The Committee of the Malta Forum for Internal Auditors (MFIA) has undergone a change in its top positions. Alex Azzopardi is the new chairperson of the committee taking over from Anna Camilleri.
Mr Azzopardi is a director within the risk consulting advisory arm within KPMG in Malta and the head of internal audit, risk and compliance services of the KPMG Islands Group sub-region of the worldwide firm. A graduate of the University of Malta, Mr Azzopardi is an accountant by profession and a fellow of the Malta Institute of Accountants.
He started his career in the audit function of the firm, specialising in the financial services industry audits, before moving on into the advisory business. Within advisory he helped set up and now, amongst others, leads a dedicated team of professionals providing internal audit services. He is also a Certified Information Systems Auditor by ISACA. He currently also serves as a member of MIA’s Financial Services Committee.
In his words, the internal auditor’s role has never been as crucial as it is today. That the risk landscape of the organisation is changing is no news. The pace of this change, however, is. Moreover, innovation has bred disruptors which are changing forever the way we interact and do business. With his focus on adding value and on assisting organisations accomplishing their objectives, a talented internal auditor brings insight that is critical to today’s boards and senior management committees. The challenge for the internal auditor is to become regarded as a partner to the other functions. To do that they need to bring to the table all-round knowledge and skill, anticipate change and judiciously combine his two activities: providing objective assurance and acting as a consultant. This certainly makes the field of internal auditing replete with exciting opportunities.
He believes that the MFIA has a critical role to play in all of this. Its objectives are possibly more important than when it was created: to bring together professionals and promote leading edge practices on the one hand and to create awareness and educate the business and non-business community on the other. The committee members will over the coming two-year term seek out new ways to take this to the next level.
The MFIA’s annual event promises to be a step towards keeping this promise. This year the event is a business breakfast taking place on November 29 which will focus on culture and its impact on today’s organisations. The event is designed to bring together internal auditors and political and business thought leaders on this topical subject.