checks on all potential employees before they offer candidates a position,” Wahlstrom writes.
Internal Auditor recognized four department authors for honorable mention:
- Laura Harris, “Buying Into Trouble” (“Fraud,” October).
- Nikhil Kenjale, “The New Basics of Data Analytics” (“Tech,” June).
- Antonio Magallanes-Villamor, Jr., “The Security Interchange” (“Tech,” December).
- James Roth, “The Five Attributes Approach” (“Basics,” February) and "Plan For Effective Interviews," ("Basics," June).
The Thurston Award is named in honor of John B. Thurston, the first international president of The IIA. The Ted Keys Award is named for Elmer Theodore Keys Jr., a long-time writer for Internal Auditor.