Regulatory panel

Current members of the CIPFA regulatory panel

Simon Barnes

Simon Barnes is a Barrister and has many years of experience practising as a Solicitor including leading a legal team in a local authority specialising in planning, governance and judicial review. He has served as an Assistant parliamentary Boundary Commissioner, sits as a Panel Chair for the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service and is a lay member of numerous standards and disciplinary committees for a wide variety of organisations.

Sarah Brown

Sarah is a solicitor, currently working for the Medical Protection Society. She has extensive public sector experience having previously worked for the General Medical Council, Greater Manchester Police and in local government. Sarah is also Vice Chair of Trustees and Board Safeguarding Champion for the National Childbirth Trust. 

Phil Butlin CPFA 

Phil trained as a CIPFA accountant with the National Audit Office. After a spell with CIPFA as a lecturer and training consultant he joined the Department of Social Security. He worked in various finance and policy roles before taking up the post of Resources Director at the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority. Following transition to the Pensions Regulator he moved to local government, retiring as Assistant Director, Finance at the London Borough of Sutton in 2017. Since retiring he has served as Treasurer of the Croydon Merton and Sutton Credit Union and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee at the Royal Institute of Navigation.

Helen Carter-Shaw

Helen Carter-Shaw has wide experience of public service at a senior level in both executive and non-executive positions. She has served with a number of other regulators, including ACCA, BTAS, ICC and HCPTS. She is a lay member of the Charity tribunal, a specialist lay member of the Mental Health Tribunal and has served as a lay member of the Employment Tribunal.

Margaret Coats

Margaret has been Chief Executive and Registrar of the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council since September 2011. Prior to this she was Chief Executive and Registrar at the General Chiropractic Council. Previous roles included Chief Executive of the Occupational Standards Council for Health and Social Care and Head of the NHS Open Learning Unit.

Lewis Doyle CPFA 

Lewis is a CIPFA member and had a corporate career across the public and private sectors and latterly was a managing director at QinetiQ.  Lewis was also a pension trustee, a Board Member of a National Park and Audit Chair and Non-Executive Director at two NHS Trusts.

Mike Halstead CPFA 

Mike has been a member of CIPFA for more than 30 years and worked in local government in North Wales for more than 44 years. Now retired, Mike spent the last 25 years in a number of Head of Service posts, including a spell as Acting Head of Regulatory Services. However, the bulk of the time was spent as Head of Audit & Procurement. Mike also volunteered with CIPFA as a P3 Project examiner and as a member of the Disciplinary Committee both with CIPFA and the IFA.

Sheila Hollingworth

Sheila is retired from a career in the health service and higher education. She is a magistrate and has several years of experience in professional regulation work with a number of regulators. She is an independent lay chair of Performers List Decision Panels for NHS England.

David Horne CPFA 

David is a chartered public finance accountant, having worked in local government, central government and policing. He has experience of regulatory committees in two accountancy bodies and is an independent member of a local authority Standards Committee.

Michaela Jones

Michaela is a solicitor who previously practised in personal injury law. She now sits as a Tribunal Judge in the Mental Health Review Tribunal for Wales. She also sits on regulatory/appeals panels, a local authority standards committee and is appointed as an Independent Assessor of appeals and complaints for the Student Loans Company. 

Roseann Kane

Roseann practiced as a solicitor in both the public and private sectors for 30 years, before retiring in 2019. A partner in a specialist family law firm, she undertook all aspects of family law including financial applications and care proceedings. She transferred to the public sector working for a Local Authority, specialising in housing and anti-social behaviour litigation, as well as policy work. Since 2019, she has been engaged by the College of Policing to assist with recruitment, is a supporting inspector for the Association for the Education and Guardianship for International Students and works in the voluntary sector as a Childline counsellor.

Matthew Lohn (Chair)

Matthew is the former Senior Partner at Fieldfisher. He practises as a Partner in the public and regulatory law team. Matthew has also sat for nine years as legal chair for the National Anti-Doping Panel and served two terms at the Independent Press Standards Organisation firstly on the Complaints Committee and more latterly as a Board Member.

Bryan Machin CPFA

Bryan is the Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director of Finance and Resources at Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust where, in addition to his financial role, he has responsibility for informatics, business intelligence, estates and risk management. Bryan has served a wide range of NHS organisations across Yorkshire and the Humber. He is also a Trustee and Vice Chair of St Anne's Community Services which provides care, support and housing in the North of England.

Darren Snow

A defence barrister specialising in serious crime, regulatory & professional discipline. He sits as a legally qualified chair on police disciplinary tribunals and also as a panel member on the Bar’s disciplinary tribunal. He is an accredited mediator. Darren is a member of Libertas Chambers in London & Clerksroom.

Ben Walsh

Ben Walsh is a Civil, Commercial and Workplace Mediator. He is a Lay Member of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal and an Independent Chair/Selection Panel Member for the Judicial Appointments Commission. He sits on the Registration and Standards Committee for the Civil Mediation Council

John Webster CPFA

John has been a member of CIPFA since 1975 and throughout his career held a number of senior finance roles in local government, including as finance director.

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