In 2019, Richard Chambers authored a blog titled “The 5 C’s That Should be Keeping Boards (and Auditors) Awake at Night.” He first shared the list at an Institute of Directors (IOD) event in Johannesburg, South Africa. The ensuing blog was very popular, and was shared widely among the internal audit and corporate director communities at the time.
In the blog Richard noted that the question he dread most in the wake of a high-profile corporate failure is: “Where were the internal auditors?” He also noted a companion question: “Where was the board?” As we all know, there is never a shortage of risks that can come to fruition and create substantial damage to shareholder/stakeholder value in our organizations. While the 5 C’s that were shared then are still risks to many organizations, because the world has changed dramatically since 2019, 2 more C’s (Covid-19 and Climate Change) have been added to the list.