15th HIIR International Conference, Petrčane, 2026

20 Years of HIIR: Internal Auditing in the Decades Ahead

The Croatian Institute of Internal Auditors (HIIR) is proud to announce the 15th International Conference, marking 20 years of HIIR’s operation and its continuous contribution to the development and strengthening of the internal audit profession in the Republic of Croatia.
Can you imagine how many changes have taken place over these 20 years?

We have experienced the global financial crisis and its strong impact on the Croatian economy and public finances; Croatia’s accession to the European Union with a completely new regulatory and supervisory framework; the introduction of the euro and the transition to a common monetary policy; a pandemic that changed the way we work overnight; and the rise of cyber threats that has placed information security among the key business risks. In recent years, we have also witnessed pronounced geopolitical tensions and disruptions in global supply chains, which have directly affected the availability of raw materials, costs, business continuity, and the resilience of organizations in Croatia and worldwide. In such an environment, process digitalization, control automation, and the growing use of artificial intelligence further transform the way organizations operate and clearly raise expectations placed on internal audit today.

With this jubilee conference, we aim to create space for reflection, experience sharing, and a strategic look ahead—at the role of internal audit in organizations facing accelerated change, increasing regulatory requirements, digitalization, and growing stakeholder expectations. Accordingly, this year’s conference program has been designed around three thematic days, during which we will reflect on the Global Internal Audit Standards and past experiences of the internal audit profession, review best practices shaping the profession today, and open a discussion on the future of internal audit, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence—its application in internal audit and the impact it will have on the role, working methods, and competencies of internal auditors.

We are especially pleased that this year, in celebration of HIIR’s 20th anniversary, prior to the Conference itself, on 21 April 2026, we will host representatives of institutes from the CEE region at a meeting attended by participants from more than 14 countries. In addition, alongside internal audit practitioners from various sectors and industries from Croatia and abroad, and representatives of the academic community, one of the guest speakers will be a representative of IIA Global—Mr. Stefano Comotti, Chair of the IIA Global Board of Directors, as well as a representative of ECIIA (the European Confederation of Institutes of Internal Auditing) - Mr Massimiliano Turconi, ECIIA President.

We hope that over the past twenty years, HIIR has been a reliable partner in your professional development, a place for exchanging knowledge and experience, and a space for meeting and networking within the internal audit community. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all members for their long-standing support and trust, conference participants for their continued interest and engagement, lecturers for their professional contributions, and everyone who has supported HIIR’s work and activities over the years through their commitment and enthusiasm.

Save the date and join us in celebrating our major anniversary—and let us continue to grow and develop together over the next 20 years!