During the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Malawi Annual Lake Conference in Mangochi on Friday, IIA Global President and Chief Executive Officer, Richard Chambers, said the profession would require vigilance to remain relevant amid challenges the local economy is facing.

He further urged auditors to understand governance risks and manage them accordingly if they are to effectively contribute to national economic growth. “We are operating and living in a world of unprecedented disruption and speed and we, as internal auditors, must be willing to audit at the speed of risk because, if we don’t, we will not save our organisations,” Chambers said.

Chambers emphasized that more needed to be done to shape governance structures, while admitting that the profession had tried to navigate away from inconceivable assumption of being a policing agent to be trusted as advisers to stakeholders.