The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) in the US has announced the departure of its chief auditor Barbara Vanich.
Vanich will leave the PCAOB on 15 July 2026.
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Her departure will follow more than 17 years at the US audit watchdog.
PCAOB chairman Demetrios Logothetis said: “I have greatly valued Barb’s expert advice – her accomplishments at the PCAOB have been extraordinary.
“We thank her for her leadership and dedication, and we wish her well as she embarks on a new professional opportunity.”
Vanich joined the PCAOB in February 2009.
She has held a series of positions including associate chief auditor, special adviser to a board member, deputy chief auditor and acting chief auditor.
She was appointed chief auditor in October 2022.
In that role, Vanich led work on the adoption of a series of standards to strengthen audit quality and safeguard investors.
A central project during her tenure was QC 1000, ’A Firm’s System of Quality Control’, adopted in May 2024.
The standard, scheduled to come into force on 15 December 2026, introduces a risk-focused system to support enhancements of audit quality.
Vanich also supervised other major standard-setting initiatives.
Her period as chief auditor also saw the launch of the PCAOB’s Audit Practitioner Fellowship Programme. She also oversaw the board’s first request for comment on possible future priorities for standard setting.
Vanich said: “It has been an honour to advance the PCAOB’s investor-protection mission, together with my talented colleagues in the Office of the Chief Auditor and so many others across the PCAOB.”
The PCAOB has started the process to identify a new chief auditor. It plans to invite applications from qualified candidates in due course.
In May this year, the PCAOB picked Randy Thornton as its chief operating officer.
