KPMG and I talk about changes at the Audit Committee meeting

I am used to seeing some new thinking from our Canadian friends. That is hardly the case when you look at a recent publication from KPMG Canada, Audit Trends: The official word on what’s changing and how audit committees are responding.

That title not only sets the expectations high, but sets KPMG up for a fall.

This is how they start us off, with an astonishing headline section:

ACs TODAY DEAL WITH A BROAD RANGE OF ISSUES, AND ACCOMPANYING RISKS, THAT ARE BEYOND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, REPORTING AND INTERNAL CONTROLS OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING – THEIR TRADITIONAL AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY.

These include CFO succession management; forecasting & planning; liquidity; M&A; environmental, social and governance factors; fraud and more.

My first audit committee meeting, as the chief internal auditor, was about 25 years ago. If memory serves me well, the only audit committee meetings that focused only on “financial statements, reporting, and internal controls over financial reporting” over those 25 years were short calls to review earnings releases, and so on. Not a single in-person meeting was limited to these few topics.

KPMG continues:

THE DAYS WHEN THE AC AGENDA WAS SOLELY DOMINATED BY AUDIT MATTERS AND TECHNICAL ACCOUNTING DISCUSSIONS ARE GONE.

Sorry, KPMG, but the world does not spin around the axis of the CPA firm.

Here’s another silly profundity, a highlighted quote from the Vancouver practice leader:

“Organizations today rely heavily on technology to manage internal processes and external customer relationships, it is therefore essential for ACs to understand what management is doing to mitigate IT risks.”

In 1990, my company was totally reliant on technology. Not only was it relied upon for internal business processes, but our oil refineries were highly automated. So-called IT risks (so-called, because the only risks are risks to the business – which may come from failure in the use or management of technology) were so extensive that I dedicated a third of my budget to IT audit. Going back even further, the savings and loan companies I worked for in the mid to late-1980s relied “heavily on heavily on technology to manage internal processes and external customer relationships”.

So what are the changes that should be happening at the audit committee? Here are six ideas:

1. The audit committee should be asking management to provide assurance that it has effective processes for addressing risk (both threats and opportunities) as it sets strategies and plans, monitors performance, and runs the business every day. The audit committee should not be limited to a review of the “risk de jour”; it should require that management explain how it has embedded the consideration of risk into the organization’s processes and every decision.
2. The audit committee should insist that it obtain a formal report, at least annually, from the chief audit executive, with an assessment of the adequacy of management’s processes for managing risk, including the adequacy of the controls over the more significant risks.
3. With the enormous potential for both harm and strategic value of new, disruptive technology, the audit committee can help the full board by challenging management on its approach to new technology. Does the IT function have the agility, resources, and capability to partner with the business and take full advantage of new technologies, while managing downside risk?
4. Continuing with that theme, is the organization hamstrung by legacy infrastructure and systems that inhibit its agility, its potential for moving quickly as business conditions and opportunities change? Is it able to change systems and processes fast enough?
5. The COSO 2013 update of the Internal Controls – Integrated Framework is an opportunity to revisit a number of issues. One that should be high on the agenda is whether the company is providing decision-makers across the organization, from Strategy-setting to Marketing to Finance to Operations, with the information it needs to drive success? This is not just about the deployment of Big Data Analytics because that is just a tool. It is about (a) understanding what information is available and can be used to advantage, (b) obtaining it at speed, and then (c) delivering it everywhere it should be used in a form that enables prompt use and action.
6. With all the demands on the audit committee, there is a need to re-examine its composition and processes. Do its members have all the experiences and skills necessary to perform with high quality, addressing issues relating to the management of risk, the use of technology, the changing global world, and so on? Should it receive more periodic briefings from experts on these topics? Do its members even have the ability to dedicate the time they need? Are they receiving the information they need to be effective (studies say they do not)?

If the audit committee is spending more than 20% of its precious time on “financial statements, reporting, and internal controls over financial reporting”, something is seriously wrong.

I welcome your comments – especially on these six suggestions.

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