News

Wanted: Baldrige Examiners

The Baldrige National Quality Program is accepting applications for examiners for the 2009 award cycle.

Representatives from business, education organizations, health care organizations, nonprofits, and other groups are eligible to serve on the board of examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Examiners evaluate award applications for and prepare feedback reports to applicants that cite strengths and opportunities for improvement.

Applications are available at the Baldrige National Quality Award Program’s Web site. They must be submitted electronically; the deadline is 2 p.m. EST on January 6.

The board consists of more than 500 volunteers, including 12 judges and about 60 senior examiners that represent many industries and sectors. Service on the board provides opportunities to enhance one’s knowledge about improving processes and achieving world-class results, develop a network of like-minded colleagues, earn professional development continuing education units (CEUs), and help improve U.S. competitiveness.

For more information, visit www.baldrige.nist.gov.

BSI Selects ANAB for Global Accreditation

BSI Management Systems and the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB), the U.S. national accreditation body, have signed an agreement under which ANAB will provide accreditation services to BSI offices around the world.

As part of the agreement, BSI has proposed that it should be accredited for all major products for all scopes in all countries in which BSI has operations. BSI reports that its clients are increasingly seeking accredited certificates for several different product areas simultaneously; for example, quality, environment, business continuity, information security, in areas that span international boundaries and cover complete businesses. The large-scale accreditation will allow BSI to better serve these multitasking organizations, it says.

“ANAB is a thought leader in international accreditation,” says Flemming Norklit, BSI managing director. “It has demonstrated to us that it can provide a truly global service and it has practical means for working with other accreditation bodies around the world to provide both local and global accreditation.”

BSI reports that there will be no immediate changes to its local accreditation arrangements, although they will be reviewed in the longer term.

“ANAB is pleased to have secured a major registrar such as BSI as a client for global accreditation,” says Randy Dougherty, ANAB vice president. “ANAB believes that the work it has done in establishing international cooperation within the IAF and with other accreditation bodies puts it in a strong position to be able to deliver a global service to BSI in cooperation with local accreditation bodies.”

For more information, visit www.anab.org or www.bsi-global.com.

New Data Reveals Internal Auditors with CIA Designation Earn Significantly More Money
Internal auditors in the United States and Canada who have earned their Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) from the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) earn more than their colleagues who don’t have the certification, according to a recent compensation study conducted by Harrington & Associates Inc.

The survey, conducted with more than 1,200 companies, found that CIAs at the staff auditor level earn approximately $7,800 per year more than someone without an internal audit certification. Other survey findings include:

• The median annual salary for staff auditors holding the Certified Financial Services Auditor (CFSA) is $76,438.
• Staff internal auditors working as a Certified Government Auditing Professional (CGAP) earn an average yearly salary of $77,875.
• Staff auditors with certifications in Control Self-Assessment (CCSA) earn $77,938 per year, on average.
• Internal audit practitioners who don’t have any certifications earn an average salary of $50,460.

The study also found that internal auditors on average will continue to receive raises over the next year, despite a looming recession.

For more information, visit www.theiia.org.