David Holdsworth was appointed as Chief Executive of the Charity Commission on 7 February 2024. His prior roles include Chief Executive Officer of the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Deputy CEO of the UK Intellectual Property Office, and Deputy CEO and Registrar of Charities for England and Wales at the Charity Commission.

Samantha is the Adoption and Engagement Director for INPAS, the first global financial reporting framework created specifically for non-profit organisations, which was issued by the International Non-Profit Reporting Foundation (INPRF) in October 2025. She is a passionate, Uganda-based UK Chartered Accountant (ACA) and CPA(U) with 25+ years post qualification experience.

Dr Krish Kandiah OBE is founder of the Sanctuary Foundation, a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 2 and Radio 4. Krish lives in Oxfordshire and has 6 children - 3 through birth and 3 through fostering and adoption.

Anand Menon is Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at Kings College London. He is a Director at Public First and directs the UK in a Changing Europe project which has established itself as the leading source of impartial, research based evidence on the UK and its relationship with the EU.

Carla Whalen is a partner at Russell-Cooke Solicitors. She advises charities and not-for-profit organisations on employment, people management, and data protection law, helping them navigate complex legal and regulatory challenges. Carla combines legal expertise with experience and understanding of the not-for-profit sector.

Alan was appointed as Chief Executive in April 2024 at ICAEW. Prior to this, Alan was Chief Executive of the Chartered Insurance Institute. Based in the City of London, he was responsible for running the leading chartered professional body for insurance and financial planning professionals, with 125,000 members in 150 countries.

Jeremy is a chartered accountant, honorary Senior Fellow at the University of Liverpool, ambassador for the Capitals Coalition, co-founder and now advisor to Social Value International, and an Ashoka Fellow. He is seeking to change the basis on which profit is calculated by using regulatory, public interest and accounting levers.

Claire is a Senior Policy Adviser with responsibility for Accounts and Reporting at Companies House, the UK’s Company Registry. She joined the Civil Service after working in a wide range of businesses, ranging from SME’s to global multi-nationals. She is a qualified Accountant and holds a MSc in Forensic Accounting

A Chartered Accountant by background, Heidi trained with PwC and ran her own accountancy practice specialising in supporting charities and social enterprise. She founded Make an Impact CIC, and she received an MBE for Services to Innovation in Social Enterprise and to Impact Measurement in the 2020 New Year Honours.

Dr Dave Massey is Head of Data and AI at Age UK, leading the charity's data strategy, governance, CRM transformation and responsible AI agenda. A strategic leader and data storyteller, he helps organisations turn complex information into better decisions and is passionate about delivering meaningful digital transformation that improves outcomes for people.

Jill has over 25 years’ experience working in the Not for Profit sector. She specialises in audit and advisory work (particularly governance reviews). She is an experienced tutor and runs training courses for charity finance professionals including Civil Society and CFG.

Don has specialised in charities for the last thirty years. For much of that time he led the BDO charity team and acted for many of the largest and best known charities in the UK, covering healthcare, international, animal welfare, arts and Christian organisations.

Martin is an experienced charity and finance leader who has worked across palliative care, NHS, and social enterprise organisations across the UK. He is passionate about ensuring organisations achieve the greatest impact from their resources, helping deliver meaningful outcomes for the communities they serve.

Siobhan is a Partner at Azets specialising exclusively in the charity and not-for-profit sector for over a decade. She holds a Diploma in Charity Accounting (2015) and was named in Accountancy Age’s 35 Under 35 in 2024 for her dedication to clients and the sector.

Mark is an ICAEW Chartered Accountant and management consultant specialising in charity sector finance, strategy, efficiency, business models, and social impact. He has over 25 years’ experience of helping charities strengthen governance, transparency, and financial accountability. Mark co-leads the MSc Pathway in Financial Management and Accounting at Bayes Business School.

Stephen is an Audit Director, specialising in the Not-for-Profit sector, with experience across the housing, education and charity sectors. Stephen co-leads the firm’s national Not-for-Profit audit practice and he regularly delivers training and speaking slots at sector conferences, webinars and events.

Harriet is a Financial Reporting Manager, specialising in the Not-for-Profit sector, with technical experience across the housing, education and charity sectors. Harriet is a treasurer trustee for a domestic abuse charity in Yorkshire, and a committee member for her local branch of the Military Wives’ Choir.

Nick is an Employment Taxes Principal and leads BDO’s Global Employer Services team in the North West. He has over 25 years’ experience of Employment Taxes, which he draws on to provide support and advice to a broad spectrum of clients on all employment tax related matters.

Helen has over 20 years’ experience working with a wide variety of not for profit organisations across the country, specialising in corporation tax, including the creative industry scheme reliefs, and Gift Aid. Helen’s breadth of experience means she is fully aware of the challenges faced within the sector.

Chris is an indirect tax specialist with client portfolio focusing on not for profit, land and property and international matters. He has 12 years’ experience in VAT and other indirect taxes, focusing primarily on advisory matters but with experience of compliance, risk and governance issues as well.

Fiona is an Audit Partner at BDO UK and the firm’s National Head of Charities. She is passionate about providing high quality external audit to many of the leading charities and social enterprises in the UK. Fiona is the Chair of ICAEW’s Charity Committee.

Cara specialises in the not-for-profit sector, working with a diverse range of not-for-profit organisations. She leads many of the firm’s largest and most complex charity audits and provides guidance on governance, controls and reporting. Cara leads the firm’s Not-for-Profit Practice Group and is a member of the ICAEW’s Charity Committee.

Judith is a partner at Sayer Vincent, a firm of auditors and advisers to charities and social purpose organisations. She is passionate about learning and development and held several trustee roles that have helped to bring different perspectives to her day job. Judith is a member of ICAEW’s Charity Committee.

Kristina is a Chartered Accountant who has worked in and for the Not-for-Profit sector for over 15 years. She trained at charity specialists Sayer Vincent and subsequently worked in senior finance roles at the Royal College of Nursing, Imperial College London and the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts before joining ICAEW in 2020.