People Are the Foundation of the Auditing Profession

One of the most exciting aspects of the CPA profession of today and tomorrow is technology. Artificial intelligence (AI), advanced data analytics, Blockchain, drones: It's all coming at CPAs—fast. In the words of Eric Hansen, Chief Operation Officer of BKD and Chair of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), "the amount and pace of change facing our profession is at an all-time high."

For public company auditors, the implications of technology are revolutionary. As technologist and author Amy Vetter, CPA/CITP, CGMA has written recently:

"Auditors will spend much less time performing audits, and more time designing, reviewing, and verifying how information flows between systems. Rather than audits being performed at regular intervals, blockchain and machine learning present the possibility of a true continuous audit."

Yet the allure of technology shouldn't cause us to lose sight of the fact that the true foundation of the auditing profession is—and always will be—people.

Why's that? Vetter points out that “all of this technology adds up to more time for human connection.” Or take it from Gilly Lord, Head of Audit Strategy & Transformation at PwC UK. "The audit of the future is going to become a very exciting collaboration between humans and machines," she has predicted. "By putting them together we’ll be able to do much better-quality audits."

The importance of people to the audit of the future is why the auditing profession works so hard to cultivate the next generation of auditors. From grade school to graduate school, we strive to tell the story of auditing to younger people, building their awareness of the profession's dynamism and opportunity. We aim to spark their enthusiasm and to enhance their understanding of the mindsets, skills, and behaviors that will enable them to grasp those opportunities.

This awareness-building has been ongoing for many years, notably through two outstanding AICPA initiatives: This Way to CPA and Start Here Go Places.

A more recent channel for outreach is the annual #AuditorProud social media blitz, which since its launch in 2015 has reached millions of people. This highlight reel shows how the blitz is an amazing celebration and showcase of the profession's vibrancy, diversity, and global reach.

This year's blitz will take place on September 27, and I urge any auditors reading this post to join the festivities. Share your positive stories about your career experience on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. And I also invite those who are not auditors (a group that includes yours truly) to participate as well. If you appreciate the confidence-building role that auditors play, you can be #AuditorProud too.

Learn more about the blitz at the Discover Audit website, and join us on the September 27! Let's show younger people how the auditing is not just about whiz-bang tech. It's about extraordinary people—at schools and universities, in the profession, and beyond—who together form a bedrock foundation supporting the auditing profession, capital markets, and the global economy.

As always, I welcome your thoughts in the comments.

A securities lawyer, Cindy Fornelli has served as the Executive Director of the Center for Audit Quality since its establishment in 2007.