Richard F. Chambers, CIA, QIAL, CGAP, CCSA, CRMA
Senior Internal Audit Advisor, Auditboard
Richard F. Chambers, CIA, QIAL, CGAP, CCSA, CRMA, is a global internal audit advocate and senior internal audit advisor for AuditBoard - the leading cloud-based platform transforming how enterprises manage risk. Chambers also serves as the overseas Honorary Dean of China’s Nanjing Audit University and is the founder and chief practice leader of Richard F Chambers and Associates, a global internal audit training and client service firm.
Prior to establishing his own firm, Chambers served for more than 12 years as president and CEO of The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the global professional association and standard-setting body for internal auditors. Chambers has more than four decades of internal audit experience including service as national practice leader in Internal Audit Advisory Services at PwC; inspector general of the Tennessee Valley Authority; deputy inspector general of the U.S. Postal Service; and director of the U.S. Army Worldwide Internal Review Organization at the Pentagon.
Chambers is a globally recognized blogger and an award-winning author, writing The Speed of Risk: Lessons Learned on the Audit Trail, 2nd Edition (2019), Trusted Advisors: Key Attributes of Outstanding Internal Auditors (2017); and Lessons Learned on the Audit Trail (2014). His fourth book, Agents of Change: Internal Auditors in an Era of Disruption was released in March 2021.
Kelly Richmond-Pope, CPA
Accounting Professor and Best-selling Author, "Fool Me Once: Scams, Stories, and Secrets from the Trillion-Dollar Fraud Industry"
Dr. Kelly Richmond Pope is the Dr. Barry Jay Epstein Endowed Professor of Forensic Accounting at DePaul University in Chicago, IL. Pope is a nationally recognized expert in risk, forensic accounting, and white-collar crime research, and an award-winning educator, researcher, author, and award-winning documentary filmmaker. Pope teaches managerial and forensic accounting both at the undergraduate and graduate level.
In 2020, the AICPA and the CPA Practice Advisor named Dr. Pope among the top 25 most powerful women in accounting. Her area of expertise lies in understanding and identifying financial fraud risk within financial statements, assessing corporate culture and compliance systems designed to confront internal control challenges. Pope's research on executive misconduct culminated in directing and producing the award-winning documentary, All the Queen's Horses which explores the largest municipal fraud in U.S. history. Pope’s TED Talk entitled "How Whistle-blowers Shape History” has been viewed over 1.6 million times, translated into 20 languages, and serves as a resource to help organizations and individuals embrace internal whistleblowing.
Pope currently serves on the board of directors for the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD) and chairs its audit committee. Pope is a former director and finance committee chair for Mercy Hospital & Medical Center, former director of the Illinois CPA Society, and former member of the governing council for American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
Pope is a frequent international speaker to numerous corporations, nonprofits, and government agencies. Pope has appeared on news outlets such as CNBC, the BBC, and WGN-TV offering commentary on fraud, risk, and ethics. Additionally, Pope has appeared in publications such as Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, CFO Drive, Accounting Today, Forbes, The Washington Post, and The Daily Beast discussing fraud and the need for sound internal controls. Pope has earned her Bachelor of Science in accounting from North Carolina A&T State University and her master’s in accountancy and doctorate in accounting from Virginia Tech. Pope resides in the Chicagoland area.
Avani Desai
CEO, Schellman
Avani Desai is a Chief Executive Officer at Schellman, the largest niche cybersecurity assessment firm in the world that focuses on technology assessments. Avani is an accomplished executive with domestic and international experience in information security, operations, P&L, oversight, and marketing involving both start-up and growth organizations. She has been featured in Forbes, CIO.com, and the Wall Street Journal, and is a sought-after speaker as a voice on a variety of emerging topics, including security, privacy, information security, future technology trends, and the expansion of young women involved in technology.
Also passionate about strategic philanthropy, Avani sits on the board of Arnold Palmer Medical Center, Philanos, Audit Committee chairwoman at the Central Florida Foundation, and is the co-chair of 100 Women Strong, a female-only venture capitalist based giving circle that focuses on solving community-based problems specific to women and children by using data analytics and big data. Avani is also an avid runner, always looking to sign up for the next Disney marathon.
With all that being said, Avani still considers her greatest accomplishment to be personal rather than professional—she is the proud mother to her 12-year-old son, Sahil, 9-year-old daughter, Sareena, and 1-year-old son, Hastin.
