When Reanda Netherlands set out to establish its own IT audit capability, we welcomed Tarik el Feddali as our new IT Audit Partner. Over the past year, Tarik has been building the IT audit function while the plane was already in flight. We talked about his natural curiosity and urge to dive into things which eventually led him toward a career in audit.
Entering the world of audit
Tarik started his career as an IT management consultant, advising clients on a wide range of IT and business topics. “I quickly discovered that I prefer diving into the deep end. I have this natural urge to really dig into things, to understand why they work or why they don’t. That curiosity has helped me a lot in my work. You need to see how everything connects: the hardware, the software, the processes, and the people, and be able to explain it clearly. I wanted to combine providing advice with in-depth analysis, and that’s what ultimately led me to the world of audit.
“I have this natural urge to really dig into things, that curiosity has helped me a lot in my work.”
– Tarik el Feddali, IT Audit Partner, Reanda Netherlands.
A new job on a larger scale
Over the past decade, Tarik has worked with many international organisations across various industries, gaining exposure to a wide range of IT environments and business processes. Before joining Reanda, he founded his own IT audit consultancy, supporting companies in strengthening their IT controls, risk management, and security practices. The door to Reanda opened when he was asked to assist with one of the firm’s major clients. What began as a regular assignment soon evolved into a larger opportunity within the organisation. “This time, I had the chance to work with a larger team and to benefit from the collective wisdom across the entire firm. I truly enjoy working with my colleagues and have found Reanda to be a very pleasant and welcoming place. To be honest, I thrive in culturally diverse environments with international perspectives. Over the past fifteen years, I’ve travelled extensively and worked in various countries, and I’ve always enjoyed hearing stories from people around the world. It makes the world feel smaller and broadens your perspective, so joining Reanda felt like a natural next step.”
The next step at Reanda in IT audit
Reanda was looking to establish its own IT audit capability and asked if Tarik wanted to take on the challenge. “We worked well together and I think that, in the best possible way, things got a little out of hand,” he says with a smile. Tarik joined Reanda as IT Audit Partner, and the past year has been very rewarding. “I’ve been given the opportunity to build something from the ground up, our own IT audit & advisory practice. It takes time, but we can already see that clients value our commitment to handling IT audit internally rather than outsourcing it. It also allows us to build stronger, long-term relationships.”
Building a plane that has already taken off
“Our short-term objective is to refresh our IT quality standards, audit manuals, and processes to ensure we’re fully prepared to support our clients. In many ways, we’re building a plane that has already taken off; we have a duty to deliver while still setting up the structure behind it. My focus now is to build a self-sustaining team. And when I say ‘team,’ I mean it in the broadest sense, including everyone across Reanda, working together toward the same goals. I want to make sure our procedures are clear, our collaboration is strong, and that we have a team capable of carrying our way of working forward and continuing to develop it over time.”
“In many ways, we are building a plane that has already taken off.”
Supporting the team from behind
As IT Audit Partner, Tarik now balances multiple responsibilities: to Reanda itself, to clients, and to his own team. “It’s the diversity in my work that I really value at this stage of my career. Those three responsibilities together bring a lot of variety and allow me to focus on the people side of the job as well.”
For now, Tarik’s priority is to further develop the IT audit team and turn it into a well-oiled machine. In line with Reanda’s spirit of collective wisdom, he aims to both share his knowledge and continue learning from those around him. “I’ve been fortunate to always have people around me I could learn from. Now, I think it’s just as important to pass that knowledge on to the next generation. As a team leader, I prefer to support from behind, to let the team discover things for themselves rather than always leading the way. Building a strong team takes time, but we’re in this for the long term, and giving people the space to learn is part of that. That’s what I truly appreciate about Reanda’s mindset: we’re encouraged to learn from each other and to grow together. We’re building something sustainable, together.”
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