Welcome to the IIA Malta Chapter!

2024, November 7: CPE Seminar “Third Party Risk Management – Outsourced Functions"

This session is intended to provide participants with an overview of the approach to effectively audit and manage risks associated with outsourcing critical business functions, including information security, cybersecurity, privacy, reputational, regulatory and strategic risks. It is particularly timely given the impending implementation of the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) in January 2025, which introduces new regulatory requirements within the European Union.

2024, August 29: Annual General Meeting 2024

IIA Malta held its first Annual General Meeting on 29 August 2024. No election was held given that the number of candidates (nine), who sought to form part of the Main Committee for 2024-2026, equated to the maximum number stipulated by the Bylaws. These candidates were:

Existing Committee Members

Alex Azzopardi – Partner, Risk Consulting Advisory, KPMG Malta
Giancarlo Millo – Group Chief Internal Auditor, Mizzi Organisation
Aidan Massa – Head, Internal Audit Department, Central Bank of Malta

New Committee Members

Isabel Cutajar – Head of Internal Audit, Collinson Insurance
Elena Dourou – Chief Internal Auditor, BOV Group
Bernard Mallia – Chief Internal Auditor, MAPFRE Malta
Andrew Said – Deputy Head of Internal Audit, MFSA
Stefan Tanti – Head of Internal Audit, Sparkasse Bank Malta
Alicia Vella – Director, Forvis Mazars Malta

Former committee members Glenn Cassar and Ingrid Azzopardi did not seek re-election. The Main Committee takes this opportunity to thank them both for their invaluable work over the past years.

2024, July 23: Sponsorship Agreements with KPMG Malta and EY Malta

IIA Malta is pleased to announce that it has signed a platinum sponsorship agreement with KPMG Malta and a gold sponsorship agreement with EY Malta for a period up to 31 December 2024.

2024, July 17: CPE Seminar “Auditing Smarter and Faster with AI"

This seminar aims to demonstrate how Internal Auditors can leverage Generative AI (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT and Copilot to enhance their audit process. Such tools can significantly improve productivity, but as with all tools, they are not free from risks. The session’s objectives are to (a) understand GenAI and tools like ChatGPT; (b) consider how GenAI fits in the Global Internal Audit Standards (GIAS); (c) learn the basic building blocks to craft an effective prompt; (d) take inspiration from practical use cases demonstrated with ChatGPT; and (e) explore the risks and benefits associated with GenAI.

2024, July 12–14: Participation in IIA Global Assembly 2024

IIA Malta was invited to attend the 2024 IIA Global Assembly "Where it all Comes Together" which was held in Washington, USA. IIA Malta’s Chairperson, Alex Azzopardi, participated in the 2-day assembly where a number of topics were discussed, including the IIA’s Vision 2035 findings, artificial intelligence, certifications strategy, topical requirements, and global collaboration initiatives.

2024, May 8: CPE Seminar “Auditing the Second Line”

Internal Audit must evaluate and contribute to the improvement of governance, risk management, and control processes. If certain Second Line functions are deemed critical to monitoring and/or providing assurance on the effectiveness of risk management and internal control, Internal Audit must evaluate the effectiveness of those functions relative to this objective. This session focuses on key areas which need to be considered when auditing the Second Line, and addresses the safeguards which must be implemented if Internal Audit is also assuming the role of Second Line.

2024, April 17: Sponsorship Agreement with PwC Malta

IIA Malta is pleased to announce that it has signed a platinum sponsorship agreement with PwC Malta for a period up to 31 December 2024.

2023, November 27: CPE Seminar “CSRD & ESRSs – An Update”

The enacted Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) mandates large and most listed companies in the EU, including Malta, to adopt sustainability reporting, with disclosure requirements governed by the approved European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRSs). Internal auditors will play a crucial role in the successful implementation of the CSRD and ESRSs. This online seminar was intended for internal auditors to gain knowledge of this Directive and related Standards and to keep abreast of developments on the topic.

2023, October 26: CPE Seminar “Fraud Prevention and Detection”

Environmental, geopolitical, financial and social pressures are creating a risk landscape that is more volatile than ever. This volatility complicates the challenge of preventing fraud and other economic crime. As organisations act quickly to navigate change, bad actors look to exploit the potentially widening cracks in fraud defences. This online seminar has focused on the types of fraud, the perpetrators and how to detect them. The session also addressed how companies can prepare, prevent and respond to fraud to emerge stronger.

2023, July 31: CPE Seminar "Auditing Corporate Governance"

An online seminar was held for internal auditors on the topic of corporate governance. The session focused on how internal audit strengthens corporate governance through risk-based audits and its key role in assessing Board effectiveness and succession thereof, internal control functions, stakeholder engagement and the corporate culture. The session considered specific corporate governance aspects, such as the level of interaction between the Board and senior management, including the communication between the Chairperson of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer.

2023, July 7–9: Attendance to the IIA Global Assembly 2023

IIA Malta was invited to attend the 2023 Global Assembly "Where it all Comes Together". Alex Azzopardi attended the 2-day assembly where a number of topics were discussed including the vision for the profession to be achieved by 2035, an update on the evolution of the IPPF, and new avenues of collaboration between the affiliates.