Back

Caitlin Barton named 2022 Internal Audit (IA) Emerging Leader

Oct 17, 2022 at 11:33 AM EDT

Internal Audit's premier professional organization recognizes NN Inc. employee for agility and execution skills

The following is a portion of a longer article in Internal Auditor magazine.

Caitlin Small



Caitlin Barton builds impactful relationships all over the world through her internal audit function. Aspiring to be a CAE, she says she is proud of the audits she led early in her career with NN Inc., a global industrial manufacturing company. “I started with no experience, truly a trial by fire, with my first audit on my fifth day in Slovakia,” she says. “I’m proud that I stuck with it and found my place in our profession and our company.”

Barton’s fortitude has paid dividends to the company, as she was a vital asset in a recent major transition to an agile audit approach. Cara McConnell, vice president of Internal Audit at NN Inc., says Barton developed an inventory of data needed to execute the plan and wrote audit programs to integrate continuous monitoring with the department’s audit processes. Moreover, she worked with stakeholders to ensure a smooth launch of the program. Barton’s contributions “have made our team much more efficient, having the data at our fingertips, and we discover issues more quickly,” McConnell says.

When Barton isn’t spearheading team initiatives, she’s busy contributing to her community through the foster care system. Barton, who has a master’s degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, says her faith compels her to open her home to children from all walks of life. “I often remind myself of this when considering why giving back to my community through foster care is so important: If not us, then who?” She also volunteers with youth sports programs and with at-risk families.

Barton is actively involved in the IIA–Charlotte Chapter, and in her spare time, she enjoys traveling, listening to true crime podcasts, and reading.

For the full article, click here.