Peter M. Hughes, Ph.D., was appointed Director of Internal Audit by the Orange County Board of Supervisors in July of 1999. As Director of Internal Audit for the County of Orange, Dr. Hughes presently serves on the IIA’s Board of Education and Research Advisors and is the administrator of the Orange County Audit Oversight Committee.
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Because of the tremendous and detrimental
events having taken place over the last several years
in the corporate world, the professionalism and independence
of Internal Audit is more important than ever before.
The value, credibility, and support for our reports
are increased greatly by the professionalism of the
audit department. Its independence, report quality,
timeliness and reliability demonstrate this high level
of professionalism. |
- Professionalism is demonstrated through widely recognized accounting
and auditing certifications. Each member of the audit staff strive
to achieve CPA, CIA, CISA, CFE and any other certifications that provide
value to the audit function.
- Independence is demonstrated through our department charter included
in the webpage and a reporting relationship to the Board of Supervisors
with oversight provided by the Audit Oversight Committee. Any lesser
reporting relationship without each of these aspects leaves the County
open for replays of what occurred at Enron, WorldCom, Tyco Global Crossing,
Arthur Anderson, and unfortunately there are more examples that could
be listed.
- Report quality is demonstrated by a quality work process and review
process. Our quality work is based on accounting and auditing standards.
The review process must ensure adherence to these standards. The validation
for the department’s standards and quality orientation comes
by cyclical peer review.
- Timeliness is demonstrated by the department’s responsiveness
to demands of the organization it serves. A great report issued too
late to do any good will not be highly valued. Therefore priority is
given to ensure timeliness and consideration is given to narrow scopes
per engagements.
- Reliability is demonstrated by the department’s exacting standard
for getting it right and contextually balanced. We ensure reliability
by sharing the draft with the auditee and making sure the report addresses
their concerns and issues.
The above description outlines our commitment to serving the Orange
County Board of Supervisors as well as the intent of constituency of
Orange County by safeguarding the monies we govern. |
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