Voice of the CEO: Celebrating a Year of Transformation

2025 has been a milestone year — not just for The IIA, but for the entire internal audit profession. Over the past year, our global community grew to more than 270,000 members, the largest in our history, and we proudly welcomed new national institutes in Georgia, Mexico, and Namibia. These achievements reflect the strength, unity, and growing influence of internal auditors worldwide.

As the year comes to a close, I want to pause and recognize the progress we’ve made together and highlight a few of the accomplishments that helped make 2025 such a successful year for our profession.

Launch of the New Global Internal Audit Standards. Following a year of early adoption, the Standards became effective on Jan. 9. This global effort reflects the collective work of the International Internal Audit Standards Board, IIA institutes, and thousands of stakeholders, and is already making an impact with translations in more than 30 languages and thousands of downloads globally. It represents a significant step in The IIA’s mission to advance the internal audit profession and empower auditors to deliver even greater value to their organizations.

Introducing Topical Requirements. This year also marked the introduction of Topical Requirements, a key evolution of the International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF). The IIA launched its first requirement on cybersecurity — the top global risk identified year after year in the Risk in Focus reports — which will take full effect in February. It was followed by Third-Party Risk in September and Organizational Behavior in December.

Public comment on the fourth requirement, Organizational Resilience, is currently under review and is expected to be released in early 2026. Together, these requirements are designed to address the most pervasive risk areas globally and ensure internal audit remains relevant, responsive, and aligned with an evolving global risk landscape.

Enhancing Our Certifications. This year, the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) exam was modernized and aligned with the new Standards, with expanded coverage of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and data analytics, and is now available in 11 languages. To help prepare those taking the exam, The IIA partnered with Becker, the leading provider of accounting exam reviews and professional education, to develop the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) Exam Review.

In addition, the Internal Audit Practitioner (IAP) exam became a permanent credential and now serves as Part One of the CIA, offered in 16 languages. This update creates a clearer, more accessible pathway for students, early-career professionals, and auditors without a degree to begin their CIA journey.

We also expanded our partnership with IIA China through a new agreement that introduces the IAP credential and lays the groundwork for offering the CIA Challenge Exams in Chinese, both firsts for the market.

Advocacy Wins. Our advocacy efforts delivered meaningful wins in 2025, strengthening the profession’s voice and protecting the public interest globally. Our teams made deepened relationships with lawmakers and regulators, elevating the role of internal audit in areas such as AI, cryptocurrency, data privacy, and corporate governance.

Key milestones include the recent launch of the Global Audit Committee Center under our Corporate Governance Engagement program, references to internal auditing in pending U.S. crypto and AI legislation, and the formation of a Sarbanes-Oxley working group to deliver a Q1 2026 report on Sarbanes-Oxley reform to the U.S. Congress. The IIA also issued its first comprehensive report on federal internal audit laws across Canada, released a new Disciplinary & Oversight Framework for members and national institutes, and secured approval of Model Legislation for African institutes, recognizing them as self-regulatory bodies. Together, these efforts advance governance, reinforce independence, and elevate internal audit’s role in boardrooms and public policy worldwide.

Growing the Talent Pipeline. Investing in the future of our profession remained a clear priority in 2025. I was encouraged by the momentum generated through the launch of the Internal Audit Foundation’s Internal Audit Academic Alliance program, which has forged partnerships with more than 160 schools in 41 countries to advance internal audit education. I’m also proud of the Foundation’s landmark year for its global scholarship and grant programs, with more than $275,000 awarded to students, researchers, universities, and IIA chapters around the world this year.

Celebrating Vision 2035. The IIA was honored to receive the Power of Associations Silver Award from the American Society of Association Executives for our Vision 2035 report — a forward-looking blueprint for the future of internal auditing. Congratulations to the Internal Audit Foundation and everyone who played a part in this achievement. Your leadership and perspective are helping guide organizations and professionals toward future readiness.

Advancing Member Competency & Learning. Another strong source of momentum in 2025 was the record-setting engagement seen across conferences, webinars, and certifications. We launched a new Internal Auditing Competency Framework, aligned our full portfolio to it, and expanded our global footprint with our first faculty training outside the U.S. We also introduced new offerings focused on resilience, strategy, ethics, and AI, while also strengthening our presence in financial services through new partnerships and advisory groups.

Building Connections With National Institutes. We engaged national institute leaders through regional workshops, global headquarters visits, onboarding programs, and ongoing collaboration that serve to foster continual global alignment. In addition to welcoming three new national institutes to our global federation, we also expanded our translation efforts through more than 400 projects, which have helped enhance accessibility and operational efficiency worldwide.

Celebrating a Momentous Year

These highlights are just a fraction of what The IIA has achieved this year and demonstrate our shared commitment to a brighter future for the profession. My gratitude goes to our members, IIA headquarters staff, and our Global and North American Board members for your dedication and impact. I aso want to thank our past Global Board chair, Terry Grafenstine, and current chair, Stefano Comotti, for their leadership and the perspectives they bring to our more than 270,000 members.

As we prepare to enter 2026, I am more confident than ever in the direction of our profession. The momentum we have built together will propel us forward as we continue to innovate, lead, and ensure internal auditing remains central to strong governance and organizational success.

Thank you for being an essential part of this journey, and I wish you and your loved ones a joyful holiday season and a happy New Year!