The ICAS Corporate and Financial Reporting Panel

The Panel represents ICAS in relation to financial reporting and broader corporate reporting. In particular, it:
- offers views and guidance to the FRC, IASB and other bodies on accounting practices affecting or likely to affect ICAS and its members;
- reviews and responds to discussion papers and exposure drafts issued by the FRC and IASB;
- undertakes proactive initiatives to contribute to the debate on how reporting could improve into the future, to better meet the needs of users;
- liaises with the ICAS Research Panel in relation to the commissioning of research on financial and corporate reporting matters.
We seek to maintain a diversity of perspectives on the Panel, and in particular to have members from large and small firms (from technical, business advisory and audit backgrounds), from preparers (large and listed companies as well as small companies), from users (including investment owners/managers and HMRC), from a corporate reporting design background, from a regulatory/standard setting background, and from academia.
If you would be interested in finding out more about joining the Corporate and Financial Reporting Panel, please contact Anne Adrain.
Membership (as at 5 December 2019)
Kenny McDowell (Chair)
Kenny is a partner with Saffery Champness based in Edinburgh with specialist knowledge in the not-for-profit, commercial and regulated sectors in Scotland and beyond. He has previous experience with Big 4 and mid-tier firms. Kenny qualified with ICAS in 1995 and is a former member of the Financial Reporting Council’s UK Technical Advisory Group for FRS 102 and UK SORP Committee for Charities. Kenny is an active Trustee in the Charity sector and is Chair of the Audit Committee at Social Investment Scotland.
Andrew Buchanan
Andrew is Global Head of IFRS at BDO, with responsibility for the provision of IFRS technical accounting advice, reference material and training to the BDO international network of member firms. Andrew qualified as a CA in 1991 and represents ICAS on the Accountancy Europe Corporate Reporting Policy Group. He is also a member of the UK Government Financial Reporting Advisory Board and a former member of the IFRS Interpretations Committee, the IASB/FASB Transition Resource Group for revenue recognition, and the IFRS Advisory Council.
Colin Burns
Colin is a Technical Director at RSM based in Edinburgh, with responsibility for technical policy and risk management across RSM’s Accounting and Business Advisory faculty which comprises over 400 accounting professionals in more than 25 offices in the UK. Through his current role Colin has led the design and implementation of web-based working papers files and an online cross faculty deliverables portal for statutory reporting as he strives for continuous improvement in quality, consistency and efficiency across the ABA faculty and wider firm. Colin qualified as a CA in 2005.
Chris Hebden
Chris is group finance manager at Cairn Energy PLC, with responsibility for the Group’s Statutory reporting requirements, preparing Financial Statements, maintaining the Group’s accounting policies and producing monthly management reporting, managing multiple currencies. Through his role, Chris has participated in several FRC Financial Reporting Lab projects. Chris joined ICAS in 1996.
Chris Johnstone
Chris is Audit Technical Director at Johnston Carmichael with responsibility for financial reporting and company law updates and training. Chris qualified as a chartered accountant with ICAEW and also holds the ICAEW IFRS diploma.
Steven Mitchell
Steven is a corporate reporting design consultant. He formerly headed up the corporate reporting output at Tayburn and now heads up his own stakeholder communications consultancy called Thunderbolt Projects. Steven has worked with a wide variety of clients including SSE, Aggreko, Scottish Water, STV, SGN, Macfarlane Group and The Jockey Club. His experience of online and printed corporate communications covers both annual reporting and sustainability-focused reporting.
Mark O’Sullivan
Mark leads PwC’s Corporate Reporting and Governance team in the UK. He has around twenty years of experience in advising many leading organisations on current and best practices in reporting, the effectiveness of their corporate reporting and the implementation of new reporting strategies in order to meet the needs of the capital markets and the increasing regulation around corporate reporting.
Fiona Robertson
Fiona is a senior lecturer in accounting and finance at Leeds Beckett University. She chairs an Integrated Reporting Group at Leeds Beckett University made up of practitioners and academics, who meet quarterly to promote and develop Integrated Thinking and Reporting. She has published articles on Integrated Reporting in leading academic journals and practitioner magazines. She has previously worked in senior finance roles in industry, with particular expertise in compliance, internal audit and project management. Fiona qualified as a CA in 1988.
Craig Simpson
Craig is a Large Business Accountant with HMRC, advising tax colleagues on accountancy matters in the largest businesses in the UK, with particular focus on groups in the banking and insurance sector. He has previous experience working as an audit senior manager in a Big 4 firm. Craig qualified as a CA in 1995.
Rosalind Szentpeteri
Rosalind is a Project Director for Accounting and Reporting Policy at the Financial Reporting Council. Her expertise includes development of accounting standards, research, non-financial reporting and disclosure, UK company law and the implementation of EU Directives. She qualified as a CA in 2010.
Yannis Tsalavoutas
Ioannis Tsalavoutas is Professor of Accounting and Finance at the University of Glasgow. He is also Chairman of the European Financial Reporting Network (EUFIN). His research interests cover financial accounting and reporting. In particular, he investigates companies' reporting practices under International Financial Reporting Standards across different jurisdictions, along with any economic consequences that may arise from divergence in practice. He has published papers in leading journals and has given oral evidence inter alia to members of the International Accounting Standards Board.