# The IIA's New Global Chair on What the Profession Needs Now

An episode of [All Things Internal Audit](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1758983201), 30 Jun 2026, 16 min.

Audio: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/1984d534-f92f-4772-a722-6ac47400e67e/ATIA_-_Anthony_and_Stacey_V7_MP3.mp3?dest-id=3677289

The Institute of Internal Auditors Presents: All Things Internal Audit In this special episode of All Things Internal Audit, Anthony Pugliese sits down with IIA Global Board Chair Stacey Schabel to discuss her leadership theme for the year: Risk-Focused, Future-Ready. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in audit and risk leadership, Schabel shares her vision for helping internal auditors navigate an increasingly complex risk environment shaped by AI, cyber threats, geopolitical uncertainty, and rapid technological change. The conversation explores the evolving role of internal audit, the importance of developing future-ready skills, and what success looks like for the profession in the year ahead. • HOST: • Anthony Pugliese, CIA, CPA President and CEO, The IIA • GUEST: • Stacey Schabel, CIA, CPA Senior Vice President and Global Head of Operational Risk, Reinsurance Group of America Chair, The IIA Global Board of Directors KEY POINTS: • Introduction and Stacey Schabel's Background \[00:00:00-00:02:08\] • Risk-Focused, Future-Ready: The Theme for the Year \[00:02:08-00:02:57\] • How the Risk Landscape Is Changing \[00:02:57-00:03:41\] • What It Means to Be Risk-Focused and Future-Ready \[00:03:41-00:04:52\] • Opportunities and Challenges for the Profession \[00:04:52-00:07:13\] • Advice for Emerging Internal Audit Leaders \[00:07:13-00:08:16\] • Staying Curious and Understanding Risk \[00:08:16-00:09:24\] • Embracing Technology, AI, and Mentorship \[00:09:24-00:10:16\] • Building Influence Through Trust and Credibility \[00:10:16-00:10:45\] • What Success Would Look Like as Global Board Chair \[00:10:45-00:12:14\] • Advancing AI Readiness and Integrated Assurance \[00:12:14-00:12:43\] • Inspiring the Next Generation of Internal Auditors \[00:12:43-00:13:30\] • Ensuring Every Voice Is Heard Across the Profession \[00:13:30-00:15:00\] • Final Thoughts \[00:15:00-00:15:21\] IIA RELATED CONTENT: Interested in this topic? Visit the links below for more resources: • Leadership Profile: Stacey L. Schabel • Global Internal Audit Standards • Vision 2035 • AI Knowledge Center • Three Lines Model • The Institute of Internal Auditors Leadership Visit The IIA's website or YouTube channel for related topics and more. Follow All Things Internal Audit: Apple Podcasts Spotify Libsyn Deezer

## Transcript

[0:02] The Institute of Internal Auditors presents All Things Internal Audit.
[0:06] In this special episode, Anthony Pugliese sits down with IIA
[0:10] Global Board Chair Stacey Shabel to discuss her leadership theme for the
[0:14] year, risk-focused, future-ready.
[0:17] Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in audit and risk leadership,
[0:22] Shaebel shares her vision for helping internal auditors navigate an
[0:25] increasingly complex risk environment shaped by AI,
[0:29] cyber threats, geopolitical uncertainty, and rapid technology
[0:33] change. The conversation explores the evolving role of internal audit,
[0:38] the importance of developing future-ready skills, and what success looks
[0:41] like for the profession in the year ahead.
[0:46] Stacey, you've held a variety of leadership roles across the IIA,
[0:50] and you've spent more than 25 years in risk and audit leadership.
[0:54] So how have those experiences shaped your vision for the
[0:57] profession and for what you'd like to see the IIA achieve
[1:01] during your terms? That's a big question. So what do you think?
[1:04] So I spent almost 25 years now leading in audit and risk
[1:08] management roles across global and US public financial
[1:12] services companies. Before transitioning into my current
[1:16] global role in operational risk leadership at RGA, I
[1:20] spent more than a dozen years as a chief audit executive, most
[1:24] recently at Jackson Financial. And I've been involved in
[1:28] the IIA for many years and got absolutely hooked
[1:32] when I got the opportunity to help other financial services
[1:36] leaders and work closely with them to write practice guides
[1:40] on global topics that really impact a lot of us and the
[1:44] profession as a whole, really helping auditors,
[1:48] regulators, and leaders understand really complex
[1:51] topics and how to attack them and really help their
[1:55] companies from their roles. And so since doing that, I've just
[1:58] really loved serving the IIA and our global
[2:02] membership that spans almost 200 countries and
[2:06] territories across the globe.
[2:08] Stacey, every year, as you now know, the Global Board Chair selects a
[2:12] core theme that is in line with our overall strategic
[2:16] plan, but something that would guide the terms and objectives of the year that
[2:19] you'll serve as global chair. If I could, could you tell us a bit about
[2:23] the theme you've selected, why you selected it, and how you think
[2:27] it'll guide your focus for the year ahead?
[2:29] So I'm really excited, Anthony, to your question, coming into
[2:33] the global chair role and what my priorities are for the
[2:37] year. Given my background and experience, I've
[2:41] chosen the theme of risk-focused, future-ready,
[2:45] and I really think that reflects a defining
[2:48] challenge and the biggest opportunity really
[2:51] facing the internal audit profession today, as well as
[2:55] risk professionals. The risk landscape as we
[2:59] see it is just fundamentally changing.
[3:03] If we pick up any newspaper or listen to anything going
[3:06] on externally, risks to our companies and
[3:10] our environments are moving faster and
[3:14] becoming more interconnected. And they're increasingly driven
[3:18] by technology and AI and cyber
[3:22] threats and geopolitical uncertainty around the
[3:25] world, really creating rapid disruption for
[3:29] all of us. And as internal auditors, we can really
[3:33] help our companies and our environments, but we need
[3:38] to evolve just as quickly.
[3:41] So really thinking about being risk-focused, I think is important.
[3:45] It ensures internal audit is aligned to the risks that
[3:49] matter most to our companies and our stakeholders.
[3:53] It means helping our stakeholders anticipate emerging
[3:57] risks, those things that are coming at us, and really strengthen our
[4:00] company's resilience so that when something bad does happen,
[4:05] we can recover quickly and still be successful.
[4:08] And then being future-ready really means helping our
[4:12] internal audit profession be prepared for what's next,
[4:16] making sure we can embrace technology, leverage
[4:20] AI, develop those new skills that we need,
[4:24] and really expand our role beyond backward-looking
[4:28] assurance to being there at the table with our
[4:32] strategic insight and foresight.
[4:35] So really just want to position our internal audit
[4:39] teams and our profession as that trusted
[4:42] risk-focused advisor that we really should be to our
[4:46] companies, given our view of all the things happening
[4:50] across our organizations and the external environment
[4:54] and how that impacts us.
[4:56] Excellent. Thank you, Stacey, and I couldn't agree more on the theme on risk.
[4:59] And as we approach 2027, we're going to have a whole new
[5:03] strategic plan to look at, and risk is going to be pulled out front and center,
[5:07] as well as some new exciting changes on our committee front, where we're going to
[5:10] be having a new GRC council to help guide us
[5:14] through a lot of the questions we have on this, and also the deliverables we'll
[5:17] have for members to help them if they're already doing this work or if they
[5:21] want to become involved with it. So thank you. Couldn't agree more.
[5:24] If I may, let me ask you another question.
[5:26] As you begin your term as global chair, what
[5:30] opportunities are you most excited about?
[5:32] And I'll add to that, what challenges do you believe will help
[5:36] shape the future of the profession over the next year?
[5:39] Yeah. I do think that we're entering a very
[5:43] exciting period in the history of the internal audit
[5:47] profession. I think our organizations,
[5:51] leadership teams, boards, really need
[5:54] us as internal audit professionals and the view that we bring
[5:58] more than ever.
[6:00] They're looking at how to successfully navigate all these
[6:04] challenges that are coming at them.
[6:06] That's a dimension, cyber, AI, operational resilience.
[6:10] If you add to that third-party risk and things happening in our
[6:14] third and fourth parties, regulatory change, and really
[6:18] that strategic uncertainty. Them using their
[6:22] internal audit teams in a more strategic way to really
[6:26] connect those dots is increasingly
[6:29] valuable to them. From a challenge perspective,
[6:33] I think our biggest challenge as a profession is the same
[6:36] challenge they face. It's really keeping pace with change.
[6:41] The gap between where you would say risk
[6:44] lives and where audit has traditionally focused is
[6:48] widening. So we need to be in that strategic risk
[6:51] space, really helping them attack those
[6:55] challenges. And we need to adapt our skills, our
[6:59] methodologies, and mindsets, as you mentioned, Anthony, some of
[7:02] those key focuses that are coming out this year to
[7:06] remain relevant and be extremely
[7:10] valuable to our companies and our stakeholders.
[7:13] That's awesome. Couldn't agree more.
[7:15] A lot of exciting opportunities and challenges, and who knows how the whole
[7:18] geopolitical process will play out, and what that presents in terms
[7:22] of challenge and opportunity. We'll see how it all goes, but I'll be there with
[7:26] you. Stacy, you and I both have a bit of a passion around the development of
[7:30] talent for the profession, particularly the future leaders of the
[7:33] profession. And we have a few things at IIA that we've done to help members,
[7:37] including Vision University and some other things that we've put out there.
[7:40] But what advice would you give to emerging internal audit
[7:44] professionals who want to grow their influence and also prepare for
[7:48] bigger leadership roles in their career?
[7:50] That's a great question, Anthony.
[7:52] I do love mentoring younger professionals.
[7:55] I had some fantastic mentors in my career thus far,
[7:59] and just really think it's valuable, and it's
[8:03] super rewarding from both sides of the table, either
[8:07] as someone being mentored or the mentor themselves.
[8:11] You get to learn about what's really happening with individuals at
[8:15] different points in their careers.
[8:16] For emerging leaders, I would say stay curious.
[8:20] I think the most successful auditors, and I would just say
[8:24] professionals in general, are lifelong learners.
[8:27] If you're really interested in what's happening and
[8:31] understanding how to make your organization better,
[8:35] I think it will serve you well. Because you're curious, and you're
[8:39] constantly wanting to learn more.
[8:41] Second, look to develop that deep understanding of
[8:45] risk, not just audit techniques. Some of the things that
[8:49] I've done, for instance, I've operated in the financial services realm, so I
[8:53] have a subscription to Bloomberg, and I look at what's happening
[8:57] out there, external environment every day.
[9:00] I get emails from them. I can stream Bloomberg all day long.
[9:04] And it really gives you that perspective of what are those risks
[9:08] externally as well as in
[9:10] those things that your company might be facing.
[9:14] And helps you think about how does your organization create
[9:18] value? How does their strategy work, and what risks matter
[9:22] the most to them? And third, I'd say embrace
[9:25] technology and AI. These tools, they are
[9:29] transforming how we work. They are here to stay.
[9:33] And so I think as the next generation, you definitely have an opportunity
[9:36] to lead that transformation and to really make sure that
[9:40] your key valuable component of that change
[9:44] for your organization.
[9:46] And then seek those mentors and become a mentor
[9:50] yourself. Like I said, you can learn tons from being on both
[9:54] sides of the table.
[9:56] I've learned, as I mentioned, some of my most important
[10:00] lessons from those people that were willing to invest in me,
[10:04] and I've also learned a ton from those different
[10:08] individuals that I've mentored, and I got to hear their perspectives
[10:12] and the things that they view as important and how we support those
[10:16] leaders of the future.
[10:18] Most importantly, remember that your influence is earned
[10:22] through credibility, relationships, and trust.
[10:26] Those technical skills can get you in the room.
[10:29] They may get you the job based on your resume, but those trusted
[10:33] relationships, teamwork, and
[10:36] authenticity really help you make a difference as an
[10:40] internal auditor and a leader in your organizations and your
[10:44] teams.
[10:45] That's awesome. We recently concluded some research with our Internal Audit
[10:49] Foundation on what constitutes a good internal audit leader, and
[10:53] you've hit on so many of the points, and I know you haven't read that research.
[10:56] We haven't published it yet.
[10:58] That's good.
[10:58] But staying curious and just the embracing of technology, just
[11:02] two of the things you said just really jump out as very much in tow with that.
[11:06] And encouraging all the people under you to do the same thing, and it starts to
[11:10] stick over time. So I completely agree with you. One more question.
[11:15] When your term concludes, what would success look like
[11:19] for you as chair? So you're becoming immediate past chair
[11:23] a year from now. What would you look back on and say, "Success
[11:27] happened?" What happened to make you say that?
[11:30] Oh, that's a great question, Anthony.
[11:31] If I can look back and I can see that internal auditors around
[11:35] the world are more confident in their abilities
[11:39] really to address those emerging risks and are more
[11:43] recognized as strategic partners to their organizations who
[11:47] are critical to their success. So I would like
[11:51] members to feel like the IIA helped prepare them for that
[11:55] future. And as you mentioned, Anthony, there's tons of
[11:58] things in the pipeline and that have already been happening
[12:02] related to guidance and training and advocacy,
[12:06] standards, and even the professional connections that the
[12:10] IIA helps you make as an internal audit professional.
[12:14] Also, if at the end of my term, we've helped advance even more
[12:18] the AI and digital readiness, which I would encourage
[12:21] listeners, if you haven't checked out the AI and digital
[12:25] trainings and tools that the IIA has on their website, go
[12:29] check them out. They're really, really interesting and impactful.
[12:33] I also think strengthening the integrated assurance and the Three Lines
[12:37] Model across companies, making sure we're using it in
[12:41] practice would be a big win. And if we've inspired that next
[12:45] generation of leaders. We've inspired those either
[12:48] mid-career individuals that want to do something new or
[12:52] those new and up-and-coming professionals.
[12:56] We've inspired them around the value they can provide their
[13:00] organizations and the really valuable career they can get
[13:04] from being in the internal audit space. That would be a big win.
[13:08] Overall, we want our profession to be stronger, more
[13:12] relevant, and better positioned than ever before,
[13:16] really to help, as I mentioned at the beginning, our organizations,
[13:20] our leaders, and boards really navigate those
[13:24] very complex and even faster-moving
[13:27] futures that are out there for us.
[13:30] Awesome. And one last question, if I may, and a little bit more of
[13:34] a deeper thought question, maybe.
[13:36] The author Maya Angelou used to always say, "People may not remember what you said,
[13:40] but they will always remember how you made them feel." So what
[13:44] impact would you most like members around the world to feel from your
[13:47] leadership over the next year?
[13:49] Oh, that's great. I always want people to feel valued.
[13:54] That we really do need all of
[13:58] these different perspectives, these different voices
[14:02] that are out there across the globe to help our
[14:06] profession be successful. We really
[14:09] need to value all those different
[14:13] perspectives and the different ways of operating
[14:16] across the globe as we figure out how our
[14:20] profession can add the most impact.
[14:23] So there's not just one way to do that, and I think the IIA
[14:27] has a lot of great initiatives that are out there that
[14:31] help as we look at different regions of the world and how they need to
[14:35] accomplish things and add value, that we can do that.
[14:38] And I really want each of those auditors in each of those different
[14:42] regions or the different professions
[14:46] or the different company focuses to feel valued
[14:50] by the IIA, and that their voice is heard, and
[14:53] that it's recognized, and that we're trying to help them be
[14:57] successful.
[14:59] That's awesome. You're going to have quite a year.
[15:00] I can't wait to work with you, Stacey, over the course of the next year.
[15:03] And thank you for being here today, and thank you for all you've given us today to
[15:06] think about. I really appreciate it. Thanks, everybody.
[15:09] Thank you.
[15:11] If you like this podcast, please subscribe and rate us.
[15:14] You can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
[15:17] You can also catch other episodes on YouTube or at the iia.org.
[15:21] That's T-H-E-I-I-A.O-R-G.

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them.