The moral and financial benefits of internal auditing addressed at Leeds Beckett public talk

Nicola Rimmer, Past President of the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors, will be discussing how organisations must internally audit their ‘culture’ to meet society’s increasing demands for transparency and principled trading standards.

The talk is the third instalment in the Leeds Business School’s Guest Lecture Series, which has already seen Tom Riordan, Chief Executive of Leeds City Council, and Roger Cutsforth, Managing Director of The Radio Academy, deliver to packed houses.  The lecture is free, open to the public and will be held at the University’s Rose Bowl building at the City Campus on Tuesday 10 November.

Nicola explained: “The external operating environment is changing rapidly. The impact of technology and fast communication means that organisations are being scrutinised like never before.  We have all seen the consequences of viral messaging and the potential impact on consumer behaviour; be it where we buy our food post-the horsemeat scandal, or our clothing following revelations of inhumane working conditions in Bangladeshi factories, or where we buy our books and coffee following tax investigations - society now demands more transparency from organisations and places more emphasis on culture and tone at the top.

“This is a new area for internal audit, and one which is causing huge debate amongst the profession.  I hope that by providing an overview of the process and by emphasising its increasingly important role in governance, organisations will be able to see the moral and financial benefits.”

Having begun her career in 1998, Nicola is now a leading figure in the practice of internal auditing, delivering conferences to both national and international audiences.  Currently Director, Internal Audit at Barclays, she has worked for various organisations (predominantly in financial services) including Aviva, HBOS and the Financial Services Authority. 

Paul Houghton, Principal Lecturer in Accounting, Finance and Economics at Leeds Beckett, said: “I am looking forward to welcoming Nicola to the series. Her experience in the field is vast; and I know that guests at the lecture will be treated to an insightful, subjective view of internal auditing.”

The series, sponsored by Yorkshire Bank, will see some of the region’s top business leaders explore wide-ranging subjects, from social enterprise to fraud and corruption. 

Simon Wright, Regional Director, Business and Private Bank at Yorkshire Bank, added: "This is an excellent and varied speaker series.  It provides information and ideas which can only benefit attendees, and through those attendees, the wider community.”         

 The full list of talks in the series is:

‘Can Culture be Audited?’ – Nicola Rimmer, Past President of the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors.  Tuesday 10 November.

‘Choice and Control – The Key to Driving Performance for a Better Balanced Business’ – Heather Jackson, Founder and Chair of an Inspirational Journey.  Tuesday 24 November.

‘Economic Prospects’ – Will Holman, Regional Director, Bank of England. Tuesday 19 January 2016 (8.30am to 10am).

‘The Rise of Social Enterprise’ – Paul Monaghan, Expert in Corporate Ethics and Ecology.  Tuesday 9 February 2016.

‘Engaging Leaders and Nurturing Entrepreneurs’ – Natalie Sykes, Regional Director, Institute of Directors, Yorkshire and the North East.  Tuesday 23 February 2016

‘Fraud and Corruption in the World of Business’ – Chris Clements, Partner, Deloitte LLP.  Tuesday 8 March 2016

‘Upside Down Management’ – John Timpson CBE, Chairman of Timpson Ltd.  Tuesday 12 April.

‘Leeds: The City of Collaboration’ – Allison Page, Partner, DLA Piper and member of the Two Percent Club.  Tuesday 26 April.

‘Governance – A Necessary Evil or a Driver of Performance?’ – Alex Simpson, General Counsel, Company Secretary and Chief Ethics officer, ASDA.  Tuesday 10 May (8.30am to 10pm).