Welcome to the 21st Anniversary, 2026 Audit Challenge Conference Series!
For over 20 years, the Audit Research Center | ARC Institute, a renowned University spin-off, has served as a global pioneer and thought leader in audit methodology and emerging audit industry trends. To celebrate our legacy of audit innovation, following the landmark 20th anniversary of our Audit Challenge Conference Series, we are set to redefine the professional landscape in 2026 with a world-first event: a continuous, 24-hour global live broadcast.
In the spirit of “Rock Around the Clock,” we will follow the sun across every time zone, starting at midnight CET and connecting internal audit experts all around the globe. From the first presentations in New Zealand and Australia through Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa, to the final sessions in the Americas, we will maintain an uninterrupted pulse on a world where stability is under siege and trust is losing value.
This unparalleled format provides a unique global platform to redefine the internal audit profession for the modern era.
A Global Audit Journey: Navigating the Age of Competition from BANI Macro-Risks to Multi-Agent Solutions
Top Speakers at 2026 Audit Challenge Conference Series
Dr. Dominik Foerschler
Jon Taber
Folasade Baethke
Linh Truong
Naohiro Mouri
Steven Proctor
Tom McLeod
Manoj Agarwal
Dr. Lisa Dewaldt
Dr. Zelia Njeza
Alexander Rühle
Dr. Hervé Gloaguen
Dr. Rainer Lenz
Nam Phong Ho
Dr. Jenny Tan
Liliana Staber
Levin Zeyu Song
Dr. Matej Drascek
Dr. Matthias Pfeiffer
Rania E. Bejjani
Siebrand Wolberink
David Grünbaum
Rohit Bhatt
Tracie Marquardt
Severine Beroard
Sami Elleuch
Chidambaram Narayanan
Imran Zia
Abbas Al Lawati
Prof. Dr. Dorothee Maria Winkler
Ourania P. Tsamourtzi
Richard Penfil
Arpna Aggarwal
José Gabriel Calderón
Jorge Badillo Ayala
1. Accelerate Daily Productivity: Audit Use Cases for GenAi Prompt Engineering, Agentic AI and the Multi-Agent Age
Are you ready to lead the AI revolution in internal audit?
As artificial intelligence evolves from simple automation to autonomous multi-agent systems, the internal audit function must become as dynamic as the risks it monitors.
We enter a new technological era, internal audit functions must evolve from basic automation to advanced agentic intelligence. In the first step, this focus area deals with the integration of AI, which is designed to significantly improve productivity and risk coverage in practical audit use cases along the entire audit value chain.
This marks a technological leap forward: We will demonstrate how AI as an “Organizer” can structure and optimize audit workflows along the entire audit value chain. From basic automation to autonomous AI-driven assistants, we will explore practical use cases that streamline processes and dramatically enhance audit coverage. These multi-agent systems serve as a “second brain”, helping internal auditors decipher and interpret complex risk maps, enabling us to cope with the “Information Overload” that defines our era.
Unlock unprecedented levels of productivity for your Internal Audit Team!
This key topic provides a unique opportunity for internal auditors to explore cutting-edge AI advancements and understand how they can be leveraged to enhance audit efficiency, risk assessment, and strategic advisory capabilities. Throughout this great internal audit event, industry experts and AI pioneers will demonstrate how internal audit can integrate AI into its processes and what future AI advancements mean for the profession.
2. Forward-Thinking Deciphering Chaos: BANI Macro-Risks and the new Age of Geo-Competition
How can you actively shape the future of your internal audit function?
Informed by the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) 2026 Risk Report: “The Age of Competition“. We face a landscape defined by geoeconomic confrontation, currently identified as the top global risk. The global risk landscape has undergone a “phase change,” moving beyond simple volatility into what futurologist Jamais Cascio calls the BANI framework: a world that is Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear, and Incomprehensible.
In this era, Internal Audit must maintain a continuous, 24-hour pulse on a world where stability is under siege and trust is losing value. The conference will start by addressing the macrocosm of global risks. We will explore how internal audit can create “Global Audit Synergy” by bringing together collective intelligence from experts across all time zones to combat the “Brittle” and “Anxious” nature of the current global order.
Solution focus: Positive BANI approach of being “Interconnected,” countering the “Incomprehensible” complexity of 2026 with a global network of minds. As we broadcast around the globe, from New Zealand to Canada, we create a “Living Neural Network” of auditors. Using Jamais Cascio’s BANI framework, we will show how “Bendable” and “Neuroflexible” strategies allow the audit function to withstand sudden shocks.
We will explore use cases where internal audit identifies “weak signals” in the audit universe. This synergy transforms internal audit into a strategic advisor capable of navigating the macro-developments and creating added value in the microcosm of individual audit engagements.
Exclusive Insights from Industry Leaders
Throughout the day, experienced Chief Audit Executives will present real-world case studies on how they cope with emerging risks. These practical insights will be complemented by in-depth presentations from audit methodology specialists, offering attendees a comprehensive perspective on the latest trends and innovations in internal audit risk assessment.
3. The Symbiosis: Networked Intelligence for a Successful Future
Are you ready to transform your internal audit teams?
While these topics begin as separate explorations, they ultimately form a powerful symbiosis. In a world that often refuses to make sense, Networked Intelligence, the fusion of global collective expertise and agentic resilience, is the only viable path forward.
By linking these focus areas, the conference demonstrates that while geoeconomic competition is intensifying, the internal audit community can use networked technology to drive value-oriented development and risk mitigation on a global scale.
By leveraging AI multi-agents as a “second brain,” auditors can navigate the “Incomprehensible,” contributing directly to risk mitigation and the value-oriented development of their organizations.
This unique 24-hour format serves as a global “inoculation” for fear, providing the clarity and strategic foresight necessary when traditional certainty is no longer possible.
- Bridging the Gap Between Audit and Strategy: How internal audit can provide proactive, strategic insights beyond compliance and assurance.
- Leadership Perspectives: Insights from executives and renowned audit professionals on developing and positioning internal audit as a strategic partner.
- Building the Future Internal Audit Team: Strategies to upskill and equip audit teams with the competencies required for the Strategic Advisor, IIA Global “Vision 2035” research study