By Asia Samachar Team | MALAYSIA |

Malaysian audit expert Ranjit Singh Taram Singh may be the first Punjabi ever to be elected to the global board of US-based Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).

Ranjit, who runs a Singapore-listed public listed company, was elected to the 78-year old international professional association’s board in July 2019.

“From my past two decades involvement, I believe I’m the first Punjabi on the board,” Ranjit told Asia Samachar, when asked if there were other Punjabis on the board in the past.

Established in 1941, IIA is the internal audit profession’s global voice with members working in internal auditing, risk management, governance, internal control, information technology audit, education, and security. Its global headquarters is located at Lake Mary, in Florida, US.

Ranjit was elected to the global board at its AGM in Los Angeles on in July 2019. He was one of the three Asians to make the cut, the other two being from China and Japan. He probably is the first Punjabi to win a seat on the IIA global board.

In a recent statement, IIA Malaysia lauded Ranjit’s appointment to the board along with the appointment of three other Malaysias to positions within the body.

“It is an honour to have four of our members representing Malaysia on a regional and global level. The committee is selected based on the members’ merits, commitment to the profession, and enterprising spirit for IIA initiatives,” IIA Malaysia president Alan Chang Kong Chong said in the statement.

The other appointments involved Philip Satish Rao to the global international relations committee, Christine Ong May Ee to the global advocacy committee and Lucy Wong Kam Yang as the honorary secretary of 1. Asian Confederation of Institutes of Internal Auditors (ACIIA).

In July 2019, Ranjit was elected to its newly-structured 17-member board for a two-year term. He was part of the previous IIA global board which then consisted of 38 members.

Prior to his appointment, he served as the former president of the Asian Confederation of Institutes of Internal Auditors (ACIIA) and IIA Malaysia. He also continues to serve as the governor of IIA Malaysia.

Earlier this year, the former partner of one of the “big four” international accounting firms was made CEO at Singapore-listed Axcelasia Inc.

Ranjit, who holds an MBA from UK-based Heriot-Watt University, has a special focus on enterprise risk management (ERM), internal audit, governance and transformation & programme management services.

Ranjit is also the president of the Gurdwara Sahib Kajang management committee, a gurdwara in the state of Selangor.