Internal Audit’s role is changing. That means Internal Auditors have to change, too.

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I recently focused on why the traditional Internal Audit project, the audit, is becoming less relevant. Internal Auditors are taking on more advisory work and becoming more risk-focused. Reimagining our work requires making innovation central to culture.

I’ve also focused on how these changes are impacting how Internal Audit defines its value, and causing some teams to consider changing their name.

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Our changing mandate is also changing the skills Internal Auditors need today and in the future. 

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That’s why today’s newsletter puts the spotlight on how three of our profession’s biggest, most mature, and most modern Internal Audit teams are developing their teams. 

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In a recent IAC webinar, three incredible Internal Audit professional practice leaders (and IAC members!) from large, industry-leading teams generously shared their insights. Internal audit leader Mitch Krzyzek skillfully moderated a panel consisting of Alex Speck, Senior Director of Internal Audit Quality & Operations at a software organization; Nicole Brack, AVP Standards & Operations at a financial services firm; and Emmanual Benton, Internal Audit Professional Practices Group Director at a telecom company. 

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For these experienced, energized, and forward-thinking leaders, all roads lead back to equipping their teams to be agile, well-rounded, tech-enabled Internal Auditors for whom innovation is second nature. 

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There was general consensus on three key areas where skills development is most needed: (1) analytics and AI, (2) IT audit, and (3) innovating traditional internal audit acumen. Emmanual’s team refers to this as the “triple threat” skill set. Emmanual asked the million-dollar question: “How do we train a team that knows your foundational operational audit, your analytics, and your technology? We're trying to really have that triple threat.” Read on to better understand why these skills are so important and how these industry-leading teams are cultivating them. 

1. AI and Analytics

Internal Auditors are being asked to deliver more value using the same or fewer resources. Many businesses are going all-in on AI and analytics to boost productivity, efficiency, and data-enabled insight. But in most companies, governance isn’t keeping pace, making training essential.

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All of our panelists’ teams are making AI and analytics skills development a top strategic priority in 2025. Beyond providing introductory training around foundational AI concepts, company policies and standards, and practical Internal Audit use cases, they’re also investing in higher-level training around topics such as advanced prompting, solution design, and auditing key AI-related risks. 

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As Emmanual put it, “When I think about resource management and adding value to the business, it’s about doubling down on our training curriculum. So we’ve been doubling down on developing analytical skills, bringing in third-party consultants to help everyone learn SQL, Tableau, and other tools. Giving them the technology they need to succeed.” 

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With AI and analytics, however, hands-on experimentation often provides the most effective training. As Emmanual said, “Innovation is really about collaborating with everyone. So that the journey is something we go on together — so that we’re not innovating at people, but trying to innovate with people.” Even better if solutions focus on problems the team wants to solve. Nicole said, “When it comes to experimenting, we generally start by evaluating what the business problem is. Is something too time-consuming? Is it inconsistent? Are we limited on the insights we can gather?” 

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It clearly helps when the whole company is onboard, providing enterprise AI capabilities and encouraging adoption. Alex’s organization is a great example. To build out new product capabilities enabling customers to build out their own agentic AI layers, employees use those capabilities as “customer zero.” In fact, all 70,000+ members of Alex’s organization are required to get certified in building AI agents in 2025. 

2. IT Audit

IT audit’s strategic importance is growing alongside the increasing complexity of our organizations’ IT systems, threats (e.g., cybersecurity, data privacy/security, third-party), and pressures (e.g., standards/regulations, stakeholder expectations).

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IT competency has become a necessity. Every Internal Auditor needs to get better at understanding and auditing technology’s constantly evolving impacts and risks. That includes evaluating and testing ITGCs, application controls, and IPEs and advising on IT risks, governance, regulatory compliance, and business continuity. 

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These industry-leading teams aren’t just waiting for the perfect IT Audit hire to come through the door. They’re investing in upleveling all their auditors. Representative efforts include: 

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• Updating roles, curricula, and development programs to include core IT audit skills, including giving motivated Internal Auditors opportunities to pursue more advanced skills.
• Training teams on foundational IT audit elements at introductory (e.g., “IT audit for the non-IT-auditor”) and intermediate (e.g., systems, infrastructure, data architecture) levels. 
• Having teams demonstrate proficiency in specific IT audit skill sets.
• Optimizing IT audit practices and risk assessment tools.  

3. Innovating Traditional Internal Audit Practices

Delivering more value and staying relevant requires Internal Auditors to continually innovate how work gets done. Nicole explained, “We’re focused on embedding innovation into every layer of the audit life cycle. That includes modernizing our methodology and quality practices; digitizing our audit tools; streamlining reporting, auditor training, and development; and collaborating across all three lines.”

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These teams are innovating traditional Internal Audit practices by:

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• Cross-training via collaboration. For example, Nicole’s team involves leaders from across the business. “We’re collaborating closely with all of our internal leaders — the SMEs available to us within and outside Internal Audit, as well as our L&D partners — to really upskill our auditors through role-based learning (both formal and experiential) around AI, data analytics, and improving our communications to elevate our strategic advisory services,” said Nicole. Teams are also bringing in external resources (e.g., having an IIA exec conduct training on report writing or standards; having a Big Four consultant talk about Internal Audit governance).  
• Regularly updating training needs. Alex’s team undertakes a skills assessment every two years to identify and update training needs to ensure core skills training stays relevant. 
• Innovating through empowerment. For example, Alex’s team used a team offsite to gather feedback on how they can reduce red tape in the audit process (e.g., inefficiencies, unnecessary reviews), resulting in major updates to standards, workflows, and the audit management system. They also launched a new peer review process for QAIPs that increased knowledge sharing while reducing friction between professional practices and the core audit team. Said Alex, “These initiatives have a hugely positive impact on the team when we get them right. And that’s not just in terms of process efficiency, but also in terms of team morale — as it’s the feedback directly from the team that is helping to drive the improvements.” 

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How the Internal Audit Collective Can Help

• This is why the IAC exists! Our community is all about asking questions, sharing ideas, and connecting with other leaders looking to uplevel their approaches. 
• Internal Audit Fundamentals roundtables focus on sharing best practices and recommendations on planning, fieldwork/testing, root-cause analysis, report writing, issue management, stakeholder communications, and other essentials.

Risks and technologies will keep evolving, and organizations’ needs will keep changing. The well-rounded, cross-trained triple-threat Internal Auditors of the future will have new skills and an ongoing commitment to innovation. 

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Up-skilling in these key areas — analytics and AI, IT audit, and innovating traditional Internal Audit practices — offers a solid roadmap for teams of any size.