The 15th Annual Audit Conference, hosted virtually by Baruch College on December 1 and 2, 2020, once again brought together auditors, regulators, standards setters, and preparers to discuss current topics in auditing. The conference’s perennial theme of “Ensuring Integrity” included discussions on implementing significant changes to the form of the audit report, keeping up with an ever-changing regulatory environment, maintaining ethical standards and controlling bias, handling legal and enforcement issues, and dealing with the unprecedented challenges present by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The panelists represented a cross-section of the profession, with regulators, practitioners, academics, and other experts all weighing in on these topics.

The following articles present summaries of the panel discussions held throughout the two-day event. The comments and opinions expressed at the conference and reproduced here represent the speakers’ own views and not necessarily those of their employers or affiliated organizations.