Global Learning for Operational Leaders
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0 sessionsIntroduction
Course overview
Audit committees play a central role in protecting organisational integrity, strengthening corporate governance, and providing independent oversight of financial reporting, internal controls, risk management, and assurance activities. As organisations face increasingly complex regulatory requirements, technological disruption, cybersecurity threats, financial uncertainty, and heightened stakeholder expectations, the responsibilities of audit committees continue to evolve.
Modern audit committees must move beyond traditional financial reporting oversight to adopt a more forward-looking approach to governance. This requires a strong understanding of emerging risks, organisational resilience, digital transformation, fraud prevention, regulatory compliance, and the effectiveness of internal and external assurance functions.
Audit committee members are expected to challenge management constructively, exercise independent judgment, evaluate the reliability of financial and non-financial information, and ensure that significant risks and control weaknesses receive appropriate attention. Achieving these responsibilities requires technical knowledge, effective communication, sound governance structures, and a clear understanding of the committee's authority and accountability.
The Audit Committees in a New Era of Governance course provides board members, audit committee professionals, senior executives, and governance specialists with practical frameworks for strengthening audit committee effectiveness.
Participants examine audit committee composition, responsibilities, financial reporting oversight, internal and external audit relationships, enterprise risk management, cybersecurity governance, fraud risk, sustainability reporting, and emerging assurance expectations.
Through governance case studies, boardroom simulations, and practical exercises, participants develop the skills to evaluate committee performance, challenge complex information, oversee assurance arrangements, and support transparent, accountable organisational governance.
Professional Problems This Course Is Designed to Solve
Unclear audit committee responsibilities: Establishing well-defined committee mandates, oversight responsibilities, reporting relationships, and boundaries between governance and executive management.
Weak financial reporting oversight: Strengthening the review of financial statements, significant accounting judgments, audit findings, and reporting integrity.
Ineffective internal and external audit coordination: Improving oversight of audit independence, assurance coverage, audit quality, and the resolution of significant findings.
Limited visibility of emerging organisational risks: Expanding audit committee oversight to address cybersecurity, digital transformation, third-party exposure, fraud, and operational resilience.
Insufficient challenge of management decisions: Developing effective questioning techniques, professional scepticism, and evidence-based governance discussions.
Poor follow-up on control deficiencies: Establishing clear mechanisms for tracking audit recommendations, management action plans, and unresolved governance concerns.
Inadequate audit committee performance evaluation: Applying structured assessments of committee composition, competencies, meeting effectiveness, information quality, and governance outcomes.
What you will achieve
Learning objectives
- Explain the evolving role of audit committees in modern corporate governance
- Evaluate audit committee responsibilities, authority, independence, and accountability
- Develop effective audit committee charters and governance arrangements
- Strengthen oversight of financial reporting, accounting judgments, and disclosure quality
- Assess internal control systems and enterprise risk management frameworks
- Evaluate the independence, performance, and effectiveness of internal audit functions
- Oversee external auditor appointment, independence, audit quality, and reporting
- Identify emerging risks involving cybersecurity, fraud, technology, and third parties
Who should attend
Target audience
- This course is suitable for:
- Audit committee chairs and members
- Board directors and independent non-executive directors
- Board secretaries and corporate governance professionals
- Chief audit executives and internal audit directors
- Chief financial officers and finance directors
- Chief risk officers and enterprise risk managers
- Compliance directors and regulatory affairs professionals
Methodology
Learning approach
- The programme combines instructor-led governance discussions, audit committee case studies, regulatory and governance framework analysis, boardroom simulations, financial reporting reviews, and practical committee effectiveness workshops.
- Participants examine illustrative audit committee charters, meeting agendas, board reports, financial statements, internal audit findings, external auditor communications, risk registers, and management action plans.
- Practical exercises focus on evaluating governance arrangements, challenging financial and risk information, reviewing assurance reports, preparing audit committee questions, and developing recommendations to strengthen committee oversight and effectiveness.
Complete course outline
Five focused days of learning and application
The timings provided are estimates and may vary depending on the number of participants and the discussions taking place during the sessions. They are indicative only and do not constitute a binding commitment.
Day 1
The Evolving Role of Audit Committees in Corporate Governance
- Understanding the purpose, responsibilities, and strategic importance of audit committees within contemporary corporate governance structures
- Examining internationally recognised governance principles and relevant jurisdiction-specific expectations for audit committee oversight
- Evaluating audit committee composition, independence, financial literacy, professional expertise, and member appointment considerations
- Developing audit committee charters covering authority, responsibilities, meeting arrangements, access to information, and reporting obligations
- Coffee break
- Developing audit committee charters covering authority, responsibilities, meeting arrangements, access to information, and reporting obligations (continued)
- Defining governance relationships between the audit committee, board of directors, executive management, internal audit, external auditors, and other board committees
- Practical workshop: Reviewing and improving an audit committee charter to address governance responsibilities, committee independence, and emerging oversight requirements
Day 2
Financial Reporting Integrity, Internal Controls and Governance Assurance
- Strengthening audit committee oversight of financial statements, accounting policies, significant estimates, and complex financial reporting judgments
- Evaluating financial reporting risks involving revenue recognition, asset valuation, provisions, related-party transactions, and material disclosures
- Understanding management responsibilities for internal control systems and the audit committee's role in evaluating control effectiveness
- Reviewing internal control deficiencies, financial reporting exceptions, management override risks, and remediation priorities
- Coffee break
- Reviewing internal control deficiencies, financial reporting exceptions, management override risks, and remediation priorities (continued)
- Applying professional scepticism and structured questioning techniques when reviewing management explanations and financial information
- Practical exercise: Conducting a simulated audit committee review of financial statements, significant accounting judgments, and reported internal control weaknesses
Day 3
Internal Audit, External Audit and Integrated Assurance Oversight
- Evaluating the internal audit function's mandate, independence, organisational positioning, resources, and alignment with the IIA Global Internal Audit Standards
- Reviewing risk-based internal audit plans, assurance coverage, audit findings, management responses, and unresolved control deficiencies
- Understanding the audit committee's responsibilities in overseeing external auditor appointment, independence, objectivity, performance, and audit quality
- Examining external audit planning, significant audit risks, key audit matters where applicable, management letters, and auditor communications
- Coffee break
- Examining external audit planning, significant audit risks, key audit matters where applicable, management letters, and auditor communications (continued)
- Strengthening coordination between internal audit, external audit, compliance, risk management, and other assurance providers to reduce gaps and duplication
- Boardroom simulation: Reviewing internal and external audit reports, challenging significant findings, and establishing appropriate management follow-up actions
Day 4
Emerging Risks, Cybersecurity, Fraud and Modern Governance Challenges
- Evaluating the audit committee's role in overseeing enterprise risk management, risk appetite, significant organisational exposures, and risk escalation
- Understanding cybersecurity governance, information security controls, data privacy risks, technology dependencies, and digital operational resilience
- Assessing the governance implications of artificial intelligence, automated decision-making, data analytics, and emerging digital technologies
- Strengthening oversight of fraud risk management, whistleblowing arrangements, ethics programmes, investigations, and regulatory compliance
- Coffee break
- Strengthening oversight of fraud risk management, whistleblowing arrangements, ethics programmes, investigations, and regulatory compliance (continued)
- Evaluating third-party risk, outsourcing arrangements, supply chain dependencies, and business continuity assurance
- Case study: Assessing a complex governance scenario involving cybersecurity incidents, financial control weaknesses, and emerging compliance risks to determine audit committee priorities
Day 5
Audit Committee Effectiveness, Reporting and Continuous Governance Improvement
- Designing effective audit committee agendas, annual work plans, meeting schedules, and reporting arrangements aligned with significant organisational risks
- Improving the quality of information provided to committee members through concise assurance reports, risk indicators, dashboards, and management presentations
- Developing structured approaches to management challenge, issue escalation, action tracking, and reporting significant concerns to the board
- Coffee break
- Developing structured approaches to management challenge, issue escalation, action tracking, and reporting significant concerns to the board (continued)
- Evaluating audit committee effectiveness through self-assessment, independent evaluation, competency reviews, meeting quality, and oversight outcomes
- Addressing emerging governance expectations involving sustainability disclosures, non-financial reporting assurance, stakeholder accountability, and regulatory developments
- Capstone exercise: Developing and presenting an Audit Committee Governance and Effectiveness Improvement Plan covering committee responsibilities, financial reporting oversight, assurance coordination, emerging risks, performance indicators, and priority governance actions
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What does Audit Committees in a New Era of Governance (AF-027) cover?
This course covers Accounting and Finance through a structured five-day outline focused on practical application, discussion, and implementation planning.
When is the next available session?
The course schedule and fee are available on request. Contact Aractech for current availability and a quotation.
Who should attend this course?
This course is suitable for:, Audit committee chairs and members, Board directors and independent non-executive directors
Is bilingual course delivery available?
Yes. All course materials and presentations are provided in English, while bilingual explanation and discussion support may be available depending on the selected location and trainer availability. For example, when attending a course in Istanbul, you may request a Turkish-speaking trainer to explain the English course content in Turkish. Arabic explanation support may also be requested at this location. Other languages are available in selected cities. You can choose your preferred language support as an optional preference during registration.
How can I register for a session?
Use any Register button next to the available course dates to open the participant registration page and submit your booking request for the selected session.
Is this course available online as well as classroom-based?
The schedule and fee, including any available delivery options, are available on request. Contact Aractech for details.
Where are classroom sessions delivered?
Classroom venues are confirmed in the schedule panel for each published session.
How long is the training programme?
The programme runs for five days, with up to five training hours per day, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Each programme includes a total of 25 training hours.
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