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Corporate Governance Conference

21 March 2025, Chartered Accountants’ Hall

Let’s unpack Corporate Governance Reform - will the latest reforms restore trust and power growth?

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Highlights

With the government’s clear commitment to completing the reform of audit and corporate governance through the creation of a new regulator with statutory powers (ARGA), this conference will explore how the regulator, investors, auditors and board directors think the latest reforms will help restore trust in Audit and Corporate Governance, prevent corporate failures and how this will support investment and growth.
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Experts

Hear from regulators, investors, auditors as well as chairs of audit committees, non-executive directors and other board directors and their advisors on the latest developments

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Learning

Each session will have opportunities to ask questions and learn from those providing board level solutions

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Insights

Speakers will provide you with insight and tangible advice on the latest in corporate governance

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Networking

Opportunity to network in-person at Chartered Accountants’ Hall

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CPD

Earn up to 8 hours of verifiable CPD by attending this event

Programme

Registration and refreshments
09:00
Opening remarks
Malcom Bacchus, President, ICAEW
09:30
Corporate Governance Reform latest developments and the road ahead
In this opening keynote, ICAEW’s CEO, Alan Vallance will join FRC’s CEO, Richard Moriarty in conversation to discuss the latest developments in corporate governance reform and other related developments
09:50
Corporate Governance Reform, are we there yet? The Audit Committee and Auditor view
With the new Corporate Governance Code coming in on January first, and other regulatory and legislative developments such as the Economic Crime and Transparency Act 2023 also have implications for the audit committee. This panel will take a macro view on how this has changed the workings of the audit committee and whether we are now in a better position than pre-Carilion to prevent sudden corporate collapses.
10:35
Break
11:25
How to make Britain a more attractive place to invest and do business
TBC
11:45
Lunch
12:35
Session to be announced
13:35
Breakout 1: Internal Controls & Risk Management Frameworks - getting ready for Jan 2026
TBC
14:25
Breakout 2: The role of the Board in shaping culture and how to measure success
TBC
14:25
Breakout 3: Session to be announced
TBC
14:25
Break
TBC
15:25
The role of the accounting profession in ensuring good stewardship - the investor perspective
TBC
15:55
Closing remarks
Peter van Veen, Director, Corporate Governance and Stewardship, ICAEW
16:45
Networking and refreshments
17:00
Event close
19:00

Our speakers

Malcolm Bacchus
Malcolm Bacchus ICAEW's President

Malcolm qualified as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant in 1981. He joined the ICAEW Council in 2005 and was elected President in 2024. He has worked in industry for the majority of his professional life, mainly as CFO of AIM-listed companies, across a wide range of sectors including property, childcare, mining, manufacturing, telecommunications, and construction. Amongst many other committee roles across ICAEW and its London District Society, he served as a member of the ICAEW Ethics Standards Committee from 2015 and was its Chair from 2018 to 2022. He is currently a member of HMRC's Administrative Burdens Advisory Board and of the Court of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Headshot of Simon Cleveland
Simon Cleveland Partner, Deloitte

Simon is the Chair of the ICAEW Corporate Governance Committee – a committee that actively supports the ICAEW’s Corporate Governance Department and the ICAEW Technical Strategy Board, as well as the wider membership on Corporate Governance matters. Simon is an audit partner and has over 27 years of experience providing audit and assurance services to financial services and infrastructure clients. He has led a number of listed company audits (including FTSE 100), and is accredited under both International and PCAOB auditing standards.

Caroline Escott
Caroline Escott Senior Investment Manager, Railpen

Caroline is leads Railpen’s investment stewardship work globally across £37bn of assets under management. She was previously in charge of the investment, stewardship and collective engagement programme at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA). She is Co-founder and Chair of the $4.5tn Investor Coalition for Equal Votes (ICEV) and the $2.5tn Workforce Directors Coalition (WDC), Vice-Chair of the Global International Governance Network (GIGN) as well as a fully accredited professional pension trustee at the Standard Life Master Trust – where she is also Chair of its Investment and Sustainability Committee.

Tanya Gass
Tanya Gass Partner, Norman Broadbent

Tanya is a Partner in the Board Practice. She assists companies of all types and across all sectors with their chair and non-executive director recruitment needs, frequently partnering with sector specialists in the Norman Broadbent team. Prior to joining Norman Broadbent, Tanya was the NED Recruitment Lead at Women on Boards UK where she worked with SMEs, large privates, AIM and FTSE 350 companies, public sector bodies and not-for-profits to source diverse NED candidates from the network’s membership.

Aleen Gulvanessian
Aleen Gulvanessian Chair, Macfarlane Group

Aleen is Chair of Macfarlane Group PLC and also chairs a private reinsurance company and a not-for-profit entity. Prior to pursuing a portfolio career, Aleen was a Corporate Partner at Eversheds Sutherland for 30 years . While a partner she specialised in M&A and corporate finance, advising both quoted and large private companies. Aleen also advised on governance issues, becoming a trusted adviser to boards of companies she acted for. Following retirement as a partner she became a consultant at Eversheds Sutherland helping with governance matters.

Andy Kemp
Andy Kemp Chair, Audit Committee Chairs' Independent Forum

Andy is chair of the Audit Committee Chairs’ Independent Forum (ACCIF) and is also a Non-Executive Director at The Berkeley Group Holdings plc . Andy is also a Non-Executive Director at Irwin Mitchell Holdings Limited where he chairs the Audit and Risk Committee and a Governor of Birkbeck University of London where he chairs the Finance and General Purposes Committee. Andy retired from PwC in June 2021 having spent nearly 39 years serving PwC’s FTSE100 clients, both in the UK and globally.

Headshot of Richard Moriarty
Richard Moriarty Chief Executive Officer, Financial Reporting Council

Richard has over 25 years of board level experience across a range of regulated sectors. Prior to joining the FRC, he was CEO of the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority and before that the CEO of the Legal Services Board, which oversees the regulation of the legal professions. Earlier in his career he held senior roles in the regulation of social housing, communications and energy.

Alan Vallance
Alan Vallance CEO, ICAEW

Alan was previously CEO of the Chartered Insurance Institute, leading the premier professional body for insurance and financial planning. A chartered accountant with Ernst & Whinney, Alan is a Fellow of ICAEW, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and an Honorary Fellow of the Korean Institute of Architects.

Peter Van Veen
Peter van Veen Director, Corporate Governance and Stewardship, ICAEW

Peter is the Director of Corporate Governance and Stewardship at ICAEW. Prior to this, he was the Chief Compliance Officer for multinational enterprises headquartered in the Netherlands, France and Japan. Peter spent over six years at Transparency International UK (TI-UK), where he set up the Business Integrity Programme.

Iain Wright, Director for Business and Industrial Strategy
Iain Wright Managing Director, Reputation & Influence, ICAEW

Iain is responsible for ensuring that ICAEW leverages its world-class technical and policy expertise. He trained as a Chartered Accountant at Deloitte and Touche, before being elected as the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool in 2004. Iain went on to serve as a Minister in both the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Later, he became Chair of Parliament’s Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee, where he led high profile inquiries into the sale of BHS and working practices at Sports Direct.

Educational & inspiring event!

2024 Corporate Governance Conference delegate

Excellent event with real and highly relevant insights into corporate governance, best practice and future challenges

2024 Corporate Governance Conference delegate

Good event with ample opportunity for networking

2024 Corporate Governance Conference delegate

Provided some great insights and practical experiences from senior leaders - worthwhile investment of my time.

2024 Corporate Governance Conference delegate

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