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Allison qualified as a Chartered Accountant while training with PwC, she is JIEB-qualified and has a law degree. Allison has specialised in insolvency for over three decades. Before moving into a regulatory role, Allison dealt with corporate insolvency appointments across a wide range of industries. Allison is responsible for the insolvency monitoring team which carries out regulatory visits to ICAEW’s insolvency practitioners (IPs). She also delivers a programme of annual roadshows, webinars and bitesize videos to support IPs.
Dean is a Senior Manager in the Quality Assurance Department (QAD) within the Professional Standards Department. Dean leads QAD’s Practice Assurance and DPB (Investment Business) monitoring activities and has experience of visiting practices of all sizes throughout the UK. He is an ICAEW Chartered Accountant with over 20 years’ experience working in the audit practice of a Big 4 firm prior to joining ICAEW in 2016.
Michelle Giddings is ICAEW’s Head of AML with operational responsibility for the AML supervision of ICAEW’s 9,500 AML-supervised firms. She is co-Chair of the Accountancy AML Supervisors Group and was Chair of the AML Supervisors’ Forum in 2021. Michelle qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2005, completing her training contract at a Big Four firm and working within audit for Professional Services firms. In 2009, Michelle joined ICAEW’s Quality Assurance Department as a Senior Manager, leading monitoring reviews to larger, higher-risk firms and managing a team of reviewers conducting monitoring reviews across the country.
Nick qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte and joined ICAEW in 2007. Nick has specialised in audit for over 25 years. As Head of Audit, he has overall responsibility for ICAEW’s audit-related monitoring activities, principally statutory audit monitoring – both in the corporate and public sector – as well as ICAEW’s third-party audit monitoring work. He is also involved in overseeing continuing professional development monitoring for all ICAEW members and firms.
Sandy originally trained with Ernst & Young, where she qualified as a chartered accountant. She then had operational roles in industry, including a few years at the BBC. This was followed by a stint as a sole practitioner which helped her to appreciate the many challenges faced by smaller firms. After 14 years as a quality assurance reviewer she now works in the AML supervisory team at ICAEW. Although her role does encompass monitoring firms' compliance with the Money Laundering Regulations, a large chunk of it is dedicated to providing guidance to our member firms.
Victoria has over 20 years’ experience in insolvency, starting at a sole IP practice before working across Big Four and mid‑tier firms. This breadth of experience has provided her with a strong, practical understanding of insolvency cases from cradle to grave liquidations to more complex and high‑profile cases, including year one of the Lehman Brothers administration. She completed the JIEB personal paper in 2009, followed by the corporate papers in 2011. In 2016, Victoria joined ICAEW’s Quality Assurance Department as an Insolvency and PA Reviewer and was subsequently promoted to Insolvency Manager in 2024.