Inspiring Women in Audit

Hosted by Tracie Marquardt

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Oct 2026

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About the show

We celebrate the remarkable journeys and insights of women in the Internal Audit industry. From around the globe, sharing their knowledge, experiences, and unique perspectives, we amplify their voices, empowering them to make their mark on the profession, and driving innovation in the industry. Your host is Tracie Marquardt, a renowned audit communication expert and former co-host of 'The Audit Room.' Tune in to discover how these inspiring women are shaping the future of audit. Subscribe and enjoy!

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36 recent

October 27, 20261 hr 21 min

Ep 36 Credibility Gets You Heard with Tasneem Kalolwala

Credibility Gets You Heard Tasneem Kalolwala has spent more than two decades in internal audit and is Vice President, Internal Audit at a global tire manufacturer headquartered in Japan. Her team covers North America, Latin America, Europe and South Africa. Her remit runs from assurance and advisory to fraud risk governance and enterprise risk. Outside her function, she leads the IIA Nashville Chapter’s Women’s Initiative and has spoken on fraud risk at the IIA’s General Audit Management conference. A title gets you invited into the room. Being heard is a different matter. In this episode Tasneem explains why assurance is only the license to operate. She draws the line on how far internal audit should go when the F word comes up, and when audit should step back. She also talks about influence when you are not the most senior voice at the table. And the advice women are given to overcome that? Usually misses the point. Taz was told early in her career that she is opinionated, and she still is. The difference now is that her opinion is valued. After an hour with her, it’s easy to see why. She reads a room before she speaks into it, and every sentence is there for a reason. What hits home: she wants to be remembered for what she helped build, not the findings her team reported. Plenty of auditors say that. Taz has spent seven years at one company proving she means it. Be sure to connect with Tasneem Kalolwala on LinkedIn. And be sure to follow Inspiring Women in Audit on LinkedIn , and connect with Tracie . Join the Exclusive Inspiring Women in Audit LinkedIn Group: This group is dedicated to empowering and uplifting women in the internal audit profession, providing a supportive space for women to share their journeys, insights, and expertise. By fostering meaningful connections, we aim to inspire, encourage, and drive transformative change within the industry. Join us to celebrate the achievements of women in audit and to be part of a community that values and amplifies your unique perspectives and experiences. Sign up for our newsletter! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ This podcast is brought to you by i4 Global Results Limited and Amplify Your Audit Results, the audit communication experts dedicated to transforming your audit reporting and your audit results through communication, optimization, and collaboration. Schedule time with us.

October 8, 202649 min

Ep 35 Know Your Stuff, Then Be Bold with Carolin Morlock

Know Your Stuff, Then Be Bold My guest today is Carolin Morlock, Head of Internal Audit at a global pump and valve manufacturer headquartered in Germany – a company with more than 150 years of history and a presence in over 100 countries. Before stepping into her current role, Carolin built her audit career across a global chemicals leader and a heating and ventilation group, with experience spanning Germany and China. She holds dual master’s degrees in international management, from universities in Germany and the UK. She is an active member of the DIIR working group on internal audit in mid-sized companies, and was a speaker at the DIIR Kongress in 2025. Carolin walked into a company steeped in tradition as the youngest person in most rooms. In this episode, she shares what changed when she became a first-time head of audit: how she had to find a new language for the same arguments, why export control now sits in every audit program she runs, how to audit governance when every entity does things its own way, and what preparing like an athlete means before you face the board. What I appreciated about Carolin is that her confidence is built on preparation, not volume. She says "know your stuff" so often it could be her motto, and she pairs it with real empathy for the people she is asking to implement changes. She is also the rare head of audit who will say on air that her team has not set an AI goal yet, and explain why that is a deliberate choice when the tools change every day. I came away inspired by Carolin’s courage, thinking every new CAE, and a few experienced ones, should hear how she thinks about earning trust. Episode Breakdown 1:44 – A Coincidence, Not a Calling 7:49 – Nervous on Day One 9:08 – Audit Mode On 12:16 – Chasing a Moving Target 14:37 – The Human Check 18:19 – Adapt Your Language 19:50 – Younger in the Room 23:33 – Export Control Is Existential 29:52 – One Company, Many Systems 36:40 – Visibility Is Not Vanity 40:57 – Prepare Like an Athlete 45:44 – Credit Where It's Due Be sure to connect with Carolin Morlock on LinkedIn. And be sure to follow Inspiring Women in Audit on LinkedIn , and connect with Tracie. Join the Exclusive Inspiring Women in Audit LinkedIn Group : This group is dedicated to empowering and uplifting women in the internal audit profession, providing a supportive space for women to share their journeys, insights, and expertise. By fostering meaningful connections, we aim to inspire, encourage, and drive transformative change within the industry. Join us to celebrate the achievements of women in audit and to be part of a community that values and amplifies your unique perspectives and experiences. Sign up for our newsletter! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ This podcast is brought to you by i4 Global Results Limited and Amplify Your Audit Results, the audit communication experts dedicated to transforming your audit reporting and your audit results through communication, optimization, and collaboration. Schedule time with us.

September 15, 202658 min

Ep 34 The Quiet One Speaks Up with Rachel McCarthy

The Quiet One Speaks Up Rachel McCarthy, CIA, has spent nearly a decade building her internal audit career inside a Florida hospital system, working her way up to audit team leader in a single organization. She is President of the IIA North Central Florida Chapter, and she has become the person her department relies on to make sure the whole team delivers the same product to every stakeholder. For years, Rachel was the quiet one in the room, and it turns out the quiet one was watching. In this episode she tells Tracie why transaction testing in a siloed environment keeps turning up the same findings, what changed when her team started auditing governance before data, and what AI is and isn't doing for audit reporting. And she shares the moment she stopped waiting for someone else to ask the obvious question. Two years building her team's methodology and training program, then her first conference stage this year to share it, imposter syndrome and all. That's Rachel. She is the one who asks what happens when the control fails when nobody else in the room will. If you have ever been the quiet one, or you have one on your team, this is your episode. Episode Breakdown 2:07 – Audit Found Her First 11:52 – Sound Like Us, Not AI 20:52 – Invited To The Stage 26:39 – The Crash After the Stage 30:11 – The Question No One Raised 34:42 – Ten Years, Still Independent 39:45 – Fixing It From the Top 44:49 – How Change Actually Lands 46:50 – What healthcare audit carries 49:41 – Voluntold, Then Hooked 55:00 – One Consistent Voice for Audit Be sure to connect with Rachel McCarthy on LinkedIn. And be sure to follow Inspiring Women in Audit on LinkedIn , and connect with Tracie. Join the Exclusive Inspiring Women in Audit LinkedIn Group: This group is dedicated to empowering and uplifting women in the internal audit profession, providing a supportive space for women to share their journeys, insights, and expertise. By fostering meaningful connections, we aim to inspire, encourage, and drive transformative change within the industry. Join us to celebrate the achievements of women in audit and to be part of a community that values and amplifies your unique perspectives and experiences. Sign up for our newsletter! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ This podcast is brought to you by i4 Global Results Limited and Amplify Your Audit Results, the audit communication experts dedicated to transforming your audit reporting and your audit results through communication, optimization, and collaboration. Schedule time with us.

August 18, 20261 hr 2 min

Ep 33 Credibility the Board Can't Ignore with Fiorella Coto Zevallos

Credibility the Board Can't Ignore Fiorella Coto Zevallos is a global audit, risk and controls leader with more than 15 years of experience across three continents and all three lines of defense. Today she is the right hand of the chief audit executive at a major energy technology company, helping steer an assurance function of ~135 people spanning internal audit, internal controls and enterprise risk management – a scope she sees as proof the profession is finally in the spotlight. Fiorella Coto Zevallos left internal audit on purpose – because she wanted to become a better auditor, and has brought her wealth of experience into her audit leadership roles. In this episode, she shares what changed when she sat on the business side of the table, and why the most credible thing an auditor can say is "I’ve been right where you are. I know what you mean." Born in Peru, living abroad for more than 20 years and working in three languages, Fiorella calls herself "the perfect mixture of German efficiency and Latino charm." Episode Breakdown 1:50 – The Call I Couldn't Refuse 6:49 – Leaving to Get Better 16:26 - A Seat At The Table 21:33 – Hated Externally, Hated Internally 23:25 – Tell Them What They Don't Know 27:33 – Do Your Homework on the Board 33:22 – Audit Like a Dentist Visit 41:09 – An Enabler for What's Coming 47:07 – Diversity of Thought Can't Be Taught 48:56 – German Efficiency, Latino Charm 54:02 – Building the Community I Needed 57:27 – No One Size Fits All 1:00 – Break the Glass Ceiling – Together Be sure to connect with Fiorella Coto Zevallos on LinkedIn . And be sure to follow Inspiring Women in Audit on LinkedIn , and connect with Tracie . Join the Exclusive Inspiring Women in Audit LinkedIn Group: This group is dedicated to empowering and uplifting women in the internal audit profession, providing a supportive space for women to share their journeys, insights, and expertise. By fostering meaningful connections, we aim to inspire, encourage, and drive transformative change within the industry. Join us to celebrate the achievements of women in audit and to be part of a community that values and amplifies your unique perspectives and experiences. Sign up for our newsletter! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ This podcast is brought to you by i4 Global Results Limited and Amplify Your Audit Results, the audit communication experts dedicated to transforming your audit reporting and your audit results through communication, optimization, and collaboration. Schedule time with us.

July 29, 20268 min

Ep 32 The Question They Hadn't Thought Of with Nancy Russell

The Question They Hadn't Thought Of Nancy Russell is a senior audit and risk executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience across insurance, investments, retirement services, and international operations. She holds Chartered Accountant and Certified Internal Auditor designations, has led global internal audit functions across Canada, the United States, and Europe, and at the time of recording, served as senior vice president and chief internal auditor for a large public sector organization. She's also completing her ICD designation and chairs the audit and finance committee for a major charitable organization – a career built on moving toward challenge, not away from it. This conversation goes straight at the state of the profession – where it's earned trust, where it hasn't, and what it will take for internal audit to stay relevant in a moment that's asking more of it than ever. Nancy doesn't soften the hard parts. Neither does the conversation. There's a habit Nancy has carried through every audit committee meeting of her career: walk in expecting to ask the one question the room hasn't thought of yet. It's where this episode gets its title. That instinct to go all in doesn't stop at the boardroom door – she's also a certified functional medicine health coach. Courage is her word, and by the end of this episode, you'll understand exactly why it's Nancy's. Episode Breakdown 2:12 – Math Over English 4:51 – Integrity as a Career 9:06 – Authentic Over Ambitious 14:20 – Leaving and Coming Back 17:57 – Public Sector, New Lens 20:36 – Audit's Existential Moment 24:45 – Humans Write the First Draft 31:43 – Show Up or Step Aside 38:12 – Confidence as a Practice 45:36 – Women Rising in Audit 54:03 – Coaching the Next Generation 55:39 – Values Before Credentials 1:01:06 – Difficult Conversations Be sure to connect with ⁠ Nancy Russell ⁠ on LinkedIn. And be sure to follow ⁠ Inspiring Women in Audit on LinkedIn ⁠ , and ⁠ connect with Tracie. ⁠ Join the Exclusive ⁠ Inspiring Women in Audit LinkedIn Group ⁠ : This group is dedicated to empowering and uplifting women in the internal audit profession, providing a supportive space for women to share their journeys, insights, and expertise. By fostering meaningful connections, we aim to inspire, encourage, and drive transformative change within the industry. Join us to celebrate the achievements of women in audit and to be part of a community that values and amplifies your unique perspectives and experiences. ⁠ Sign up for our newsletter! ⁠ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ This podcast is brought to you by i4 Global Results Limited and Amplify Your Audit Results, the audit communication experts dedicated to transforming your audit reporting and your audit results through communication, optimization, and collaboration. ⁠ Schedule time with us. ⁠

July 8, 20261 hr 16 min

Ep 31 Audit Isn't a Scripted Event with Lori Kaczynski

Audit Isn't a Scripted Event Lori Kaczynski is a Fortune 500 executive and board director with over 25 years across external audit, internal audit, risk management, compliance, and finance. She has served as Chief Audit Executive at four multibillion-dollar organizations, most recently the SVP, Chief Audit, Risk and Compliance Officer in the food and beverage industry. She chairs the School of Accountancy Advisory Board at Kennesaw State University, where she was inducted into the Coles College of Business Hall of Fame in 2023, and serves on the AICPA Assurance Services Executive Committee. This episode is a masterclass in how a CAE actually thinks. Lori talks about building audit functions from the ground up, why she calls internal audit a service organization, and what it really takes to lead audit, risk and compliance under one roof without compromising independence. More than anything, though, she shares a philosophy of leadership built on trust, curiosity, communication and the belief that internal audit can be one of the most strategic functions in an organization. She is direct, generous, and genuinely funny. A leader who keeps thank you notes in her desk, lets 50 dogs out at a shelter on weekend nights, and still believes audit doesn't have to be a scripted event. Episode Breakdown 2:07 – Audit Can Be Creative 5:56 – Advocating For AI 15:58 – Service Means People 23:22 – The Hybrid Audit 26:00 – You Can’t Teach Critical Thinking 35:01 – Thinking Beyond Compliance 46:27 – Risk Assessing Along The Way 55:21 – Becoming A Business Partner 01:01 – Representation Matters 01:09 – Fill People’s Buckets Be sure to connect with Lori Kaczynski on LinkedIn. And be sure to follow Inspiring Women in Audit on LinkedIn, and connect with Tracie. Join the Exclusive Inspiring Women in Audit LinkedIn Group : This group is dedicated to empowering and uplifting women in the internal audit profession, providing a supportive space for women to share their journeys, insights, and expertise. By fostering meaningful connections, we aim to inspire, encourage, and drive transformative change within the industry. Join us to celebrate the achievements of women in audit and to be part of a community that values and amplifies your unique perspectives and experiences. Sign up for our newsletter! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ This podcast is brought to you by i4 Global Results Limited and Amplify Your Audit Results, the audit communication experts dedicated to transforming your audit reporting and your audit results through communication, optimization, and collaboration. Schedule time with us.

June 17, 20261 hr 1 min

Ep 30 Audit Was the Door. The Sky Is the Limit. with Dr. Lesedi Lesetedi

Audit Was the Door. The Sky Is the Limit. Dr. Lesedi Lesetedi is a Doctor of Business Administration and Certified Internal Auditor who spent over two decades building internal audit infrastructure across Botswana, rising from auditor to Chief Audit Executive. As President of IIA Botswana, she grew the chapter from 50 to 500 members, established its first permanent office and staff, and secured a ministerial proclamation calling on CEOs and boards across the country to recognize and support internal auditors. She has chaired audit committees for UNICEF and the Food and Agriculture Organization, and now serves as Deputy Vice Chancellor, Corporate Services at Botswana Open University. This episode is about what it takes to move internal audit from the margins to the mainstream – advocacy at the level of heads of state, the daily work of rebuilding trust after audit credibility has been lost, and what happens when the auditor becomes the one being held to account. She is a builder. A woman who grew up the only girl among four brothers, walked into boardrooms full of men, and made them listen – not by force, but by earning it. Audit was the door. The sky is the limit. Episode Breakdown 2:05 – Posted Into Purpose 6:37 – Building IIA Botswana 13:39 – Dynamite Comes In Small Packages 18:52 – Empower Women. Educate Men. 26:02 – Aim Beyond The Ceiling 29:44 – The Ultimate Business Lens 33:40 – Trust Opens Doors 40:48 – Prevent, Don’t Just Report 43:27 – Governance At Global Scale 47:13 – Change How You Show Up 57:22 – Impact Beyond Yourself Be sure to connect with Dr. Lesedi Lesetedi on LinkedIn. And be sure to follow Inspiring Women in Audit on LinkedIn , and connect with Tracie. Join the Exclusive Inspiring Women in Audit LinkedIn Group : This group is dedicated to empowering and uplifting women in the internal audit profession, providing a supportive space for women to share their journeys, insights, and expertise. By fostering meaningful connections, we aim to inspire, encourage, and drive transformative change within the industry. Join us to celebrate the achievements of women in audit and to be part of a community that values and amplifies your unique perspectives and experiences. Sign up for our newsletter! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ This podcast is brought to you by i4 Global Results Limited and Amplify Your Audit Results, the audit communication experts dedicated to transforming your audit reporting and your audit results through communication, optimization, and collaboration. Schedule time with us.

May 27, 202648 min

Ep 29 Audit, AI and Authenticity with Liliana Staber

Audit, AI and Authenticity Liliana Staber is Director of Internal Audit at one of Europe's largest tech platforms, based in Berlin. She leads a genuinely global team and has spent the last several years building something most audit functions are still just talking about – an AI-powered audit process that covers the entire lifecycle, built in-house, with results to back it up. She's also presented this work on the IIA international stage. And then there's the other side of her story. Liliana talks about what it's actually taken to get here – as a woman, as someone from Hungary navigating a profession that hasn't always made space for either – and what she'd say to the next generation coming up behind her. Liliana is the kind of auditor the profession needs more of. She's earned everything she's built. Quiet confidence, real results. She's the real deal. Episode Breakdown 1:39 - Stumbled Into Audit 1:59 - Audit Was The Springboard 5:51 - Diverse thinking, Better Outcomes 9:07 - Finding an ai expert 12:43 - Supporting the audit lifecycle 15:20 - From 20 Pages to 4 17:48 - It’s Not A Miracle Tool 25:22 - Empowering your team to shine 29:00 - Adaptability Comes First 31:37 - It’s Still Not Equal 39:43 - Authentic Leadership Wins 46:00 - Strengthening Audits Role Be sure to connect with Liliana Staber on LinkedIn. And be sure to follow Inspiring Women in Audit on LinkedIn , and connect with Tracie. Join the Exclusive Inspiring Women in Audit LinkedIn Group : This group is dedicated to empowering and uplifting women in the internal audit profession, providing a supportive space for women to share their journeys, insights, and expertise. By fostering meaningful connections, we aim to inspire, encourage, and drive transformative change within the industry. Join us to celebrate the achievements of women in audit and to be part of a community that values and amplifies your unique perspectives and experiences. Sign up for our newsletter! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ This podcast is brought to you by i4 Global Results Limited and Amplify Your Audit Results, the audit communication experts dedicated to transforming your audit reporting and your audit results through communication, optimization, and collaboration. Schedule time with us.

April 15, 202650 min

Ep 28 When The Business Starts Calling You

When The Business Starts Calling You Kara Falco has spent over 20 years in audit – and built something most CAEs only dream about: a team the business actually comes to. As Chief Audit Executive at a Fortune 500 company that still runs like a family business, Kara knows that building the team and building the trust are the same job. She turned a function once seen as the police into the most trusted partner in the room – and in this episode, she shares exactly how she did it. Kara talks about what relationship-building really looks like in practice, how she empowers her team, and why the message matters just as much as the finding. She also gets into AI – and her team has the numbers to back it up: the internal audit function ranked as the highest AI users in the entire company! Kara explains how that happened and what it has freed them up to do. And then there's what she learned from her dad – about showing up with grace, staying grateful, and never losing your sense of humor, no matter what. If you want to see what a high-trust, high-performing audit team looks like from the inside, this is the episode to listen to. Episode Breakdown 1:39 - Stepping Back to Move Forward 5:29 - From Fixer to Advisor 9:22 - Retiring the Audit Police 11:17 - It’s All About the Message 17:22 - Freedom to Chase Value 25:48 - The Advisory Balance 28:20 - Grace Under Pressure 31:48 - No One Builds Alone 35:00 - Leading the AI Shift 39:22 - Turning Purpose into Action 42:44 - The First Rule of Leadership 47:50 - Opportunities, Not Deficiencies Be sure to connect with Kara Falco on LinkedIn. And be sure to follow Inspiring Women in Audit on LinkedIn, and connect with Tracie. Join the Exclusive Inspiring Women in Audit LinkedIn Group : This group is dedicated to empowering and uplifting women in the internal audit profession, providing a supportive space for women to share their journeys, insights, and expertise. By fostering meaningful connections, we aim to inspire, encourage, and drive transformative change within the industry. Join us to celebrate the achievements of women in audit and to be part of a community that values and amplifies your unique perspectives and experiences. Sign up for our newsletter! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ This podcast is brought to you by i4 Global Results Limited and Amplify Your Audit Results, the audit communication experts dedicated to transforming your audit reporting and your audit results through communication, optimization, and collaboration. Schedule time with us.

March 24, 20261 hr 15 min

Ep 27 When Audit Shapes Global Decisions with Silvina Coria

When Audit Shapes Global Decisions In this episode of Inspiring Women in Audit , we’re joined by Silvina Coria - a CPA and audit leader whose career has taken her from Buenos Aires to The Hague, and from the private sector to one of the most distinctive governance environments in the world: the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. At the time of recording, she leads internal audit at the OPCW, where 193 member states and a mission built around global security mean the stakes are anything but abstract. Silvina's path wasn't a straight line. She started out trying to avoid her family's CPA legacy, ended up falling in love with audit anyway, and spent years building expertise across Latin America, Europe, and beyond – including training women entrepreneurs in emerging markets on how to fight corruption – before making the move to the international public sector. In this conversation, Silvina talks about building a career across Latin America, Europe, and the international public sector; what independence really looks like inside a multilateral system; and why she thinks audit needs to stop documenting history and start shaping the future. Episode Breakdown 2:58 – Choosing Audit Instead 12:35 – The Path to the UN 22:00 – Guarding Independence Globally 30:33 – Leadership With Global Consequences 38:10 – AI in the Audit Trenches 50:26 – Inside the UN Audit Room 58:06 – Resilience: The Argentinian Way 1:08:00 – Stop Waiting Start Building Be sure to connect with Silvina Coria on LinkedIn. And be sure to follow Inspiring Women in Audit on LinkedIn , and connect with Tracie. ⁠Join the Exclusive Inspiring Women in Audit LinkedIn Group:⁠ This group is dedicated to empowering and uplifting women in the internal audit profession, providing a supportive space for women to share their journeys, insights, and expertise. By fostering meaningful connections, we aim to inspire, encourage, and drive transformative change within the industry. Join us to celebrate the achievements of women in audit and to be part of a community that values and amplifies your unique perspectives and experiences. Sign up for our newsletter! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ This podcast is brought to you by i4 Global Results Limited and Amplify Your Audit Results, the audit communication experts dedicated to transforming your audit reporting and your audit results through communication, optimization, and collaboration. Schedule time with us.