Ep 287: First 100 Days as a CAE w/ Danielle Ritter (GitLab)

This week on The Audit Podcast, Danielle Ritter, VP and Head of Internal Audit at GitLab and former CAE at Instacart, joins the show to share lessons from her leadership journey and practical advice for audit professionals at every stage of their careers.   Drawing from her experience leading audit functions across multiple organizations, Danielle discusses what matters most during a CAE's first 100 days, how to build credibility with stakeholders, and why strong relationships are essential to an effective audit function. She also shares how her team is embracing AI, developing new skills, and preparing for the future of the profession.   2:06 – Using AI in work and everyday life 5:16 – Where CAEs should focus: insights vs. efficiency 6:46 – Day One: listening and learning 10:11 – Navigating the CAE interview process 13:09 – How to define and demonstrate value 16:40 – What information belongs in the boardroom 19:00 – A practical approach to building strong relationships 22:45 – AI and the future of job security 27:55 – Making time for self-directed learning 30:07 – Final thoughts: your career does not define you   Be sure to connect with Danielle on LinkedIn.   Also, be sure to follow us on our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.   Also be sure to sign up for The Audit Podcast newsletter and to check the full video interview on The Audit Podcast YouTube channel.   This podcast is brought to you by Greenskies Analytics, the services firm that helps auditors leap-frog up the analytics maturity model. Their approach for launching audit analytics programs with a series of proven quick-win analytics will guarantee the results worthy of the analytics hype.    Whether your audit team needs a data strategy, methodology, governance, literacy, or anything else related to audit and analytics, schedule.