In our final article introducing the ICAEW Regulation & Conduct Board’s three new members, Julie Hendry tells us about her background in technology transformation. She explains why technology should always serve the people who use it, and how she hopes to use her experience to make a difference.
Julie is a technology transformation leader with over 30 years' international experience across government, financial services, life sciences and retail. She joined the ICAEW Regulation & Conduct Board (IRCB) in July 2026 as a lay member, bringing with her a clear conviction that the technology challenges ahead are about both people and technology, not technology alone. As part of her role, she leads the board's Technology and Transformation Working Group.
“The difference I'm looking to make with my technology skills is not about the technology; it's about people's lives,” she explains. “I'm looking forward to making a difference for the people who actually work with technology day in day out, as well as in how ICAEW members and firms experience regulation and conduct as a result.”
The IRCB oversees ICAEW’s regulatory and disciplinary work, ensuring it’s carried out in the public interest and strengthens trust in the profession. Its role includes ensuring that the Regulation & Conduct division discharges its duties effectively, and that the regulatory and disciplinary committees carry out their functions efficiently and fairly.
A wider impact serving the public interest
Julie’s background in technology transformation includes roles in financial services and insurance firms, the Government Digital Service (GDS), Abcam (an AIM-listed life sciences company) and Travis Perkins. Along the way, she also gained extensive experience of governance and regulatory frameworks in the public and private sectors, including authoring the UK Cabinet Office governance framework for agile service delivery.
Working in sectors where she can make a difference to people is important to her. “Twenty years into my career, I joined GDS,” she explains. “And that was because I believed in what they were doing, which was to improve citizens' experiences. I really enjoy working in areas where I can have a wider impact and there is a public interest element attached.”
She was also interested in taking on a lay member role rather than a similar role in the technology sector.
Regulation is work that serves society, so sitting as a lay member means I can bring an outside perspective on transformation and play a part in helping to keep the wider public interest at heart.
The recruitment experience itself encouraged her to take the role. “The application and interview process was a very pleasant, enlightening and challenging experience, which gave us all a good insight into the challenges ICAEW as a regulator is facing. The people I met throughout the process also played an important part in my decision. It felt like a very welcoming place to join and, if you want to make impact, you need other people with you on that journey. I really feel there's a sense of team here.”
Technology and AI should serve us
“I've seen a lot of technology transformation over the years, and also transformation affecting society at large,” she says. “I hope to bring all of that experience – not just the knowledge needed to push things forward but also knowledge of the pitfalls – to help ICAEW as a regulator through this period of technological change, which is probably one of the most exciting, and testing, in the century so far.
“What's interesting to me is the whole oversight question when it comes to AI,” she explains. “And I'm genuinely optimistic about the opportunities AI offers to take the drudgery out of work. But it's also important that we don't take the joy out of work; quite often we automate the things that make people enjoy their life.”
She is passionate about understanding AI’s effects on people. She holds an MSc in Psychology, and her research includes work on the cognitive impact of AI adoption on organisational decision-making. She is also involved in studying how technology affects children’s development.
“I left my technology career for a year to study psychology,” she explains, “because I was concerned that technology was focussing on everything but the people that actually use it, be it the end users or people developing technology. I'm also concerned that as the press continues to tell us how great AI is, we're not actually looking at what it does to us as humans and what we may lose along the way.”
Oversight relies on human judgement
“The media is telling everyone: this is brilliant; it’s going to do everything for you, it’s better than a human,” she continues. “But I’m not convinced it is. It can be faster than a human. But human judgements are irreplaceable.
“Good oversight will always rely on human judgement,” she stresses. “People expect human judgement and the concerns I have as I continue my research is that excessive use of AI actually removes some of the cognitive abilities around decision-making.
“So, as a board member, the question I keep asking is how to ensure we are capable of challenging the machine and truly having that cognitive oversight, rather than simply accepting that the machine is correct.”
Building relationships
Looking ahead, Julie believes the most significant challenges for the board also come back to people. “I think the biggest challenge will be relationships; being able to bring everyone and everything together to make this work – ensuring we've got the right people in the room at the right time.”
More personally, one of the things she is most looking forward to is just that: building relationships. “We have three new board members all at once, so we’re building a new team culture, which is exciting. There’s work to do and, for me, working with other experts and learning from other people is one of the reasons I'm enthusiastic about this role.
“Over 30 years in technology transformation, whether it was at Barclays or GDS, or earlier in my career at JP Morgan, I’ve learned that regardless of the underlying systems, they will fail or succeed based on the people, not the technology. So, I hope to bring all of those lessons to bear in a way that can truly make an impact.”
