• Develop and shape the IA strategy for the future together with fellow board members.
• Lead by the example by upholding the highest standard of professional conduct.
• Balancing the Global and the Local strategies, including Large vs Small dept.
• Educate practitioners on best practices, emerging trends, and innovative approaches in internal auditing.
• Champion the value that internal audit professionals bring to their organizations. Advocate for the importance of internal auditing in enhancing operations, risk management and governance.

• Sharing knowledge, based on a long track-record of international experience in audit, risk management, governance & compliance, and even far beyond those areas (e.g. insurance, economic studies, … ) as well on the level of large private international companies (Engie, Elia, …) as on the level of a local institution (university VUB); I can also bring years of experience regarding what Boards and Audit Committees are looking for;
• Contribute to the development of methodologies and good practices;
• Promote the importance of an independent internal audit and, at the same time, be a support for management.

• Promoting the interaction between Audit and Risk Management (seen my experience and responsibilities in both area’s).

• Contribute to shaping the future by seeking new insights on how the internal audit profession remains relevant and adaptive to changing environments.    
• Support Small IAFs in their continuous challenge to maximize added value with limited resources.
• Foster collaboration between the second and third line and address the gap in case of a less mature or absent second line.
• Foster the different IIABEL communities to continue offering knowledge sharing and networking opportunities. 

DRIVING IA INNOVATION WITH AI

A game changer for small audit shops

• AI’s role in the future is undeniable.
• Internal auditors should:
  • Stay on top of AI developments.
  • Start thinking of AI as a team member.
• How?
  • Gather and structure relevant available information.
  • Provide actionable real-life cases for hands-on learning.
  • Focus on using affordable, widely available tools.

• Contribute to the promotion of the internal audit profession to  Boards, regulators, governments and students;
• Contribute to initiatives for strengthening the internal audit network within Belgium as well as growing my internal audit network;
• Help growing and further maturing the internal audit profession in Belgium and beyond.

I strongly believe in the importance of communication on internal audit practices, as to enhance internal audit success. Therefore, as a Board member, I would like to contribute to advocating the internal audit profession to Boards, regulators, governments and students.

E.g.:

• Develop relationships or partnerships with regulators and corporate governance bodies (employer organizations, the institute of external auditors, risk manager or compliance officer associations, … );
• Give lectures on internal audit to Board committees;
• Teach on internal audit during university lectures, be present during job fairs, support internal audit internships.

• Share my passion for the internal audit profession and inspire others
• Play a vital role further developing IIA Belgium and the IA profession as a whole
• Personal growth: gained already a lot of experience working with several audit departments as a consultant, but this would open to experience in the profession from a different perspective

Many audit departments currently operate below their potential and fail to fully realize their added value within their organizations. I believe that the IIA, can contribute to inspiring and equipping internal audit teams with leading insights, empowering them to excel and make meaningful impacts within their respective organizations.

The project I would like to realize is to enrich the offering (hands-on workshops and toolboxes) of IIA Belgium in this context by working closer together with other IIA member firms internationally.

BCG: Build, Connect, Grow

1. Build: active & efficient steering to achieve goals.
2. Connect: develop relationships for enhanced impact.
3. Grow: learn from & share experiences for insights.

• Focus on emerging technologies and associated risks.
• Contribute to the Young Professionals Network.

• Ensuring the profession and its representation remains relevant in an increasingly challenging and evolving compliance landscape.
• Enhance the appeal and attractiveness of the professions, and leverage on the experience and knowledge of its members.

• Advocacy & Engagement 
  Promote the profession in private sector companies. Actively engage with stakeholders (AC & board) and leverage on strong(er) connections to other Associations and Institutes of Assurance/Compliance professionals (Risk, Legal, etc..)
• Grow membership through targeted and accessible campaigns which ensure added value.
• Facilitate an active community of knowledge sharing specific to various members’ needs.

• Promote the internal audit profession.
• Provide continuity between the outgoing and incoming Governing Body.
• Develop my professional network.

• Build bridges and exchange experiences between the private and public sectors.
• Give greater attention to the public sector.
• Contribute to raising the profile of the auditing profession.

• Organize meetings and exchanges of experience between auditors from the public and private sectors (Large audit shops).
• Organize a communication campaign to raise the profile of the auditing profession among the general public.

• Volunteering to contribute to the Internal Audit profession and further building the IIABEL journey.
• Share my experience from current and previous board mandates (ACFE, Dispute Resolution Committee, European Payment Agency,..).
• Enrich the board dynamics with ‘out of the box’ advice.
• Helping our internal auditors’ community to become and remain futureproof by keeping a close eye on evolutions (AI, upcoming EU regulations,…).
• Bringing the forensic capabilities in the Internal Audit capability matrix.

Fraud risks are often less represented in the risk register or internal audit approach. Going forward however, they will become even more important (e.g. fraud risks in view of ESG reporting). Integrating these risks into the audit plan and every internal audit will be highly necessary. My objectives would therefore be:

• Enhancing the relationship between the forensic and internal audit practice.
• Ensuring that forensic investigation capabilities become a standard element in the internal auditor’s skillset by building it gradually throughout his or her carreer path.
• Raising awareness on new type of fraud risks impacting organizations and their internal audit practice.

WHY?

I want to contribute to the development and success of the internal audit community by enabling auditors – including myself - and other actors within audit departments to look for solutions or possible enhancements in their work.

HOW?

By creating a platform:

• to enable exchange of knowledge as well as real-life experiences and best practices. This regarding auditing itself as well as the organization of an audit department.
• to discuss topics that are important to all auditors as well as topics that are linked with specific challenges of large audit communities.
• to network.

Project regarding ‘large audit departments’ that wants to offer a platform to auditors that cannot join the Small Audit Shops, the CAE Community or are too experienced to join the Young Professionals Community.

The aim is to create a platform for these auditors AND to ensure bridges are built with the existing communities to ensure all members of IIA Bel get as much valuable information and inspiration as possible.

1.IIA Objectives:

• Engage proactively in the initiatives of IIA Belgium , contributing to the roll-out of new global standards.
• Facilitate the growth and outreach of the IIA’s Belgian chapter, particularly in the South.

2.Personal Objectives:

• Grow a strategic mindset and enhance leadership capabilities to influence and guide future directions.
• Expand professional networks to foster the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and experiences.

In the movie “Lucy” (2014), Morgan Freeman’s character shares an intriguing perspective on life and learning “Since the very beginning the sole purpose of life has been to pass on what was learned.”  This idea highlights the fundamental role of knowledge accumulation and transmission throughout the evolution of life.

30+ years in the profession, mostly with a critical service provider in the center of the financial ecosystem, allowed me to gain insights and understanding, and I feel it is my responsibility  to pass that knowledge on, contributing to the collective growth of the profession.  I have done so in the past with ISACA and am looking forward to do the same with IIA Belgium, albeit at Board level.  Besides contributing to the profession, I am also hoping to engage with the audit community and consider this a wonderful opportunity for multilateral learning and development. 

In tandem with my fellow board members, I will strive to promote risk and control practices as an integral part of higher education curricula in Belgium and promote the audit profession as a valuable career path.  I will aim to build or complete an overview of coverage of auditing, and endeavor to enhance that, ultimately leading to a better, more consistently trained future workforce.  This will elevate the interaction with auditors to the benefit of the respective organisations.

Linked to this I will also be keen to promote active participation in continuous learning, motivating the membership to make their training needs know to IIA, and get involved.

• Put the experience I have gained throughout my professional career in the 2nd and 3rd line of defense at disposition of IIA Belgium.
• Make IIA Belgium relevant for all shapes and sizes of companies and motivate better “best practice” sharing between IIA members.
• Rethink the training approach (commercial and technical) to remain competitive in an environment with increased competition. Reflect on a way to provide a library of essential documents for internal auditors.

1. Advocacy: Raise awareness in the public about the profession and its potential to add value and create impact on organizational success.
2. Enhance thought leadership and shareable practice sharing throughout the internal audit community.
3. Foster innovation in internal audit practices to move from traditional auditing towards incorporating new technologies and innovation in internal audit processes.

Strengthening member engagement:

supporting/creating initiatives to engage existing members more but also attract new members such as networking, webinars, knowledge-sharing, mentorship, partnerships with universities,….