The Institute of Internal Auditors Sri Lanka (IIA Sri Lanka) successfully concluded its 11th National Conference recently at Cinnamon Life, Colombo, bringing together nearly 500 professionals from internal audit, governance, risk management, finance and technology and business leadership.
Held under the theme ‘Advancing Internal Audit: Intelligence, Integrity and Impact’, the conference examined how the profession must respond to artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, cybersecurity, fraud risks, sustainability expectations and geopolitical uncertainty.
Chief guest and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka President Tishan Subasinghe highlighted the importance of governance, accountability and collaboration between the accounting and internal audit professions.
Keynote speaker and Industrial Development Board Chairman Yasas Hewage shared perspectives on leadership, innovation and converting ideas into meaningful action.
A special recorded message from Institute of Internal Auditors President and CEO Anthony J. Pugliese connected the conference with the global direction of the profession.
The technical programme featured Natalie Warawita, Obada Hattab, Tharaka Mahabage, Abhishek Gupta, Dr. Prasenna Balachandran, Tahsinur Rahim and Dhayalaruban Thangaraja. Their sessions explored audit analytics, AI-powered assurance, agentic AI, cybersecurity, fraud resilience, emerging risks and development of future-ready internal auditors.
The conference concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Numair Cassim and featuring Suren Rajakarier, Chaaminda Kumarasiri and Yasith Fernando. The discussion examined how intelligence and professional integrity enable internal audit to create strategic organisational impact.
A significant milestone was the presentation of the inaugural Outstanding Contribution to the Internal Audit Profession of Sri Lanka Award to Dharshana De Silva, recognising his long-standing national and international contribution.
IIA Sri Lanka President Muzawwir Manzeer said the internal auditors must combine technological intelligence with professional integrity and sound judgement to create meaningful impact.
IIA Sri Lanka continues to advance the profession through advocacy, training, networking, student engagement and globally recognised professional development, including pathways to the Certified Internal Auditor qualification. Through its collaboration with CA Sri Lanka, the eligible Chartered Accountants can also pursue the accelerated CIA Challenge Exam.
