backOn September 25, 2025, PCAOB Acting Chair George R. Botic and PCAOB Board Member Christina Ho delivered remarks at the Board’s Investor Advisory Group Meeting (“IAG”). Botic’s remarks underscored the PCAOB’s commitment to investor protection, stakeholder engagement, and transparency. He acknowledged the IAG’s role in providing valuable investor perspectives and highlighted ongoing PCAOB initiatives, such as the Small Business and Broker-Dealer Forum and the Small Firm Resource Group. Botic discussed the importance of making audits more relevant to investors, the significance of transparency in audit processes, and updates on inspection activities and the implementation of new quality control standards under QC 1000. He concluded by encouraging continued dialogue on enhancing audit relevance and quality for investors.
In Ho’s remarks, she outlined three core regulatory principles: (1) proportionate regulation—ensuring rules are tailored to the problem and not overly burdensome; (2) focus on material impacts to investor protection—prioritizing deficiencies that materially affect the reliability of financial statements; and (3) promotion of innovation—embracing technological advancements like AI in auditing while avoiding regulatory overreach. Ho emphasized the need for regulations that genuinely serve investors, improve audit quality, and foster a competitive, innovative environment. She also highlighted recent collaborative efforts, such as the Technology Innovation Alliance (“TIA”) Working Group, to promote responsible use of emerging technologies in auditing.
Acting Chair Botic’s remarks can be found here. Board Member Ho’s remarks can be found here.