Internal Audit Consultant

Mayase Mbazima, a senior internal audit consultant at Deloitte says that “if you love to interact with people, lover of mathematics and always want to learn then accounting is for you.” Individuals who have strong analytical skills and enjoy working with numbers and compiling reports.

“Risk Advisory is our departmental name and we are called consultants, as we consult clients on various topics namely internal audit, IT audit, risk management, governance, compliance, forensics and business continuity management,” she said.

“It’s best to do vacation work at one of the audit firms throughout your studies to get practical experience of your studies, this will better help your decision to specialise,” she added.

A business or client must have an effective independent risk management function, under the direction of a consultant, with sufficient stature, independence, resources and access to the board. The independent risk management function is a key component of the organisations second line of defence. The consultant is there to help a company or an individual to develop the structures to ease the organisations risk to an acceptable level, as well identify upside risks.

“As a consultant you need to offer an excellent service to your clients, therefore you need to be dedicated, always work hard and deliver on your engagement,” Mbazima said. She chose to study accounting because of her love of numbers and finds it easy to work with people, which the career offers. The highlights of being an internal auditor at Deloitte has allowed Mbazima to grow and learn, every day there is something new to learn. “An excellent internal audit consultant has excellent understanding and communication skills, that is their superpower,” she added.