IIANZ Awards

AUDIT PROFESSIONAL WINS TOP AWARD

David Sutton, Internal Audit and Risk Manager at Telecom, received the Institute of Internal Auditor’s Auditor of the year Award at the Institute’s conference last week.

David’s work in Telecom has been described by his nominees and referees as outstanding.  David has led the transformation of the Risk and Audit teams, which has been of significant commercial value to Telecom, and earned the respect of the Executive, Board, and his peers.

The Institute of Internal Auditors was particularly impressed not only with David’s professional credentials but also his team leadership and stakeholder engagement attributes.  He is a well-rounded internal audit professional, who has contributed significantly to improving the productivity and quality of the assurance provided by the Risk and Audit team at Telecom and challenging the mould of traditional Audit and Risk management.

David has been at Telecom for almost three years and previous to that he was at Fisher & Paykel Appliances as Risk and Compliance Manager.  His career in risk management and internal audit has spanned approximately 14 years, both in New Zealand and overseas.

On top of his achievements David is also very involved with the Institute of Internal Auditors, having been on the Auckland Branch Committee for some time and, more recently, being appointed as its Chairperson and a member of the National Board.   He has also been a key contributor to national conferences and the education activities of the Institute.

Best Contribution to Internal Audit 2011

Awarded posthumously to IIANZ Executive Director Judy Third

Judy was a well loved member of the Institute of Internal Auditors since taking on the role of Executive Director in 2005 and was well known to our many members.  For several years she ran the Institute single-handedly out of the garage of her home, surrounded by boxes of training and promotion material and often having to wear multiple layers of clothing to keep warm.

Judy’s enthusiasm and energy, her in-depth knowledge about the Institute as well as most of its members, her ability to converse (at length), and her ability to remain positive were an inspiration to all of us.  These qualities helped her to re-build the administration of the Institute in New Zealand.  When she was well Judy regularly worked long hours to enhance the standing and reputation of the profession in New Zealand through support to the Board and branches, administration of training courses and conferences and, most importantly, support to us as individuals.

From a small office, without face to face contact with members Judy was able to fix our problems and offer pastoral care over the phone, in spite of her own health and other challenges.  Click on the PDF below for further tributes to Judy.

The Richard Ratliff Award

The Richard Ratliff Award was set up in 1990. The award is presented annually to an individual or organisation or group for outstanding contribution to the promotion and practice of internal auditing. Since 1991 the award has been bestowed upon 13 outstanding practitioners in the profession of internal auditing.

Not awarded in 2011