Beyond the Audit - Fraud, Going Concern & Director Accountability

Introduction

Fraud and corporate failure continue to place significant scrutiny on the role of auditors. When companies collapse, auditors are often criticised for failing to identify warning signs in the financial statements.

Issues such as fraud detection and going concern assessments regularly feature in high-profile corporate failures. For example, the collapse of Thomas Cook Group raised widespread questions about the responsibilities of auditors and company directors.

Regulators and governments worldwide are attempting to reduce the audit expectations gap by introducing stronger auditing standards and increased accountability measures. However, an important question remains:

Will stronger auditing standards alone solve the problem or must greater responsibility also fall on company directors?

This webinar will explore the evolving expectations placed on auditors, the impact of revised standards relating to fraud and going concern and the potential legal consequences for directors when accounting failures contribute to corporate collapse.

What You Will Learn

This webinar will cover the following:

• Audit Reform and Regulatory Developments
• How governments and regulators are seeking to reform the auditing profession
• Key regulatory proposals aimed at improving audit quality and public trust
• Fraud in Financial Statements
• The auditor’s responsibilities in detecting fraud
• How auditors currently respond to fraud risks
• Potential future developments in fraud-related auditing standards
• Going Concern Assessments
• How going concern is evaluated in financial statements
• The respective responsibilities of auditors and directors
• Common warning signs indicating going concern risks
• Director Accountability and Legal Exposure
• Circumstances in which directors may face personal liability or prosecution following corporate failure
• The role of accounting failures in triggering legal consequences
• Ethical Responsibilities in Auditing
• Key ethical principles governing auditors
• Maintaining independence and professional scepticism during an audit engagement

This pre-recorded webinar will be available to view from Thursday 24th September 2026

Alternatively, you can gain access to this webinar and 2,300+ others via the MBL Webinar Subscription. Please email webinarsubscription@mblseminars.com for more details.