BUILDING ON previous milestones and achievements of its flagship annual conference, the UAE Internal Audit Association (IIA UAE) recently organised a successful and a record-breaking 14th Annual Regional Audit Conference in UAE’s capital Abu Dhabi. The three day event was attended by unprecedented 596 participants; making it the largest and most attended ever conference in the history of the association.
According to staff at the association, there has been positive and encouraging feedback about the conference, which was inaugurated by the minister of Social Affairs, H.E. Mariam Al-Roumi. Keynote speakers from the US and the UAE included Lawrence Harrington, the IIA Global Vice Chairman of the Board, Dr Mansoor Al Awar – Chancellor Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University among others.
There was active participation from regional institutes’ leaders representing the following countries: Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Qatar and Yemen. The highlight of the event however, was the announcement and official launch of the Arabic translation of the ‘Sawyer’ (pictured), the first ever translation of what is considered to be the main reference for the Internal Audit Profession.
Other UAE IAA-driven initiatives that carried the day included the forming of a new Federation of Arab Institutes of Internal Auditors, the first ever representation of the Global IIA Research Foundation Bookstore, and the first ever participation by UAE University students who volunteered at the event.
With such a sounding success, work is now underway and association staff has already started preparing for the association’s more specialised Chief Audit Executive conference scheduled for October 2013.
