Claire Pretty

I wanted a career with variety. A career where I wouldn’t be chained to a desk but would have the time and space to make a difference. The problem was that I didn’t know enough about what each job involved. I was in my early twenties, fresh out of university, and not sure about which role would suit me.  

I approached the Director of Internal Audit at the company I was working for. I thought that working as an Internal Auditor would give me a good idea about roles which might fit well with my interests. However, the more interaction I had with Management Accountants, Financial Accountants, Procurement, IT, HR and others, the more I realised that Internal Audit was the best fit for me. That was more than twenty years ago. 

Since then, I have worked for a top 4, I have travelled, and I have pursued roles to work amongst teams of exceptionally talented people. I have led Internal Audit, Assurance and Risk teams across different industries and developed business leaders. 

I love solving a puzzle. Give me crosswords, murder mysteries or countdown conundrums and I couldn’t be happier. My approach to internal audits has always been that of a puzzle which has yet to be solved.  

It continues to astound me that there has been so much change over the last twenty-five years, but the fundamentals are still pivotal. Internal audit solves problems to help businesses grow.