Wendy has been the engagement partner on the Ace Limited audit for a number of years. Some time ago, Ace’s long-standing company secretary retired and Ace took six months to find a replacement. At Ace’s request, Wendy performed company secretarial duties for this period of time.

a) Define and explain the actual and perceived independence.

b) List any professional standards and regulatory requirements breached and discuss possible alternative courses of action the auditor should have taken in order to properly discharge their professional responsibilities.