The Audit Podcast

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Links:

Be sure to follow us on our social media accounts on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-audit-podcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theauditpodcast

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theauditpodcast?lang=en

Also be sure to sign up for The Audit Podcast newsletter and to check the full video interview on The Audit Podcast YouTube channel.

This week on The Audit Podcast, Martin, Head of Internal Audit at Reddit, joins the show to discuss why the opportunity for internal audit is bigger now than ever and how auditors can move from backseat drivers to helpful copilots.

Martin shares how he learned Reddit's complex digital advertising business by being a humble "sponge". He explains his unique hiring strategy—hiring for a "major" in deep technical craft (like data science or engineering) and teaching the "minor" of audit later. He also breaks down his approach to navigating tough risk conversations and reveals how his team uses generative AI to automate 70% of their recurring SOX testing.

02:32 How Martin Uses AI in His Personal Life

03:45 The One Thing Every Auditor Should Do

06:06 How to Learn a New Business Quickly

07:30 Why Internal Audit Has Its Biggest Opportunity Yet

10:13 Rethinking Audit Hiring: Specialists Over Traditional Auditors

14:12 Teaching Audit Skills to Technical Experts

16:12 How to Have Tough Conversations About Risk

18:04 AI Use Cases Inside Reddit's Internal Audit Team

21:24 Final Thoughts

Be sure to connect with Martin on LinkedIn.

Also, be sure to follow us on our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.

Also be sure to sign up for The Audit Podcast newsletter and to check the full video interview on The Audit Podcast YouTube channel.

This podcast is brought to you by Greenskies Analytics, the services firm that helps auditors leap-frog up the analytics maturity model. Their approach for launching audit analytics programs with a series of proven quick-win analytics will guarantee the results worthy of the analytics hype.

Whether your audit team needs a data strategy, methodology, governance, literacy, or anything else related to audit and analytics, schedule.

This week on The Audit Podcast, Erin Banet, Chief Audit Executive at Humana, joins the show to discuss what goes into preparing audit committee meetings and how the CAE role is evolving beyond traditional internal audit.

Erin explains how she builds audit committee agendas, prepares board members throughout the year, and why overcommunication is critical to successful meetings. She also shares how she uses industry publications and AI tools to stay ahead of emerging risks and keep discussions focused on topics like cybersecurity, AI governance, and compliance.

The conversation then shifts to enterprise risk management. Erin discusses overseeing ERM alongside internal audit, SOX, and other risk functions, why she began with a maturity assessment, and how combining these responsibilities gives audit leaders a more strategic role within the organization.

The episode closes with a discussion on the difference between enterprise risk management and the traditional audit risk assessment, along with practical ad

01:17 – Personal AI Use Cases

03:17 – Audit Committee Meetings: Cadence, Preparation & Board Communication

08:13 – Publications, AI Tools & Staying Ahead of Emerging Risks

11:18 – Over-communication Strategies for Audit Committee Success

14:02 – Taking Ownership of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)

19:18 – Conducting ERM Maturity Assessments & Building a Roadmap

21:12 – Internal Audit Risk Assessments vs. Enterprise Risk Management

24:13 – Thinking Like a Risk Strategist: The Future of Internal Audit

Be sure to connect with Erin on LinkedIn.

Also, be sure to follow us on our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.

Also be sure to sign up for The Audit Podcast newsletter and to check the full video interview on The Audit Podcast YouTube channel.

This podcast is brought to you by Greenskies Analytics, the services firm that helps auditors leap-frog up the analytics maturity model. Their approach for launching audit analytics programs with a series of proven quick-win analytics will guarantee the results worthy of the analytics hype.

Whether your audit team needs a data strategy, methodology, governance, literacy, or anything else related to audit and analytics, schedule.

This week on The Audit Podcast, Casey Atwater, former Head of Audit at ZoomInfo and founder of Internal Audit Collective, joins the show to talk about how AI is changing SOX, internal controls, and the way internal audit work gets done.

We focus on what's actually changing in practice. Casey shares why SOX is no longer just a testing exercise, but a design and architecture problem. As systems change faster and AI gets embedded into day-to-day work, the way controls are built and maintained has to change with it.

He explains why controls need to live inside workflows instead of being tracked in spreadsheets, and why management will increasingly take ownership of control design and execution. Internal audit still plays a role, but it shifts more toward advising, reviewing change, and focusing on higher-risk areas outside routine SOX testing.

We also talk about the gap between automation and complexity. Even though more systems are being added, many organizations are not seeing meaningful efficiency gains in controls. Casey walks through why that mismatch exists and what it means for audit teams.

The conversation ends with practical ways audit teams can start adapting now—by reducing redundant controls, looking harder at which systems actually need to be in scope, and working more directly with control owners to fix issues instead of just documenting them. He also makes the point that while tools and AI will change a lot of the technical work, relationships and communication inside the business still matter just as much.

1:42 — ControlBridge AI & the future of SOX

16:16 — Continuous monitoring

09:13 — Getting management to own controls

20:18 — AI beyond testing automation

22:24 — Practical actions for audit leaders

25:17 — Final Thoughts

Be sure to connect with Casey on LinkedIn.

Also, be sure to follow us on our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.

Also be sure to sign up for The Audit Podcast newsletter and to check the full video interview on The Audit Podcast YouTube channel.

This podcast is brought to you by Greenskies Analytics, the services firm that helps auditors leap-frog up the analytics maturity model. Their approach for launching audit analytics programs with a series of proven quick-win analytics will guarantee the results worthy of the analytics hype.

Whether your audit team needs a data strategy, methodology, governance, literacy, or anything else related to audit and analytics, schedule.

This week on The Audit Podcast, Angelo Poulikakos, Global Leader of Internal Audit and Financial Advisory Capabilities at Protiviti, joins the show for a wide-ranging conversation on AI, innovation, and what it means to stay relevant in a rapidly changing profession.

Drawing from his experience helping organizations navigate AI adoption, Angelo shares how his own use of AI has evolved, why context matters more than prompts, and how audit leaders can move beyond simply becoming faster and cheaper to delivering deeper insights and greater value. He also discusses Protiviti's internal strategy for embracing AI, building future-ready talent, and transforming how audit work gets done.

The conversation explores the balance between human creativity and AI, the importance of critical thinking in an AI-driven world, and why staying hungry to learn, experiment, and innovate is essential for the future of internal audit.

2:05 - Creativity, Critical Thinking & Technology

8:13 - From Prompt Engineering to Context Engineering

16:58 = What's Next for AI

19:06 - The EAT Framework for Internal Audit Transformation

29:25 - Final thoughts

Be sure to connect with Angelo on LinkedIn.

Also, be sure to follow us on our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.

Also be sure to sign up for The Audit Podcast newsletter and to check the full video interview on The Audit Podcast YouTube channel.

This podcast is brought to you by Greenskies Analytics, the services firm that helps auditors leap-frog up the analytics maturity model. Their approach for launching audit analytics programs with a series of proven quick-win analytics will guarantee the results worthy of the analytics hype.

Whether your audit team needs a data strategy, methodology, governance, literacy, or anything else related to audit and analytics, schedule.

This week on The Audit Podcast, Danielle Ritter, VP and Head of Internal Audit at GitLab and former CAE at Instacart, joins the show to share lessons from her leadership journey and practical advice for audit professionals at every stage of their careers.

Drawing from her experience leading audit functions across multiple organizations, Danielle discusses what matters most during a CAE's first 100 days, how to build credibility with stakeholders, and why strong relationships are essential to an effective audit function. She also shares how her team is embracing AI, developing new skills, and preparing for the future of the profession.

2:06 – Using AI in work and everyday life 5:16 – Where CAEs should focus: insights vs. efficiency 6:46 – Day One: listening and learning 10:11 – Navigating the CAE interview process 13:09 – How to define and demonstrate value 16:40 – What information belongs in the boardroom 19:00 – A practical approach to building strong relationships 22:45 – AI and the future of job security 27:55 – Making time for self-directed learning 30:07 – Final thoughts: your career does not define you

Be sure to connect with Danielle on LinkedIn.

Also, be sure to follow us on our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.

Also be sure to sign up for The Audit Podcast newsletter and to check the full video interview on The Audit Podcast YouTube channel.

This podcast is brought to you by Greenskies Analytics, the services firm that helps auditors leap-frog up the analytics maturity model. Their approach for launching audit analytics programs with a series of proven quick-win analytics will guarantee the results worthy of the analytics hype.

Whether your audit team needs a data strategy, methodology, governance, literacy, or anything else related to audit and analytics, schedule.

This week on The Audit Podcast, Aadesh Gandhre, CAE at DTCC, steps in as guest host for a conversation with his colleague, Idania Orengo, Chief of Staff, Internal Audit at DTCC, about the human side of audit transformation.

Drawing from their experiences at DTCC, they discuss how culture, communication, and leadership help build high-performing audit teams. They explain that innovation is not always driven by technology. Sometimes it comes from simplifying processes, building trust, and creating an environment where people feel comfortable sharing ideas.

The conversation also highlights the importance of mentorship, collaboration, and strong relationships in driving successful transformation within internal audit.

6:15 - Early Days at Goldman

7:45 - What Makes a Great Leader

9:55 - Feedback, EQ & Confidence

13:55 - The Human Side of Transformation

16:08 - Building DTCC's Audit Culture

18:58 - Leadership Behind the Scenes

23:27 - Strong Teams & Communication

25:36 - ERGs, Identity & Inclusion

27:48 - AI vs Human Connection

30:00 - Innovation That Actually Works

34:10 - Changing the View of Internal Audit

39:50 - Finding Your Voice

41:30 - Final Thoughts

Be sure to connect with Aadesh and Idania on LinkedIn.

Also, be sure to follow us on our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.

Also be sure to sign up for The Audit Podcast newsletter and to check the full video interview on The Audit Podcast YouTube channel.

This podcast is brought to you by Greenskies Analytics, the services firm that helps auditors leap-frog up the analytics maturity model. Their approach for launching audit analytics programs with a series of proven quick-win analytics will guarantee the results worthy of the analytics hype.

Whether your audit team needs a data strategy, methodology, governance, literacy, or anything else related to audit and analytics, schedule.

This week, Michelle Jackson and Edgar Berrios, internal audit leaders at MIT, join the show.

Drawing from their work at MIT, they share a practical perspective on how AI is being integrated into the audit process. Their approach goes beyond the technology itself, emphasizing the importance of guidelines, mindset, and human oversight to create AI solutions that are effective and responsible.

The conversation explores how AI is transforming audit teams today. From defining agentic AI to practical use cases like drafting audit findings and improving communication, Michelle and Edgar break down what's actually working in practice. They also discuss the importance of clear governance and human review to ensure quality outputs.

The episode also includes a real-world walkthrough showing how to build an AI agent using Copilot.

Be sure to connect with Michelle and Edgar on LinkedIn.

1:32 - Best Chat prompts

5:10 - Agentic AI Explained

7:00 - Prioritizing Company Use Cases for Agentic AI

10:20 - Developing Guidelines and Guardrails for Agentic AI

14:23 - How to Build an Agent

25:55 - Drafting an Audit Finding

32:17 - Final Thoughts

Be sure to connect with Mark on LinkedIn. Also, be sure to follow us on our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.

Also be sure to sign up for The Audit Podcast newsletter and to check the full video interview on The Audit Podcast YouTube channel.

This podcast is brought to you by Greenskies Analytics, the services firm that helps auditors leap-frog up the analytics maturity model. Their approach for launching audit analytics programs with a series of proven quick-win analytics will guarantee the results worthy of the analytics hype.

Whether your audit team needs a data strategy, methodology, governance, literacy, or anything else related to audit and analytics, schedule.

It's tomorrow!

The Audit Analytics and AI Conference is here!

One thing I hear constantly at conferences is that there's plenty of AI talk, but not enough real examples of how teams are actually using it day to day.

That's always been the goal of this conference.

This year, we went back through five years of speakers and brought back some of the highest-rated sessions, the people who didn't just talk theory, but actually pulled up their screens and showed how they're using AI and analytics in practice.

And if you can't make it live tomorrow, recordings will be available as well.

Last chance to register here: https://theauditanalyticsconference.com/register/