The Institute of Internal Auditors South Africa (IIA SA) has named Dr Kato Plant, a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences' Department of Auditing, as the Educator of the Year during an award function held on 16 August 2016.

'I am passionate about educating internal audit professionals at the University of Pretoria and look forward to adding value to the internal audit education landscape,' she says, stating how honoured she is to have won. Her passion has paid off in the form of the coveted award, which is bestowed on a nominee who has made a noteworthy contribution that has significantly enhanced the educational standing of the internal auditing profession in South Africa. The award also recognises the individual's contribution to the IIA SA.

Dr Plant is a certified internal auditor and has been lecturing internal auditing to under- and postgraduate students at the University since 2003. She was acknowledged for her continuous involvement in educating internal audit professionals and, particularly, for the valuable contribution made by her PhD study, titled 'A workplace learning framework for developing entry-level internal audit professionals', which is already informing the profession's training practices.

Prof Karin Barac, Head of the Department of Auditing and Dr Plant's PhD supervisor, conveyed how proud she was of her: 'We wish her all of the best for her future research and to continue being relevant by doing research with scholarly impact, which also makes a difference in practice.'