UKEB appoints 10 new board members

The UK Endorsement Board (UKEB) has announced the appointment of 10 new board members.

The board was created to help “endorse, adopt new or amended” international accounting standards on behalf of the UK as well as actively “contribute to influencing the development” of financial reporting internationally.

The newly appointed board members include Michael Ashley, who is a non-executive director and chair of the audit committee of Barclays. Also on the board is Philip Aspin , bringing over 25 years’ experience working for United Utilities Group, currently as CFO.

Paul Lee is an independent investment professional, and was most recently head of corporate governance – stewardship at Aberdeen Asset Management. He is a senior adviser to the Investor Forum and a member of the professionalism steering committee at the CFA Society of the UK.

Liz Murrall has also joined the board, having been a director of stewardship and reporting at the Investment Association, which represents UK institutional investors in companies, until her retirement at the end of 2020.

She was also chair of the Financial Reporting Council’s corporate reporting council until the recent governance reforms took effect, having been a member since 2013.

Other board members include Giles Mullins, the UK head of financial reporting advisory group and special projects at Grant Thornton UK and Sandra Thompson, who recently retired from her role as partner, global accounting consulting services at PwC.

Amir Amel-Zadeh is an associate professor at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, Michael Wells is a professor of practice at Imperial College Business School and a World Bank consultant. He also led the international accounting standards board’s IFRS education initiative for over a decade.

Additionally, Kathryn Cearns has been appointed to various public sector roles, she was chair of the Financial Reporting Advisory Board to HM Treasury from 2010 to 2016 and was chair of the ICAEW Financial Reporting Committee for 10 years up to the end of 2017.

Finally on the board is Katherine Coates, a partner and head of the global insurance sector group at Clifford Chance. She has also chaired the audit and risk committee at Clifford Chance and been a member of the firm’s partnership council.

Pauline Wallace, chair for UKEB, said: “I am confident that the board will be instrumental in helping develop and adopt international standards that serve the UK’s long term public good.”