Top Risks 2027: Insights for Internal Audit Teams

5 min read

2027 Executive Perspectives on Top Risks and Opportunities

Chief audit executives share many of the same priorities as their C-suite peers, but they see the future through a different lens: whether the organization has the governance, talent, data, relationships and decision-making structures to capture opportunities and respond as conditions change. Protiviti's 2027 findings show AI, third-party dependencies and talent gaps increasingly compounding one another, while confidence in the ability to respond trails confidence in the ability to protect or transform. These findings reinforce internal audit's evolution from retrospective assurance toward timely, decision-useful risk insight. Read the CAE brief to see the capability questions every audit leader should be asking.

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Where internal audit leaders see the greatest growth opportunities over the next two to three years

CAEs are somewhat more optimistic about growth opportunities than the broader respondent population, with ecosystem development leading the way. Partnerships bring access to new capabilities and markets, but they also create dependencies across partners, platforms and data flows that need the same discipline as capabilities the organization owns.

65 %

see significant opportunities to grow revenue.

68 %

see significant opportunities to expand strategic alliances and partnerships.

57 %

see significant opportunities to grow beyond their headquarters' domestic market.

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Discover our full catalog of insight briefs for additional research findings and expert commentary related to the 2027 report on Top Risks and Opportunities.

Insights by industry
Insights by organizational role

Insights by industry

Aerospace & Defense

CPG & Retail

Energy & Utilities

Healthcare

Higher Education

Manufacturing & Distribution

Private Equity

Non Profit

Technology, Media & Telecommunications

Insights by organizational role

Digital & Marketing Teams

Finance Teams

Human Resources Teams

Information Security Teams

Operations Teams

Risk & Compliance Teams

Technology Teams

FAQs

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Where do CAEs see the greatest growth opportunities?

Ecosystem development leads, with 68% of CAEs seeing significant opportunity to expand strategic alliances and partnerships, up from 59%. Revenue potential held steady at 65%, and geographic expansion rose to 57% from 51%. CAEs see value in collaboration, technology ecosystems and external capabilities, but they also see the other side of ecosystem growth: new dependencies across partners, platforms, technology providers and data flows that need to be governed.

How can chief audit executives manage AI integration without increasing operational risk?

Treat governance as a driver of value, not just oversight. CAEs rank equipping the workforce (45%), integrating AI with existing technologies and processes (43%) and improving governance and accountability (43%) as their top AI priorities. Governance should help prioritize use cases, establish ownership and define how results will be measured. The bigger risk isn't slow adoption but shallow adoption that adds tools without changing workflows, capabilities or outcomes.

How should chief audit executives respond to increasing cyber threats and expanding third-party exposure?

Start by recognizing how these risks connect. Cyber threats lead CAEs' near-term concerns at 3.76 on a five-point impact scale, followed by AI implementation (3.67) and third-party risks (3.64), which rank third for CAEs compared with eighth overall. Third parties are deploying AI-enabled tools, and cyber exposure extends across supplier ecosystems. Yet third-party management ranks just 10th of 12 investment areas, a gap internal audit can help leadership examine.

Why are CAEs less confident in their organization's ability to respond?

54% of CAEs report high confidence in their organization's ability to protect enterprise value and 49% in transforming it, but only 42% in responding with agility. Transformation and protection often benefit from structured programs and established governance. Response requires recognizing change, interpreting it, deciding and mobilizing before options narrow. CAEs can assess response readiness through three connected capabilities: whether the organization can sense, decide and mobilize.

How should CAEs plan for long-term disruption as business models, technologies and market expectations evolve?

Look at whether today's investments are building tomorrow's capabilities. Customers and competition remain CAEs' top long-term concern at 45%, though down from 60%. Talent challenges and AI deployments each rose to 38%, and organizational resilience and culture increased to 36% from 27%. For internal audit itself, continued upskilling matters, with technical and data fluency alongside judgment, critical thinking and professional skepticism.