ICAEW.com works better with JavaScript enabled.

Obituary: David Illingworth

Author: ICAEW Insights

Published: 03 Aug 2022

Past ICAEW President David Illingworth sadly passed away on 31 July 2022 surrounded by his family.

David was admitted to membership of ICAEW in 1972. Born in 1947, David graduated from the University of Cambridge. He trained and rose to become a partner in Manchester at a predecessor firm of KPMG. He served as President of the Manchester Society in 1992/93 and as President of ICAEW in 2003 as ICAEW prepared for the adoption of IFRS and the introduction of Practice Assurance. He also travelled extensively, promoting our profession worldwide.

David said that one of the high points of his overseas trips was addressing a huge audience in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing – he just wished his assigned topic had been more of a “crowd-pleaser”.

“I accompanied David to Washington DC in January 2004 in the coldest weather we’d ever experienced. The trip included a meeting with Chairman William Donaldson at the Securities and Exchange Commision. Years later, David still talked about how much that meant to him,” recalls Senior Strategic Adviser, Robert Hodgkinson.

In 2014/15 David served as Master of The Chartered Account Company and his year was remembered for its good humour, varied social calendar, and its effective fundraisers for the Charity. He had an active career in the charitable sector and a wide-ranging portfolio career after he retired from KPMG.

David is survived by wife Annie, their two daughters and grandchildren.

The family appreciates the support from friends, colleagues and those who knew him. A celebration of David’s life will be shared in the coming weeks.

Recommended content

Podcasts
Podcast icon
Insights Podcast

Hear a panel of guests dissect the latest headlines and provide expert analysis on the top stories from across the world of business, finance and accountancy.

Find out more
Newsletter
A megaphone
Stay up to date

You can receive email update from ICAEW insights either daily, weekly or monthly, subscribe to whichever works for you.

Sign up
Daily summaries
Three yellow pins planted into a surface in a row
News in brief

Read ICAEW's daily summary of accountancy news from across the mainstream media and broader financing sector.

See more