All Things Internal Audit Leading Small Audit Functions: Strategies for Success
Jun 10, 2025
Martin "Skip" Langlois, Senior Vice President and Chief Audit Executive at Encova Insurance, shares his expertise on the unique dynamics of small internal audit functions. He provides strategies for launching a small team, emphasizing relationship-building with stakeholders. Skip highlights the significance of emotional intelligence over pure technical skill and discusses innovative talent acquisition strategies. He also dives into the benefits of leveraging AI while maintaining essential human oversight, and shares leadership lessons drawn from military experience.
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Advice for Starting Small Audit
- Manage expectations clearly; you cannot do everything a large internal audit team can.
- Gain respect from senior leadership and leverage co-sourcing or guest auditors to extend your capability.
Build Credibility with Clear Communication
- Build credibility by providing concise, clear audit reports tailored to the audience.
- Avoid excessive documentation when communicating findings to management or boards.
Engage Diverse Stakeholders
- Engage key stakeholders like CEO, CFO, compliance, HR, and even administrative staff to build broad relationships.
- Leverage these contacts to gain organizational insight and emotional intelligence awareness.