Chairman’s Message, October 21, 2009

First, I would like to announce that Chris Cheesman, chief audit officer at AllianceBernstein, has joined your Financial Services Advisory Board. We are very happy to have Chris join us.

Many thanks to all of you who continue to support The IIA and the Financial Services Auditors Group during these difficult times in our industry. It looks like the economy has begun to rebound more strongly as we begin the fourth quarter. The market is picking up momentum, job losses have leveled off, and consumer confidence seems to be increasing. The health-care debate also rages on. I’m not sure about you, but I don’t know whom to believe. However, I know something has to be done about the issue. Let’s hope that the politicians in Washington finally put aside partisan politics and do something to solve the problem.

As you’ve no doubt read, the economic downturn has forced The IIA to cut more than 40 staff positions during the past year. As a result, The Institute has had to rethink many of its conference offerings going forward. The Institute asked us to reconsider our Financial Services Conference for 2010. After much thought and deliberation, the Financial Services Auditors Board has accepted a generous offer from the Atlanta International Conference Committee to join forces in 2010 and offer our Financial Services Group members a program as part of the 2010 International Conference to be held in Atlanta on June 6-9.

Joining forces solves the problem of a date conflict between our conference, which usually is held in June, and the 2010 International Conference, and helps the financial situation at The Institute. The preliminary plan is for a financial services virtual track to be created within the International Conference line-up. This means that a financial services session will be offered during every concurrent session at the conference. Conference attendees can attend all of the financial services sessions or any other sessions they choose, including any general session. We are also tentatively planning a special free pre-conference event for financial services auditors on Sunday afternoon. Stay tuned to future FSA Times issues for more information about that event. More information on the Atlanta International Conference is currently available at www.iia2010atl.org.

As always, your feedback and comments are always welcomed.

Warm regards,
Scott White, CIA, CFSA
Financial Services Advisory Board Chairman