MENLO PARK, Calif., March 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Protiviti, a global consulting firm, today announced the winners of its second annual Audit Innovator Award, recognizing internal audit leaders and functions who are redefining the profession through bold strategy, cutting-edge technology, and people-centered transformation.
Andrew Struthers-Kennedy, Protiviti’s Global CAE Solutions Leader, presented the awards during the Institute of Internal Auditors’ Great Audit Minds (GAM) conference. The awards are also supported by The Institute of Internal Auditors and Optro (formerly AuditBoard).
“We are proud to recognize these audit leaders who are driving change and actively shaping the future of the profession,” said Struthers-Kennedy. “Their teams demonstrate how innovation, when grounded in purpose and execution, can transform internal audit into a more strategically aligned, tech-enabled, forward-looking and future-ready function.”
2025 Audit Innovator Award Winners
Morgan Stanley — Audit Strategy & Transformation
This category recognizes bold ideas that elevate and transform audit strategy. Morgan Stanley’s Internal Audit Department is recognized for developing Assurance Hub, a purpose-built, in-house platform that unifies risk assessment, planning, execution, and reporting in a single, data-driven environment. Powered by intelligent automation, embedded analytics, and emerging technologies, including GenAI, Assurance Hub improves audit efficiency, enhances transparency, and strengthens audit impact.
BNY — Enabling Technology
This category recognizes organizations leveraging technology to significantly enhance audit effectiveness and insight. BNY’s Internal Audit Department is recognized for its Agentic AI Initiative, which modernizes audit through a governed, AI-driven ecosystem of intelligent automation and advanced analytics. With more than 1,000 personal agents deployed, the initiative helps expand audit coverage, accelerate risk analysis, and enable scalable, data-driven insights.
Inter-American Development Bank — People & Culture
This category recognizes deliberate investments in people and workplace culture to build and sustain an innovation mindset across the function. IDB’s Internal Audit Department is recognized for its AUG Exploration Team, a people-first innovation model that develops auditors into “digital explorers” through continuous learning, experimentation, and collaboration, fostering a workplace culture of sustained curiosity and innovation.
Microsoft — Audit Trailblazer
This category recognizes sustained, multi-year enterprise-wide innovation. Microsoft is recognized for modernizing internal audit through agile audits and risk program management while embedding GenAI, automation, and advanced analytics across the audit lifecycle. These efforts have saved thousands of hours and scaled adoption through innovation labs, change agents, and hackathons.
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) — Audit Trailblazer
DTCC, a 2024 Audit Innovator Award winner, is recognized for embedding scalable analytics into core audit work, applying intelligent document processing and graph-based anomaly detection, and delivering real-time leadership visibility through dashboards. These efforts are supported by champion networks, digital literacy programs, department-wide hackathons, and the application of gamification to drive digital adoption.
“Innovation has moved from aspiration to imperative for internal audit,” said Anthony Pugliese, President and CEO of The Institute of Internal Auditors. “As AI reshapes the risk landscape, the profession needs practitioners who pair technological fluency with the human judgment and ingenuity no algorithm can replace. The leaders recognized through this program are not just adapting to change; they are driving it. The IIA is proud to support the Audit Innovator Award and inspired by what these winners demonstrate about the future of the profession.”
To learn more about the 2025 Audit Innovator Award winners, visit The Protiviti Audit Innovator Award page.
To stay informed about the 2026 Audit Innovator Award application process, sign up to join Protiviti’s audit innovation community.
About Protiviti
Protiviti is a global consulting firm that helps clients transform and protect their businesses and respond to planned and unexpected events. Through a network of more than 90 offices in over 25 countries, Protiviti and its independent and locally owned member firms deliver deep expertise and tailored capabilities across technology, artificial intelligence, data, operations, finance, legal, compliance, HR, marketing, digital, risk, and internal audit—enabling organizations to accelerate innovation, navigate risks and safeguard what matters most.
Named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list since 2015, Protiviti Inc. has served more than 80 percent of Fortune 100 and nearly 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies. The firm also works with government agencies and smaller, growing companies, including those looking to go public. Protiviti Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half (NYSE: RHI).
About The Institute of Internal Auditors
The Institute of Internal Auditors (The IIA) is an international professional association that serves more than 265,000 global members and has awarded more than 200,000 Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) certifications worldwide. Established in 1941, The IIA is recognized throughout the world as the internal audit profession’s leader in standards, certifications, education, research, and technical guidance. For more information, visit theiia.org.
About Optro
Optro (formerly AuditBoard) helps enterprises transform risk into opportunity, redefining GRC through an agentic system of action. More than 50% of the Fortune 500 trust Optro to elevate their GRC teams and see risk before it happens. Optro is top-rated by customers on G2 and was named a Leader in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) Tools, Assurance Leaders. To learn more, visit: optro.ai
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