The CEO is primarily responsible for decision making and relies on the Board of Directors and subordinates for information. Auditors will question the CEO about accounting and financial reporting decisions. The COO oversees day-to-day operations and may face similar questions from auditors as the CEO. The CFO manages finances and accounting and will monitor the audit process, though most auditor questions will go to the CFO's subordinates. The controller oversees accounting, controls, and financial reporting and possesses the most timely data, developing the financial plan and monitoring progress. The controller and its staff will be most involved with the audit process.

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The CEO is the primary decision maker in an organization. The CEO relies heavily on the Board of
Directors and subordinates for information and insight and the CEO uses this information to chart the
course of the organization. Auditors would be primarily interested in dealing with the CEO when it
involves decisions that were made about accounting or financial reporting; however, they may also
question the CEO when it comes to understanding how certain transactions or decisions were made
in the organization.
The COO (Chief Operating Officer) oversees day-to-day operations of the firm. Auditor questions for
the COO will likely be similar to those for the CEO.
The CFO (Chief Financial Officer) has responsibility for financial management and
accounting/financial reporting functions of the organization. In most organizations, the CFO oversees
a large team of financial professionals who assist with the internal financial workings and strategy
(controller) and the external, capital raising, functions (treasurer) as well as those who develop
internal controls and handle bookkeeping duties. In general, the CFO will keep a very close eye on the
audit process; however, most of an auditor’s questions or requests for information will likely go to the
CFO’s subordinates.
The controller oversees accounting, control and financial reporting functions for a unit or for a
company as a whole. The controller is the person in possession of the most-timely data/numbers for
a company. The controller is also generally responsible for developing a firm’s financial plan and for
monitoring its progress in meeting that plan. The controller and its staff will be the people most
closely engaged with the audit process.