Message from the President, Julie Champagne:
“Reassessing our Relevance and Establishing our Strategic Plan”
I am pleased and excited to take on the role of President for the Ottawa Chapter and will continue to serve the Chapter in this new capacity. Over the past few months, I have had the privilege to work with a dedicated and knowledgeable team to establish our 3-year Strategic Plan, setting out our Chapter’s key focus areas and priorities. And what a perfect time to “reassess our relevance!" Over the past five years, we’ve seen tremendous change in the internal audit community, especially in the federal government, with the advent of the Internal Audit Policy and the establishment of Departmental Audit Committees. Our community has come a long way and we continue to adapt to our changing environment. We certainly have some interesting and important challenges and opportunities ahead of us, such as:
- Increased global uncertainty and volatility –While Canada is fairing better than other countries, we are not immune and need to be vigilant and adapt to the potential impacts of another downturn.
- Fiscal pressures – The current “budget constraints” and “strategic reviews” seen in the federal government are posing both a threat and an opportunity in terms of our role as auditors and a strategic partner, the promotion of internal audit’s value proposition and the composition of our audit teams.
- IIA Canada – The establishment of IIA Canada will enable national initiatives and services, including the promotion and advocacy of Internal Audit, as well as national programs and conferences, but it will require a rethinking of the service delivery model at the local versus the national level.
A key part of our Strategic Planning exercise was conducting an environmental scan of these and other factors, and evaluating input from key stakeholders, including our membership. In line with our Chapter’s mandate, I am pleased to share some highlights of our Strategic Plan 2012-2015. The Chapter will be focused on three areas:
1. BUILDING CAPABILITY AND VALUE OF THE IA COMMUNITY
- PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM: Deliver a professional development program that supports professional certification and continuous learning.
- CONNECTING OUR MEMBERS: Provide opportunities for members to connect, share knowledge and advance thinking on matters of local importance.
- PROMOTION & ADVOCACY: Promote the value of internal audit, influence public-policy decisions, and advocate investment in internal audit.
2. STRENGTHENING CHAPTER CAPACITY
- CHAPTER GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT: The Chapter’s governance processes, structure and bylaws support effective decision-making and implementation success. The Chapter manages itself in a sustainable, fiscally prudent, transparent and collaborative fashion.
3. SUPPORTING IIA CANADA
- CONTRIBUTION TO BUILDING IIA CANADA: The Chapter contributes to the IIA Canada’s formation and development.
Our Board is currently developing operational plans to align with these strategic directions. To continue to be relevant, we need to engage you, our members – and especially our audit leaders – in sharing practices and discussing emerging issues, risks and opportunities. We also need to be vocal and bold, promoting the internal audit function and creating an understanding of its role and value proposition.
I am proud to be working with an exceptional IIA Ottawa Chapter Board of Directors comprised of thought leaders, respected practitioners, and our dedicated volunteers. However, to accomplish our Chapter’s Strategic Plan, and to capitalize on the opportunities that lay ahead, we need your help! I invite you to work with us to advance our Chapter and the internal audit community. The IIA Chapter Executive Committee and Board of Governors for 2011-2012 may be found in this newsletter as well as on the website: http://www.theiia.org/chapters/pubdocs/94/IIA_Ottawa_Chapter_2011_2012_Board_Info.pdf.
We hope to hear from you!
Prepared by Julie Champagne, President of the Ottawa Chapter (as of May 2011) and formerly served the Board as Vice-President, Strategy. Julie is the Deputy Chief, Internal Audit at the Bank of Canada: jchampagne@bankof canada.ca.
OTTAWA CHAPTER INFORMATION
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