Susan Guest began work with the Diocese of Broken Bay in 2011 when she was appointed to establish an Internal Audit function to provide assurance to the Bishop and the Audit & Risk Committee that its risk management, governance and control processes are working effectively.
This means that Susan’s work covers all agencies that make up the Diocese, including parishes and the schools and support functions of the CSO. And the variety of the work is something that Susan finds particularly gratifying.
“I get a great deal of satisfaction working for the Diocese of Broken Bay knowing that I am helping such a diverse range of areas that all play an important role in our Diocese. I look forward to meeting with more principals because one aspect of the work that I really enjoy is going out talking to people in the Diocese. It allows me to get a real feel for what’s happening at the ‘grass roots’ level and, of course, it also helps those I’m dealing with to get a better understanding of the auditing process,” Susan explains.
For someone with Susan’s skills and commitment to her work, Internal Audit is more than just checking the financial aspects. It is about adding value and improving operations in the organisation. Additionally, because Internal Audit is independent, reporting directly to the Diocesan Audit & Risk Committee (and administratively to the Diocesan Financial Administrator) it provides objective assurance without bias.
Susan sums up her work as “…acting as ‘a second pair of eyes’, offering practical solutions or improvements through a consultative and engaging approach – it is not about error identification and blame.”