A confluence of issues in 2020 — ranging from COVID-19 and climate change, to social justice issues — that have brought ESG to the forefront. Maura Hodge, KPMG’s National ESG Assurance Leader, describes the role auditors can play in providing assurance on company-prepared ESG information.

The accounting profession will never waver in its commitment to always doing better. Pursuing greater representation is the right thing to do – it advances equity and opportunity, while recognizing each individual’s identity. It is also the smart thing to do – it helps the accounting profession better perform its...

Technology has disrupted almost every industry, from healthcare to agriculture. Within the audit profession, technology has transformed the way the traditional audit is done, streamlining the process for auditors while enhancing audit quality. Evolution of the Audit: Technology Technology has had a significant impact on the evolution of the audit. “When I think...

Almost everyone depends on capital markets in some way. They benefit us all, powering our economy and the innovative products and services that make everyday life possible. “The capital markets are foundational to modern economic systems around the globe,” said John Farrell, Audit Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, KPMG. “They provide...

Public company auditors perform thousands of audits each year. These audits promote investor confidence in the public company financial reporting that underpins our capital markets. To continually improve audit quality, firms develop and deploy robust audit quality measures and many firms describe such efforts in annual voluntary audit quality reports. The CAQ...

You don’t have to go too far back in history to see how financial reporting fraud can harm US markets. The fraud scandals in the early 2000s led to a massive disruption in the markets and – more importantly – investor trust in those markets. “Financial fraud has threatened the underlying...

The strength of our public company financial reporting system relies on many stakeholders playing different but interconnected roles in a process designed to provide investors and our markets with high-quality, reliable financial information. Sara Lewis serves on the Board of Weyerhaeuser, and is the Chair of the Audit Committee. She also...

Public company auditors play a vital role for investors in making it possible for our capital markets to function. The needs of the capital markets are evolving, and so must auditors, no matter the stage of their career.