ICAEW unveils senior leadership changes

ICAEW has announced a number of key leadership changes as it prepares to launch its refreshed strategy.

Iain Wright has been appointed chief policy and communications officer. In this role, he will oversee ICAEW’s influence, advocacy and public affairs work, ensuring a coordinated approach to the Institute’s global policy and communications activities.

Since joining ICAEW in 2018 as director for Business and Industrial Strategy, Wright has played a pivotal role in shaping ICAEW’s external engagement. He was promoted to managing director of Reputation and Influence in 2021, and previously served as an MP, Government Minister and chair of the Business Select Committee.

Wright is currently business co-chair of the Professional and Business Services Council and a member of the Government’s Small Business Growth Forum.

ICAEW has also announced that Pamela Harding will take up the role of chief people officer, having joined on an interim basis last July. Harding will lead the transformation of the Institute’s organisational design and structure, strengthen its HR function, and take forward the people and culture elements of ICAEW’s refreshed strategy.

Harding has a strong track record of building, leading and developing strong executive teams and delivering long-term business improvement strategies in similar organisations.

Both Harding and IWright will report directly to CEO Alan Vallance.

Meanwhile, the Institute has also announced the departure of two senior leaders. Robert Hodgkinson, senior strategic advisor, left ICAEW at the end of March.

Hodkinson became a member of ICAEW in 1983, and in 1993 joined its Financial Reporting Committee which he subsequently chaired when he was a partner at Arthur Andersen. In 2002, he joined the ICAEW team as technical director and led the Technical Strategy Department until 2021.

Throughout that time, he had overall responsibility for the thought leadership, public policy, and technical guidance work of ICAEW’s faculties and technical committees, and global relationships with standard setters and academic researchers.

In 2021, Hodgkinson took up the new role of senior strategic advisor and has most recently been involved in developing ICAEW’s refreshed strategy. As a champion of ICAEW’s history, he has also been leading preparatory work on renewing our Royal Charter for only the second time since 1880.

Hodgkinson has been a member of the ICAEW Leadership Team and its predecessors for more than 20 years and over that period has played an active role in all aspects of ICAEW’s growth into new markets and new areas of expertise. He has also served on the boards not only of ICAEW, but also Accountancy Europe (formerly FEE) and the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC).

In addition, Bill Wilson, director, IT and Facilities, will step down at the end of August 2025. Wilson joined ICAEW in 1990 and has overseen significant changes in the Institute’s technology and infrastructure, including the IT element of a Business Systems Transformation programme implementing Microsoft Dynamics and supporting our transition to cloud-based computing.

He also led the IT response during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring ICAEW could continue to operate effectively during a period of unprecedented disruption.

Wilson has also played a key role in the refurbishment of Chartered Accountants’ Hall and its Heritage Rooms, ensuring these important spaces were both modernised and preserved for future generations. His commitment to sustainability also contributed to ICAEW becoming the first major professional body in the world to go carbon neutral.

Alan Vallance, ICAEW chief executive, said: “I would like to congratulate both Iain and Pamela on their appointments. I look forward to working closely with them as we realign our internal operations for long-term success, and more boldly use our voice to ensure chartered accountants remain at the forefront of relevant debates.

“I would also like to express my thanks to both Robert and Bill for their service to ICAEW over three decades. Their contributions have had a lasting impact on the Institute and I wish them the very best for the future.”