UAE IAA PROMOTING BUSINESS INNOVATION IN INTERNAL AUDITING DURING THE 17th ANNUAL REGIONAL AUDIT CONFERENCE (ARAC) 2016

Dubai - MENA Herald: The UAE Internal Auditors Association will host the 17th Annual Regional Audit Conference (ARAC) on 19 – 21 April 2016 at the Le Meridien – Dubai Airport Road. The conference, considered as the largest “Smart” conference for the profession, and a premium training event related to internal auditing in the Middle East will feature global speakers discussing the latest trends and future prospects of the profession. It will also offer terrific networking opportunities and vast exhibitor exposure.
In line with the UAE’s goals of driving innovation and creativity across all business models, this year’s theme for ARAC will be "Driving Business Innovation". The conference will uphold the importance of implementing innovation within the operative practices which will enable auditors to better meet primary stakeholder expectations through organizational changes and strategic initiatives and efficiency. Thus the conference is a promising platform with an expected footfall of more than a thousand internal auditors, making it one of the largest of its kind in the MENA region.
UAE IAA is keen to organize the Regional Audit Conference on an annual basis to raise awareness about the importance of internal auditing in the region and promote a creative atmosphere among employees while highlighting the role of ethics and leadership at work, the challenges and risks, sustainability, corporate governance, and integration of modern technology to create a successful business. The need for increased emphasis on audits/consulting engagements for strategic initiatives is to be reviewed and discussed as well.
The three-day forum will begin on the 19th of April with pre-conference workshops which will be presented by leaders and speakers from the Big Four and consulting firms like Team Mate, Grant Thornton and Protiviti. The workshops will lead up to the main conference on the 20th and 21st of April which will be an avenue through which participants can exchange knowledge and share insights.
The notable international and local speakers will include Mr. Michael J. Fucilli - Auditor General, New York Metropolitan Transport Authority – USA; Mr. Talal Abu Ghazaleh, Chairman of the Talal Abu Ghazaleh Internationa; Mr. Abdulla Al-Rowais, Board Member and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Association of Internal Auditors in Saudi Arabia; Mr. Jeremy P. Carver, Board Member of Transparency International; Mr. Mohammed Al Qahtani, Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking 2015.
Mr. Abdulqader Obaid Ali, President of the UAE IAA said "We are delighted to host the 17th Annual Regional Audit Conference, and are looking forward to raising the level of awareness among internal auditors in the region, and highlight its impact in performance. We are keen to bring back this conference every year and strengthen the focus on internal auditing by exchanging valuable knowledge.”