ICAEW has announced the appointment of Parjinder Basra as the new chair of its regulatory board.
Parjinder assumed the role of lay chair of the ICAEW Regulatory Board (IRB) from 12 May, on a three-year term.
He has twice served as Acting Chair of the IRB, most recently since February following the departure of the former chair, Paul Brooks, who stepped down for personal reasons.
With a background in public sector leadership within policing and healthcare, Parjinder brings a wealth of board-level experience to the role, having held senior governance positions throughout his career. Having led the IRB as Acting Chair for 14 months, he is already a familiar and respected presence to our oversight regulators, and has a strong understanding of the governance requirements underpinning ICAEW’s regulatory and disciplinary responsibilities.
The IRB is responsible for oversight of ICAEW’s regulatory and disciplinary work to ensure that it is acting in the public interest and strengthening trust in the profession.
The Board has parity of lay and chartered accountant members and was established in 2014 to enhance the distinction between ICAEW’s representative and regulatory roles following an independent review of its regulatory governance.
More information about the IRB can be found here.
I’m delighted to have been appointed Chair of the IRB. Acting in the public interest is vital to upholding the reputation of ICAEW Chartered Accountants, and the IRB has a central role to play in ensuring high standards of regulation and conduct. In a time of immense societal, economic, and technological change, my priority is to ensure we are adapting swiftly, as an improvement regulator, to address any emerging risks. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Paul Brooks for his outstanding leadership of the Board. I look forward to working alongside my fellow Board members to finalise and deliver our new regulation and conduct strategy, ensuring we continue to safeguard the public interest.
I congratulate Parjinder on his appointment and look forward to working with him as we deliver the new strategy. Chartered accountants play a crucial role in strengthening trust and acting in the public interest, and I’m confident that the IRB will continue to meet its responsibilities as an effective improvement regulator under Parjinder’s leadership. I would also like to extend my thanks to Paul Brooks for his service as IRB Chair and acknowledge his great contribution to ICAEW over the past 20 years, from his early involvement as a member of the Investment Business Committee through to his leadership of the IRB since last summer.
