Composition
- Rod Ashley, CA
- Graeme Bissett, CA
- James (Jim) Boyle, CA
- David Brownlow, CA
- Catherine Burnet, CA
- Bruce Cartwright, CA
- Geoffrey (Geoff) Cook, CA
- Anna Coutts Donald, CA
- Jim Coyle, CA
- Colin Crosby, CA
- Robert Dick, CA
- Andrew Dougal, CA
- Elizabeth Gammie, CA
- Ann Hansen, CA
- Guy Jubb, CA
- Gavin MacKenzie, CA
- Sandy Manson, CA
- Ken McHattie, CA
- Amanda McMillan, CA
- David Nicol, CA
- Marta Phillips, OBE, CA
- Bruce Pritchard, CA
- Karen Scholes, CA
- John Sharkey, CA
- Graeme Sheils, CA
- Janet (Jandy) Stevenson, FCA
- Ronnie Wilson, CA
- Neil Young, CA
Public Interest Members: Robert Black, Rhona Brankin, Quinton Quayle, Judith Sischy
Terms of Reference
- To ensure the objects of the Royal Charters are achieved in a manner consistent with regulatory body status
- To determine strategies and tactics necessary to achieve the objects and to monitor their efficiency
- To ensure the effective management and direction of the Institute's affairs
- To establish the boards and committees specified in the Royal Charters and other such bodies as the Council considers necessary to enable it to discharge effectively its duties under Charter and statute
- Generally, to ensure that high standards of corporate governance are observed at all times
as at 1 May 2013.
Council & Executive Team Profiles
Brendan Nelson, CA, President
Brendan Nelson was educated at St Aloysius’ College in Glasgow and trained as a chartered accountant with Thomson McLintock & Co in Glasgow and London.
He qualified in 1973 and joined peat Marwick Mitchell & Co London in 1974. Peat Marwick Mitchell and Thomson McLintock merged to form KPMG. He was made a partner in KPMG in 1984 and had a distinguished career in professional practice with KPMG, where he became Vice-Chairman of the UK firm and was also Global Chairman of the Banking and Financial Services networks of KPMG International. Brendan joined the Board of RBS plc in April 2010 as a non-executive director. He chairs the Group Audit Committee. In November 2010 he was appointed as a non-executive director of BP plc, where he sits on the Chairman’s Committee and chairs the Audit Committee. Additionally, Brendan served as a member of the Practitioner Panel for six years. This is the statutory body established by the Financial Services and Markets Act to advise the Financial Services Authority and to report publicly on the views of the FSA’s work.
Brendan is a past Council member of ICAS and Chaired the Institute’s Audit Committee between 2005 and 2008.
Brendan lives in Reigate, in Surrey, and enjoys watching sport, especially football, and playing golf.
Office Bearers
Anton Colella, ICAS Chief Executive
Anton Colella became Chief Executive of ICAS in October 2006.
Previously he was the Chief Executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), from December 2003 to October 2006, following a period as Director of Qualifications.
He was elected Chair of the Global Accounting Alliance in November 2011. The GAA has almost 800,000 members in 165 countries, and represents a collection of 11 leading institutes from around the world.
Anton joined the University of Glasgow’s Strategic Advisory Board in 2011. He is a Council member of the Confederation of British Industry Scotland (CBI) and Chairman of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS). SCIS is an independent educational charity representing over 70 member schools in Scotland which educate more than 32.000 children.
A graduate of the University of Stirling, Anton’s career began as a teacher of Religious Education. Before joining the SQA he was Depute Head Teacher in St Margaret Mary’s Secondary School in Glasgow. Anton has also been awarded an Honorary Professorship in Education by the University of Glasgow.
Anton lives in Glasgow with his wife, two daughters and two sons. His main interests are his family, rugby, eating out and spending time in the Highlands of Scotland.
Jann Brown, CA, Deputy President
Jann Brown was born in Glasgow and educated in Glasgow and Edinburgh. She gained an MH Hons from Edinburgh University in History and spent the next 9 years looking after her family. In 1987 Jann returned to university, this time to Heriot Watt, where she completed a Diploma in Accounting, at that time a necessary precursor to being accepted as a trainee chartered accountant.
Jann trained with KPMG, qualified as a CA in 1990, and immediately went on to complete her CTA in 1991. She stayed with KPMG until 1997, specialising in corporate tax.
In 1997, she moved to Deloitte & Touche but could not resist the call of a role in industry and moved to Cairn Energy PLC in 1998, initially as Group Tax Manager and later moving to Group Financial Controller then Finance Director, a post she has held since 2006. In June 2011, in light of her widening responsibilities including Human Resources, Corporate Affairs and Company Secretarial and in addition to her role as Finance Director, Jann became Managing Director reporting to the Chief Executive. Jann also has particular responsibility for providing assurance to the Board on health, safety, environment (including climate change), community and human rights matters. Jann played an integral part in managing Cairn's interests in India and was a non executive director of Cairn India Limited until the completion of the sale of Cairn's controlling interest.
Jim Pettigrew, CA, Vice-President
Dundee-born Jim Pettigrew studied at the High School of Dundee, Aberdeen University (LLB) and Glasgow University (DipAcc) before
qualifying as a Scottish Chartered Accountant (CA) with Ernst & Young.
Jim undertook a number of commercial finance roles in Scotland prior to joining international insurance broker Sedgwick Group PLC, where he rose to become Group Treasurer and Deputy Chief Financial Officer.
For many years he was the Chief Financial Officer for the world's largest money and derivatives broker ICAP PLC a member of the FTSE 100, before joining emerging markets asset manager Ashmore Group PLC as part of the team that successfully floated the business on the London Stock Exchange.
He later spent time as Chief Executive of CMC Markets PLC, and is currently Chairman of Edinburgh Investment Trust Plc, Deputy Chairman Royal Bank of Canada Europe, Chairman of Audit Committee at Aberdeen Asset Management plc and Clydesdale Bank plc and non-executive director at Hermes, AON UK Ltd and Pacific Investments. He has recently joined the board of Crest Nicholson plc as a NED and their senior independent director
Jim is a member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers and a Fellow of the RSA. He has several interests outside of business including golf and gardening.
Council
Rod is Chief Executive of Airdrie Savings Bank, the only remaining independent savings bank in the UK.
Prior to this he held the role of Chief Executive of Scotwest Credit Union, during which time he served on the Credit Union consultation panel and the Smaller Businesses Practitioner Panel, both committees of the FSA, the predecessor of the PRA and FCA. He sits on the strategic advisory board of the Adam Smith Business School at the University of Glasgow, and his educational interests continue through membership of the TPE examination panel at ICAS. Rod is also an international credit union development educator.
Outside of work, and his wife and young family, Rod’s main interest is musical theatre, having conducted at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow, and written two musicals.
Graeme Bissett, CA
Graeme qualified with Arthur Andersen in 1982, became a partner in 1990 and had profit responsibility for the Audit & Business Advisory and Corporate Finance practices in Scotland.
In 1998, he joined Kwik-Fit Holdings plc as Group Director of Finance, followed by two years as CFO of a global telecoms group. Graeme was a member and then Convener of the Institute’s Accounting Standards Committee and of the Technical Liaison Committee over the period 1993-2002.
In recent years, Graeme has developed a portfolio of activities, including Non-Executive Chairman or Director and advisory roles with companies in the retail, logistics, hospitality, distribution and capital infrastructure sectors. Graeme was until recently a member of the Court of Heriot-Watt University and is currently Chair of Children 1st. Graeme is a member of Council and former Chair of the Institute’s Oversight Board.
David Brownlow, CA
David is a graduate of the University of Nottingham, gaining a BSc in Physics in 2004. He joined Norwich Union’s Life & Pensions department that summer and subsequently transferred to the company’s General Insurance business to join the ICAS TOPPS scheme, qualifying in 2008.
A number of roles followed in Aviva and Allianz’s Global Corporate business. David then became Head of Finance for PruProtect, Prudential’s life insurance Joint Venture, in 2011.
In July 2012, David moved to his current role with the BGL Group, where he is Associate Director of Finance, Pricing and IT for the company’s start-up life insurance operation.
David is a member of the England & Wales Area Committee and the CAs in Business Committee.
In addition to ICAS, David is also a Chartered Insurer and a member of the Personal Finance Society. He is also an active member of the insurance community, sitting on the Investment & Life Assurance Group’s Financial Reporting and Tax Practitioner Committees.
James (Jim) Boyle, CA
Jim is an audit partner with over 20 years’ experience in the profession.
He studied at Strathclyde University, graduating in Accounting and Economics in 1991, before undertaking his CA training in Arthur Andersen’s Glasgow office. He qualified in 1994 and remained as a manager with Arthur Andersen until 2002.
In 2002 Jim joined Deloitte as an Audit Director and in June 2005 he was admitted to the UK Deloitte partnership.
Now based in the Edinburgh office, from where he leads the corporate audit practice across the Central Belt, Jim’s audit portfolio includes a number of high profile listed, privately owned and PE-backed businesses across a range of industries including manufacturing, engineering, technology, leisure and hospitality, professional services, transport, local government and health.
Up until May 2012 Jim also led Deloitte’s Entrepreneurial Business team in Scotland and sat on the judging panel for the prestigious Entrepreneurial Exchange Entrepreneur of the Year awards between 2008 and 2011.
Jim chairs the ICAS Qualifications Board and also sits on the ICAS Council as well as the ICAS Oversight Board.
Catherine Burnet, CA
Catherine is a partner with KPMG and is head of the firm’s financial services audit practice in Scotland.
Catherine trained with KPMG in Edinburgh, where she qualified as a CA in 1997. She then relocated to London where she specialised in financial services clients, and continued this focus on her return to Edinburgh in 2000. Catherine became an audit partner in 2009 when she relocated to Chicago to spend 2 years working on global banking clients in the US. She returned to Edinburgh in 2011 and has a client portfolio across the full range of financial sector including investment management, banking and insurance.
Catherine joined the Audit Committee in April 2012 and is currently Chairman of the Audit Committee.
Bruce Cartwright, CA
Bruce has been involved in the restructuring market in Scotland for 25 years and has handled both solvent restructurings and a wide range of formal insolvency appointments.
Recent corporate assignments include the sale of Sovereign Oilfield Services and the Sub Ocean Group (both following Administration), the Administration of Globespan Airline, the Administration of Kilmartin property group and the Heritors property group. He is also currently involved in the restructuring/refinancing of a number of companies in the leisure, media and manufacturing sectors.
Within the public sector, Bruce has completed the restructuring of an NHS Health Economy based in the North of England. As Administrator of the Lighthouse Trust, he negotiated the transfer of the national architecture centre to Glasgow Council supported by the Scottish Executive and their sponsored programmes. He was adviser to the Scottish Executive on the restructuring and refinancing of a life-line ferry services operator.
Bruce is also involved in assisting both companies and Pension Scheme Trustees in addressing pension scheme deficit funding issues.
Geoffrey (Geoff) Cook, CA
Geoffrey (Geoff) M. Cook is a Partner, and co-Head of Investor Services’ Europe, Middle East and Africa businesses at Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH). He operates as the Supervising Partner of BBH Luxembourg and BBH Zurich and is the Partner responsible for Global Relationship Management and Sales Disciplines.
Geoff has 23 years of financial industry experience. He joined BBH in 1997, and was appointed Partner in 2009. For nine years prior to joining BBH, Geoff was a senior manager in the London, Luxembourg and New York financial services practices of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Geoff is the author of several articles published in industry publications around the world, and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and media discussions, such as at ALFI - the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry, Financial News, ICFA, Funds Europe, etc.
In the past, Geoff has held leadership positions in several industry organisations, such as: board member of the Luxembourg Bankers Association (ABBL), and the Luxembourg Fund Association (ALFI), president of the Association of American Banks in Luxembourg as well as chairman of the ALFI/ABBL Depository Banks Forum.
Mr Cook became a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland in 1988 after training with Scott Oswald & Co., Inverness. He is married to Theresa and they have 3 children.
Anna Coutts Donald is a Director at Alter Domus based in London. Alter Domus is a leading independent provider of professional administration services for multinational corporations and alternative investment funds. Anna leads Alter Domus’ efforts to enhance and expand the firm’s current relationships with key UK and international clients. Anna is also responsible for new business development in the UK.
Prior to Alter Domus, Anna was an Associate Director in KPMG’s Investment Management practice in London and had responsibility for co-ordinating the sector’s internal and external activities and assisted the chair of the European team.
After qualifying as a CA in 2006, Anna set up and established along with a group of senior Partner’s KPMG’s Alternative Investments Group comprising hedge, real estate, private equity and infrastructure funds. This led to Anna joining KPMG’s Transactions and Restructuring team where she focused on infrastructure asset opportunities in Europe including due diligence, transaction support and origination.
Anna left Bristol University with a degree in Economics in 2002 and initially joined KPMG in Graduate Marketing which took her out and about on the university “milkround” before starting her CA training with KPMG’s Tax Business School in 2003. Highlights included working with the Global Head of Tax at KPMG and working on a high profile project for HM Revenue & Customs measuring and implementing strategies to reduce the administrative burden and the cost of ‘red-tape’ to the UK tax payer.
Outside of KPMG, Anna joined ICAS Council in November 2010 and is looking forward to having the voice of the ‘recently qualified’ for three years. She also sits on the England & Wales Area Committee.
Jim Coyle, CA
Jim was appointed Group Financial Controller at Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) in 2012, having previously been Divisional Finance Director, Group Operations. He is also a key member of the LBG Finance Board and amongst other things holds direct responsibility for all aspects of external reporting, assurance and the Group-wide cost base. Prior to that Jim was leader of the Group Finance function in HBOS and before joining Bank of Scotland in 1991, he held a senior position with BP, following qualification as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG and a degree in Law and Accountancy from Glasgow University.
Alongside his role as Group Financial Controller, Jim sits on the LBG Scottish Executive Committee, a body that decides and drives the strategy for LBG in Scotland and is chair of the Scotland Finance People Board that focuses on career development and the talent management strategy for the strong Finance Community in Scotland.
Jim is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland, on the Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, and a member of the Financial Reporting Council's Financial Reporting Review Panel. Jim is also Chair of Audit Committee of Vocalink Holdings Ltd, on the Board of SFE, and Chairman of the Board of National Youth Choir of Scotland (Charity Board).
CA’s in following many different career paths apply the core skills and values acquired in their early years. Increasingly I realise that it is those skills and values that have enabled me to enjoy a hugely diverse career. Within Council promoting ICAS and enabling future CA’s to access similarly varied opportunities would be fantastic.
Qualified CA with TMcL (KPMG) 79 practised law as a partner until 87 then joined the fledging Aberdeen Asset Management which recently joined the FT 100. In 06 the regulated business within AAM where I was CEO was sold to Brewin Dolphin. In 09 I became a consultant.
Since 09 I have successfully built a portfolio of NXD’s in Transport IT Tourism Economic Development and Education.
Always active in the 3rd sector, chaired / chairing a fast growing housing association, a significant school board and being a member of the McFadden committee the precursor to OSCR.
Robert qualified with Whinney Murray (now E&Y) in Edinburgh in 1980. Since qualifying he has had a wide range of experience.
He was an auditor with Price Waterhouse in Hong Kong between 1980 and 1983. Thereafter he worked in the oil industry in Aberdeen before returning to Edinburgh to join CALA, whose business was residential and commercial property.
Robert had various roles at CALA between 1985 and 2008, including Group Finance Director for ten years then Chairman of two operating divisions for eight years. He led the team which completed a successful MBO in 1999, delisting the company and taking it private. He was a trustee of the CALA pension scheme for fifteen years including eleven as Chairman.
Robert now works with a number of SMEs as investor, mentor and non-executive director. He is also an active charity volunteer and trustee. At ICAS he has served on the Business Legislation and Accounting Standards Committees. He chaired the Member Engagement and Communications Board from 2009 to 2012. He was elected as an Open Seat member of Council in 2009 and 2012.
Robert is married with two grown up sons. He is an enthusiastic traveller and golfer.
Andrew Dougal, CA
Andrew has been a Non Executive Director of a portfolio of Public Companies for 10 years since retiring from Chief Executive of Hanson Plc.
After graduating from Glasgow University, he spent 5 years with Arthur Young McClelland Moores & Co in Glasgow where he qualified as a CA in 1975. Two years later he joined Scottish & Universal Investments, the former industrial holding company, subsequently acquired by Lonrho Plc, becoming Chief Accountant.
After 10 years in a number of senior management roles in Hanson Plc, he became Group Finance Director in 1995 and co-ordinated the group’s demerger process in 1996/7, breaking up one of the world’s largest conglomerates into five major listed companies. After the demerger, he became Chief Executive of the surviving Hanson Plc, the FTSE 100 international building materials company.
Currently he is a director of Carillion Plc, the integrated support services group; Premier Farnell Plc, the global electronics distribution company; and Creston Plc, the marketing services group. He chairs the Audit Committee of Carillion and Creston. Formerly he was a NED of Taylor Wimpey Plc, Taylor Woodrow Plc and BPB Plc. He has extensive Audit and Remuneration Committee experience.
He Chairs the Technical Policy & Services Board. Formerly he was a member of the Qualification Board, a Trustee of SATER and SCATE, and Convener of the Business Policy Committee.
He lives in Surrey with his wife and three grown up children.
Elizabeth Gammie, CA 
Elizabeth is a Professor of Accountancy at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, where she is Head of the Accounting and Finance De
partment. She has published extensively in the areas of accounting education at both undergraduate and professional level and gender issues within the profession. She teaches at undergraduate, postgraduate and professional level and supervises a range of doctoral students.
Elizabeth was born in 1961 and studied at the Robert Gordon University gaining a BA in Business Studies. Elizabeth commenced her training with Ernst and Whinney in Aberdeen in 1983 and became a member of ICAS in 1986. She joined RGU in 1989 as a lecturer and completed her PhD in 1999.
Elizabeth is married to Bob and enjoys spending time with her family, Scott who is an avid rugby player and Carmen who rides for the British pony dressage team.
Ann Hansen, CA
Ann Hansen trained with Robb Ferguson & Company and qualified in 1986. After a brief spell with Deloittes (then Touche Ross), she set up in practice . She has remained a sole practitioner and now has three offices, one in Busby on Glasgow’s south side and two in South West Scotland - Newton Stewart and Stranraer.
Ann has served on the General Practitioners’ Committee since November 2002 and became the convener in December 2006.
Ann has also been on the Board and held the position of Honorary Treasurer of East Renfrewshire Women’s Aid since 2008.
Ann has two grown up children and her interests outside accountancy and her family include; being an elder of the local church, running and antique hunting.
Guy R Jubb, CA
Guy has a career spanning merchant banking, corporate finance, venture capital and fund management roles in London, New York and his hometown of Edinburgh. Before taking up his present role, Guy was Head of Standard Life Investments’ Smaller Company and Private Equity teams.
He currently heads Standard Life Investment’s Governance & Stewardship Team, which he pioneered in 1992 to develop and implement an efficient approach to corporate governance. The team is responsible for fulfilling all aspects of Standard Life Investments’ governance and stewardship responsibilities, including SRI research and Standard Life Investments’ Global Governance Platform. Each year, Guy and his team meet over 100 companies to discuss a wide range of corporate governance topics to assist the evaluation of corporate governance and stewardship for investment purposes.
Guy has been deeply involved in developing best practice approaches to governance and stewardship. He is a member of a number of influential committees including the ABI Investment Committee and the CBI Companies Committee. He is Co-Chair of the Global Auditor Investor Dialogue and the Conference Board’s European Corporate Governance Council. In addition, Guy was a member of the Corporate Governance Working Group, which assisted the UK Government during its wide-ranging review of company law, and the European Commission’s Auditor Liability Advisory Forum, as well as the Working Group which developed the UKs Audit Firm Governance Code.
Gavin MacKenzie, CA 
Gavin MacKenzie is the Finance Director of the Meallmore Group based in Inverness, which employs 1,400 staff throughout Scotland in the care sector. He is also a director of the Cairnstar Group which encompasses Caledonian Cinemas, Littlejohns Restaurants and Caledonian Nightclubs which he led the MBO of in 2001. In additions he sits on the Executive Board of the UK Digital Funding Partnership, is a Pension Trustee and a Governor of a University College. After studying Accountancy and Computer Science in Edinburgh, he trained with Ernst & Young and worked in Corporate Recovery. Subsequently he spent five years working in the legal profession before moving into the leisure business in 1997. He has served on the Highland Local Area Committee, CAs in Business Committee and Technical Policy Board. He is married with three adult children and his interests include rugby, cycling and ski-ing.
Sandy Manson (1).jpg "Sandy")
After graduating from the University of Edinburgh, Sandy joined Arthur Andersen in Edinburgh where he trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1985. He then worked with Arthur Andersen in London and Zurich in their audit and assurance division. In 1991 on his return to Aberdeenshire, Sandy joined Johnston Carmichael and became a Partner in 1993 and a member of their Policy Board in 1997. Sandy was appointed Managing Partner of the Aberdeen practice in 1997 where he specialised in advising private companies in a number of industries. On 1 June 2007, Sandy was appointed CEO of Johnston Carmichael, Scotland’s largest independent firm of Chartered Accountants employing more than 550 people across 12 offices.
Sandy graduated as a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Edinburgh and is a Member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
Sandy has been and remains involved in several local organisations, including:-
Cairman of University of Aberdeen Development Trust
Honorary Dutch Consul for North of Scotland
Committee Member of The Royal Northern and University Club in Aberdeen
Sandy is married to Barbara and they have two sons, Jamie and Andrew. They live on the family farm at Kilblean, Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire. His interests include golf, skiing, field sports and riding. In April 2010 ran the London Marathon and in June 2012 climbed the Three Peaks in aid of charity.
Ken McHattie, CA
Ken McHattie was born in Aberdeen in 1956 and educated at Aberdeen University studying both Law and Accountancy.
He joined Thomson McLintock in Aberdeen in 19978, qualifying in 1981 before joining a local oilfield service company. He left the accountancy profession in 1983 and qualified as a solicitor in 1985. A spell in the legal department of venture capitalists 3i in Birmingham followed before he returned to Aberdeen in 1989 as a partner in local law firm Ledingham Chalmers.
Ken left the legal profession in 1998 to join another oilfield service company Atlantic Power and Gas. He left in mid-2000 with other members of the management team to incorporate oil company start-up Tuscan Energy. Tuscan went on to redevelop the Ardmore Field in the Central North Sea. Following the abandonment of the Ardmore Field, Ken joined oil investment Fund Energy Development Partners in 2005 as CFO until the Fund closed in 2010 when Ken took over as Chairman of its successor organisation, Aurora Petroleum.
Ken was previously Chairman of the ICAS Business Law Committee and served on the Grampian Area Committee for several years. He joined Council in 2005 and became Chairman of the Oversight Board in 2009.
Married with two girls, he enjoys golf, angling and following Aberdeen Football Club.
Amanda is Managing Director of Glasgow International Airport.
In 1993 Amanda qualified as a CA having joined kpmg in 1990. She joined Devro as Financial Accountant in 1994 and in 1996 joined ICAS where she was a Subject Controller and Lecturer in Finance.
Amanda returned to Industry, taking up a post with Diageo, in 1998, where she spent 7 years working in various roles within its Global Finance Shared Service Centre.
In 2005 she moved to BAA to head its Group Finance, HR and Operational Shared Service Centre and in 2008 after a brief spell as Operations Director at the Airport she was appointed MD.
Amanda is married and has two young children
David Nicol, CA
David is currently a Special Advisor with KPMG and holds a number of Non–Executive Directorships including CISI, Brewin Dolphin plc, and Hermes Property Unit Trust.
He trained with Arthur Young McClelland Moores & Co in Glasgow and qualified in 1980. He joined Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co in Hong Kong in 1981 where he worked on the audits.
He returned to the UK in 1984 and started working in London for Morgan Stanley International as a Product Controller. Over the next 26 years he worked in various roles in Finance and Operations and for the last 6 years until the end of 2010 as the Chief Administration Officer for the Firm in Europe.
David has served on the England and Wales Committee of ICAS since 2011.
David is married with 2 sons in their 20’s
Marta Phillips, OBE, CA
Marta Phillips joined TPAS on 12 April 2010. Prior to that she was Director of Compliance at the National Lottery Commission which she joined in November 1999, where she had regulatory responsibility for ensuring the security and integrity of funds to Good Causes (about
£28 million a week); prize winners’ money (about £50 million a week); the security and integrity of the draw; and lottery technology systems. She has an honours degree in Economics and Accounting, a master’s degree in Computing Science and is a qualified Project Manager for Information Systems.
She became a member of the Chartered Accountants of Scotland in 1979 and was elected to its Council in 2010. She spent her early career in Ernst & Young. After a short time at the Stock Exchange, she spent several years at Midland Bank plc, now HSBC, in its International Audit Department and Treasury systems development. Just before joining the National Lottery Commission, she was Head of Finance for the European Social Fund Unit in the Department for Education and Employment, where she successfully managed annual programmes of over £600 million.
She was created an OBE in the 2006 New Year’s Honours List for services to social housing. She has held a number of non-executive roles including the chairmanship of Servite Houses.
Bruce Pritchard, CA
Bruce is a graduate of Heriot-Watt University where he gained a BA in Accountancy and Computer Science in 1993. Subsequently, he trained as a CA with PKF, becoming a member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland in 1996.
Since qualifying as a CA, Bruce has worked in industry, mainly in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology fields. His first role after qualifying was as Group Financial Controller of a research organisation focusing on veterinary medicine. He moved from there to start-up a Science Park Development Business, then on to become Finance Director of Ardana, a speciality pharmaceutical company, where he was responsible for raising £30m of Venture Capital and preparing the business for its IPO. Following his time at Ardana, Bruce became Senior Director, Finance Europe for CV Therapeutics a California-based, NASDAQ listed biopharmaceutical company, with a market cap. of US$1.2Billion.
Most recently, Bruce has been Group Chief Financial Officer of ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. a Canadian listed Biotech group. Bruce splits his time between the group’s HQ in Montreal, Canada and its UK offices in Cambridge and the Isle of Man.
Bruce is also a non-executive director and trustee of a charity focusing on neglected tropical diseases.
He is an active member of ICAS; he sits on the Institute’s Council and its Qualifications Board. From 2007-2011 he was Chairman of the Institute’s England & Wales Area Committee. Prior to that, he served for six years on the Institute’s Council and Executive Board.
Bruce is Married to Tricia, also a CA, and has two daughters. He is a keen aviator, holding both EU and US Private Pilot’s Licenses. He also enjoys travel, fine wine and cycling with his children.
John Sharkey, CA
John Sharkey is Group Chief Executive of Scottish Exhibition Centre Ltd which runs the Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre in Glasgow. John leads the management team charged with developing and growing the SEC’s core business as the largest conference, concerts, exhibition and events centre in Scotland incorporating ticketing solutions.
John is also part of the team responsible for pushing forward the SECC’s £460 million QD2 master plan which, with the addition of a 12,000 seat arena, will transform the SECC’s 64 acre site into a complete exhibition, conference and entertainment complex – a major component of Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games in 2014.
In addition, John is a Board Director of QD Events Ltd, SEC’s exhibition organising subsidiary, which aims to grow and develop consumer and trade events within and outwith Scotland.
John was appointed to the Group Chief Executive position in May 2008 after joining the Scottish Exhibition Centre in 2002 as Finance Director. He has previously held positions within First Group Plc and joined Scottish Enterprise in 1994 after a traineeship at Ernst & Young. He holds an Honours degree in Accountancy from Glasgow University and completed an MBA from Strathclyde University in 1995. John has been a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland since 1991, became a member of the ICAS Glasgow & West of Scotland Area Committee in 2006 and was appointed to the ICAS Council in 2009. He currently sits on the Professional Oversight Board and chairs the Regulation and Compliance Board.
In his spare time John has completed five marathon majors of the world and plays golf badly. He is married with 3 children.
Graeme Sheils, CA
Graeme Sheils is a partner with Deloitte, leading the Audit & Advisory business in Aberdeen. He is a member of the firm’s oil & gas industry team and his time is divided fairly evenly between recurring audit and M&A assignments.
Graeme holds a BA in Accountancy & Economics from University of Strathclyde (1984). He trained with Cooper & Lybrand, Glasgow, qualifying as a CA in 1987. He gained experience as a manager in audit and corporate finance in the UK and USA (San Francisco) before moving to Aberdeen in 1994. In 1996 Graeme joined RMD to lead their Audit & Diligence Practice in Aberdeen, becoming a partner in 1997. In 1999 RMD was acquired by Deloitte and Graeme has been a partner with Deloitte since then.
Graeme has served on the Grampian Area Committee as Area Secretary (2004-2007) and has been Area Chairman since 2008. He joined the Regulation & Compliance Board in 2009, having previously sat on the Members Services Board.
Graeme is married with two children. He is involved in a range of sports, notably golf and tennis, as well as being a keen football fan. He is an active supporter of SPARKS charity and cycled from London to Paris in 2012 to assist their fundraising.
Janet (Jandy) Stevenson, FCA
Jandy trained with Deloitte in South Wales qualifying with ICAEW in 1975 by which time she had transferred to the Edinburgh office and began specialising in tax. She lectured on tax matters for ICAS from time to time including on Saturday mornings to the Lady Members Group.
In 1979 she transferred to Thomson McLintock and continued specialising in tax and worked with John Craig in Glasgow.
Returning to general practice in 1982 Jandy set up her own firm with a friend and ran Stevenson & McIntyre until 1989 when she became a partner in KPMG specialising in work for owner managed businesses and charities. It was whilst running her own firm that Jandy joined ICAS.
In 2002 she joined Henderson Loggie to open their Edinburgh office. She is partner in charge of that office and on the Board of the firm and specialises in audit and accounting and has a particular interest in charities. Between 1985 and 1991 she was a non executive director at the Dunfermline Building Society. Between 2002 and 2005 she was seconded part time to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and was involved in the design of the monitoring programme. She has also been a charity trustee and regularly lectures on matters relating to charities.
Ronnie Wilson, CA
Ronnie is Senior Partner of Galbraith Pritchards, Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditor with offices in Ayr, Lanark and Girvan – an independent general practice firm of six partners.
Ronnie was born and educated in Ayrshire apart from the then usual practice of attending Glasgow University for one year as part of his CA Apprenticeship. He qualified in 1975 when working with Binder Hamlyn (now BDO Stoy Hayward) in Glasgow and Ayr. He chose to take up an appointment outside the profession as Finance Director and Company Secretary of a major local franchised motor dealership before moving on for a while to a food manufacturing company again in Ayrshire.
He then joined McCosh, Pritchard & Co (now Galbraith Pritchards) in 1985 becoming a partner in 1986. The Firm developed substantially under his leadership since then through acquisition and merger to become a respected local provider of services to the private owner managed businesses sector in SW Scotland and further afield.
Ronnie has served since 2009 as Chair of the ICAS South West Scotland Area also becoming a member of Council and the Regulation and Compliance Board the same year.
Ronnie is a Past President (and continues to be an active member) of the local Rotary International organisation. In his leisure time he contines to pursue his long term interests in sailing, curling and music. He is married with one son.
Neil trained with Bird Simpson & Co in Dundee where he qualified as a CA in 1997. Neil then progressed within the firm and was appointed partner in 2001. Neil has a client portfolio covering a wide area of clients in the owner-managed business and charity sectors. As a partner in a small firm, Neil provides advice on audit, accounts preparation and taxation matters.Neil is a keen triathlete and has represented Great Britain in both the age group world championships for triathlon and duathlon. Neil also enjoys climbing and reading.Neil has this year been appointed as Tayside Area Committee Secretary and been appointed to the ICAS Council.
Public Interest Members
Robert Black
Robert Black was the first Auditor General for Scotland, appointed by the Queen in 2000. He was head of Audit Scotland and arranged for the auditing of the performance and expenditure of most public bodies in Scotland, including the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament. He was previously Controller of Audit for Scotland, Chief Executive of Tayside Regional Council and Chief Executive of Stirling District Council.
Having retired from the post of Auditor General in 2012, Robert Black's current appointments include being a Member of Court of the University of Edinburgh and a Board Member of the British Library.
Rhona Brankin
Rhona Brankin was educated at Jordanhill College School and thereafter at Aberdeen University, Northern College and Edinburgh University. From 1975 she taught in primary and secondary settings and subsequently lectured in Education. Rhona was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 1999 to represent the Constituency of Midlothian. Between 1999 and 2007 Rhona served as a Government Minister across a range of portfolios including Culture and Sport, Environment and Rural Development,and Health.
Latterly she served as Cabinet Minister for Communities. In opposition she was appointed Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning.
Since standing down from the Scottish Parliament in March 2011, Rhona is developing a portfolio of interests. She is currently a Trustee of Mavisbank House, a Trustee of Leuchie House Respite Centre, and a member of the Advisory Board of Arts and Business Scotland.
She is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects and an Honorary Member of the Chartered Institute of Librarians and Information Professionals.
Rhona has two grown up daughters and two grandsons. Her hobbies include golf, the arts, and holidays in France.
Quinton Quayle was elected a Member of the Council in January 2012 with the principal role of ensuring that the Public Interest is properly safeguarded. He was a member of HM Diplomatic Service from 1977-2010. In London, he served as International Director of UK Trade and Investment. His overseas postings included Bangkok, Paris, Jakarta and Bucharest. He served as British Ambassador to Romania from 2002-06 and British Ambassador to Thailand from 2007-10.
Since retiring from the Diplomatic Service, Quinton has pursued a career in the private sector. He currently serves as Honorary Chairman of International Beverages Holdings and is on the board of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and KCS Group. He was appointed in January 2013 as a member of the Queen’s Counsel Selection Panel. He also works as an advisor to De La Rue, Salamander Energy and Sindicatum Sustainable Resources.
He is married to Alison Quayle, a professional translator, and speaks Thai, French and Romanian.
Judith Sischy won scholarships to study modern languages at the University of Bristol and at post-graduate level at the University of Toronto. She started her career as a teacher of modern languages and moved into educational management. Her last and main post was Chief Executive/ Director of Education for the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS) which represents and acts on behalf of the 75 independent schools in Scotland. She played a key role in the wider realm of Scottish education, holding appointments on the Scottish Qualifications Authority Advisory Board, the General Teaching Council for Scotland, the Government’s Curriculum for Excellence Management Board and other such bodies.
Since stepping down from her post, Judith has qualified as a tutor in adult literacy and numeracy and works in Gilmerton and Sighthill in Edinburgh twice a week. She has continued with her many voluntary and charitable activities and is developing her portfolio as a non-executive director. She is a member of the Court of Queen Margaret University, of the Carnegie Trust for the Universities in Scotland and of the Appointments Committee of the General Teaching Council for Scotland. She was awarded the OBE in 2009 for services to education and the voluntary sector.