03 December 2020 Nkechi Ijeomah, CHEIA Administrator
Message from the Chair
Dear All,
2020 is drawing to a close. This time last year, we would never have predicted the changes we have experienced in our workplaces and home lives. As I write this, the announcement about the approval of the first Covid vaccine is giving a glimmer of light in the gloom.
Wishing you all a lovely Christmas, and a happy and healthy 2021.
Juliet Simpson, Chair of CHEIA
Head of Internal Audit, Newcastle University
juliet.simpson@newcastle.ac.uk
CHEIA Bitesize Events
Registration for our final Bitesize event for 2020 will close on 9 December. Do join your CHEIA colleagues on 10 December for the session on the Global Internal Audit Survey, led by David Tiernan of Deloitte LLP. It starts at 11 am and as it is the last one for the year, we plan to follow it with a mini end of year celebration lasting about 20 minutes. If you can wear a Christmas jumper and bring your own mince pies, and maybe even join in a singalong, that will be great. When joining the call, please could you check that you are easily recognisable by your ‘display name’; if not, please either change it or use the messaging functionality to identify yourself.
BUFDG Audit Survey
BUFDG has announced that the annual audit survey will take place in March 2021. They are doing this a bit later than usual to accommodate institutions who are taking advantage of the later accounts submission date. To make this Survey a useful tool for the sector, please look out for it and encourage the responsible officer in your institution to complete it. Only those who complete the survey receive the report that is produced.
OFS Consultation on Quality
You may already be aware of the Office for Students consultation on quality and standards in higher education in England, launched by OfS on 17 November. The consultation is open till 12 January 2021.
And Finally ….. Looking Forward to 2021
Once again, thank you all very much for being part of CHEIA and joining in our activities and whatever we were able to offer this year. We hope that 2021 will be a much better year for CHEIA and for all.
We are looking for more input from you all to the Monthly Updates. You can share your own tips or give us links to yours or other relevant blogs to include. Our next issues will be circulated on 11 January, 8 February and so on. If you have anything to include, please send it in by 4 January or 1 February.
On behalf of all the members of the Executive, here’s wishing you a merry Christmas and a very happy 2021.
Auditor Spotlight
Jilly Huggins, Internal Auditor, University of Bristol
1. Why did you become an internal auditor?
I left University with a degree in Social Policy and a desire to do a job that helped make the best use of public funding to drive social value. My earlier career background was in education delivery (I was a mature student) and after graduating I worked for a company which delivered Apprenticeship training: monitoring the quality, compliance with funding rules, and value for money of their provision. They trained me as an internal auditor and I’ve never looked back! The thing I like most about this career path is the insight it has given me to a wide range of disciplines: I’ve had the opportunity to work with professionals across many different operational areas, senior leadership teams, and technical experts in fraud risk, cyber risk and information and data governance.
2. What are your hobbies/interests outside of audit?
I’m a circus artist. No, seriously…! I trained in aerial circus (trapeze and silks) as a hobby whilst I was at University, as Bristol has a thriving circus community and it was surprisingly easy to get into. I don’t get to train as much as I used to now, but I still love it as a creative outlet as well as for keeping fit. And it gives me a window into a completely different way of life – I have met some really interesting people who do this for a living.
3) What do you wish you knew more about?
Space. I watched in fascination as SpaceX launched the first commercial astronauts into space a few weeks back, and I get insanely excited by any book or TV show that tries to explain the physics of stars, black holes, the Big Bang, or quantum theory... I can’t claim to understand much of it though! If I could have my whole education again I’d focus on maths and physics because I’d love to be one of those scientists at the forefront of understanding more about the universe.
4) Where is the best place you’ve visited and where would you most like to go?
I found Russia a pretty interesting place (I went on a school trip there, bizarrely). The gap between the wealth in the big cities and abject poverty just outside them is so stark – and the history and culture are so different to our experience in the UK. I’d love to see parts of Japan, particularly in cherry blossom season – again, I’m interested to see the differences between the craziness of the major cities and the traditional rural areas, and I’m fascinated by the east Asian culture.
5) What is the most annoying habit that other people have?
Describing something work-related as ‘interesting’ without explaining WHY it is interesting… (i.e. the one-liner: ‘interesting email from Joe Bloggs’… is it?!)
Contact Us
CHEIA Administrator
contact@cheia.ac.uk