IIA Announces 2021–22 Global Board of Directors
July 7, 2021
Veteran Internal Audit, Risk Executive Charlie T. Wright Elected as Chair
Charlie T. Wright
LAKE MARY, Fla. (July 7, 2021) — The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the internal audit profession’s widely recognized advocate, educator, and provider of standards, guidance, and certifications, announced today the election of the 2021–22 Global Board of Directors, including Charlie T. Wright, CIA, as Chair of the Global Board. The election was held during The IIA’s Annual Business Meeting.
Wright is an experienced chief audit executive with more than 35 years of corporate experience in the airline, energy, and financial services industries. He has been in the internal audit profession for more than 19 years and on the IIA Global Board since 2014.
Before becoming Global Chair, Wright’s volunteer roles at The IIA included senior vice chair, vice chair of Finance and of Professional Guidance, chair of the North American Advocacy Committee and of the Global Committee Task Force, and member of the Three Lines Model Task Force. For his chairman’s theme, Wright will focus on how internal audit can prepare for the future, as advances in technology create opportunities and challenges for the profession. His presentation, “Future Ready,” explores the transformative nature of technology, how internal auditors must upskill to become tech-savvy, and how they can create efficiencies in their work and in their organizations.
“The future is coming at internal auditors at lightning speeds,” Wright says. “Where IT audit was once a specialty, given the accumulated impact of several different technologies, knowledge and use of technology should now be considered baseline requirements for internal audit professionals. As the pace of change continues to accelerate, internal auditors need to prepare themselves to be adaptive and resilient — to be Future Ready.”
Wright is Chief Risk Officer for Jack Henry & Associates, a technology services provider for the financial services industry. He oversees the internal audit function as well as information security, enterprise risk management, occupational risk management, regulatory and compliance, third-party risks, and enterprise continuity.
- Wright will preside over a 17-member IIA Global Board of Directors:
- Charles T. Wright, CIA, Chairman of the Board (USA)
- Benito Ybarra, CIA, Senior Vice Chairman of the Board (USA)
- Sally-Anne Pitt, CIA, CGAP, Vice Chairman – Finance (Australia)
- Jenitha John, CIA, QIAL, Past Chairman of the Board (South Africa)
- Laura A. Soileau, CIA, CRMA, North American Board Chairman (USA)
- Ernesto Martinez Gomez, CIA, CRMA, ONA Lead Director (Spain)
- Lishuang Fang, CIA, Director – Global Services (China)
- Sakiko Sakai, CIA, CCSA, CFSA, CRMA, Director – Professional Certifications (Japan)
- Tania Stegemann, CIA, CCSA, CRMA, Director – Professional Practices (Australia)
- Jose Esposito Li Carrillo, CIA, CRMA, Director – Content Advisory (Peru)
- Stefano Comotti, CIA, CRMA, Director – Advocacy Advisory (France)
- Karen Brady, CIA, CRMA, Director – Research (USA)
- R. Michael Varney, CIA, Director – Audit Committee (USA)
- Thomas Sanglier, II, CIA, CRMA, Director – Audit Committee (USA)
- Mark Carawan, CIA, QIAL, Audit Committee Chairman (United Kingdom)
- Beili Wong, CIA, Director (Canada)
- Anthony J. Pugliese, Ex-Officio Director/IIA President and CEO (USA)
“I look forward to working with Charlie and the entire Global Board of Directors as we launch new strategic initiatives and further our digital transformation to better serve our members and the entire profession,” said IIA President and CEO Anthony J. Pugliese, CPA, CGMA, CITP. “With the Board’s support, we will re-imagine and transform our organization, enhance the competencies of practitioners, and advocate on issues important to internal auditors globally.”
The new Board leaders took office immediately upon election. Officers – Wright, Ybarra, Pitt, and John – were elected to one-year terms; directors serve two years.