Catherine has been involved in upholding professional standards for almost two decades, which means she brings a unique breadth of experience to the IRB. She has served on boards and committees overseeing a wide range of professions.
She joined the IRB in August at the same time as Paul Brooks, the IRB’s new chair, and fellow new member, Kaysen Pyndiah. The IRB is responsible for ensuring ICAEW’s regulatory and conduct work, undertaken by the Professional Standards Department (PSD), is carried out in the public interest.
As a lay member, Catherine is already familiar with ICAEW’s regulatory framework, having been a member and then chair of the Insolvency Licensing Committee (ILC) between 2016 and 2024. Her professional background includes experience of working within the private and public sectors, as well as being a freelancer.
Her career started in retail management with Marks and Spencer, after which she moved into higher education administration. It was when she started working freelance that she first became involved in regulation, becoming a panel member for the General Medical Council (GMC).
“I started at the GMC in 2006,” she explains. “And once you get into the world of regulation, it really draws you in because I think most people who get involved in regulation really care about processes and people.”
The whole picture
In addition to her regulatory work, Catherine is a lay member of the Research Ethics Committee for Manchester Metropolitan University. She is a magistrate and also chairs tribunals for Social Work England, having previously chaired tribunals for various other regulators. She was also a member of the Department of Health’s Independent Investigations Governance Committee, sat on the Independent Ethics Committee for Greater Manchester Police and chaired the boards of a large independent school and a charity.
“My experience has given me that broader understanding of what regulation is all about,” she adds. “You have to think of the wider issues and look at it more holistically.
“Many people only see regulation as a disciplinary or punitive process,” she says. “But I would urge people to recognise that regulation is much broader. It’s really important to recognise that the disciplinary processes are just a small part of much more comprehensive regulatory frameworks.”
When someone ends up before a committee or tribunal, she explains, this is usually the outcome of many issues. “Cases are brought for lots of reasons, and it's only rarely a rogue professional,” she says. “It’s usually more about when individuals or firms have not used the extensive support and guidance that ICAEW provides. It is also about when they have not fully engaged with ICAEW’s monitoring visits.
“The really interesting part of the IRB’s role is about understanding the whole picture and the broad remit of PSD which helps strengthen trust in the profession – education, support, knowledge and skills, monitoring, feedback and advice, and consequences should people not meet the expected standards – which creates an environment where standards are upheld and the public feels protected.”
Enabling, evaluating, enforcing
Catherine’s decision to join the IRB partly stems from her wider interest in regulatory processes and professional standards. Alongside this, she has developed a particular interest in the accountancy profession following her work on the ILC, and because two of her children are currently undertaking ACA training, ICAEW’s Chartered Accountant qualification.
“I’m very interested in how accountancy professionals are equipped through their careers,” she explains. “How they're given the initial knowledge and skills that underpin their ability to become fully fledged professionals, and then what happens after that – how they're supported, not just by their employers, but by ICAEW.”
She believes it’s important for ICAEW to provide a framework that professionals feel is collaborative and supportive, which aligns with ICAEW’s role as an improvement regulator and with PSD’s ongoing commitment to the 3Es: Enable, Evaluate and Enforce.
The enabling element ensures members and firms have the appropriate expertise and experience to deliver regulated services. ICAEW provides educational resources, guidance and continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities which help them keep up to date with the standards of practice and conduct expected. “It's about enabling professionals, at every level, to make sure they're given the right tools for the job, the right information, and the right frameworks to operate in,” she says.
The evaluating element involves looking at the quality of work and whether firms are complying with rules, regulations and standards. The final element is fair and timely enforcement against those who commit misconduct, break rules or whose work falls significantly below expected standards.
Looking ahead
Catherine attended her first IRB meeting in September. “Around the table there was a really good mix of knowledge, skills and experience,” she says. “I’m looking forward to listening, learning and contributing to discussions and decisions to help ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of the ICAEW’s regulatory work.”
As a lay member, she’s particularly interested in delving further into the challenges the profession is facing, including new or potential legislation. “On the ILC, I learned a lot about insolvency, but that’s only a very small part of the profession,” she explains. “I will be finding out more about all the ICAEW’s oversight regulators and the broader regulatory context, as well as the work of PSD.”
One of the key challenges she sees ahead, and one that she is keen to help meet, relates back to her point about promoting understanding of the broader aspects of good regulation, beyond the disciplinary element.
“It’s really important that ICAEW helps to shape a regulatory environment that informs people, and supports and encourages compliance,” she says. “Regulation should be collaborative, and rightly this is something that has become much more of a feature of professional regulation in recent years.”
Resources
- Read the previous articles in this series, which introduce new IRB chair Paul Brooks and new board member Kaysen Pyndiah
- Find out more about the IRB and ICAEW’s regulatory and disciplinary committees
- Read the ICAEW Regulatory and Conduct Annual Report 2023-2024
