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ACIE UK-Wide online conference2026Programme |
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SpeakersSteve Billot: Mergers
Steve Billot works with professional service organisations and a wide range of organisations in the non-profit sector. Having been the joint managing partner in a mid-tier accountancy firm which grew by acquisition he understands the challenges that organisations face in an ever-changing world. He has lectured widely on the issues facing professional service organisations. During his career he has carried out over 1,000 independent business reviews acting on behalf of lenders, management and prospective owners and investors. This talk will focus on a number of questions:
It will consider the legal and regulatory hurdles; look at the steps to take in a merger process; consider where a charity could be when considering a merger; ;ook at the key success factors and summarise with the key messages and look at a number of recent examples for context. Margaret Birse MSc CCFA CIPFA (affil) FCIE Fellow: Allocating Costs.
Margaret Birse has been an Independent Examiner since 2010 and a Fellow of ACIE since 2014, having completed the LSBU Certificate in Charity Finance and Accounting. Margaret has been involved in charities for most of her adult life, as a volunteer, employee, treasurer, trustee and independent examiner, and has a comprehensive view of the activity and operation of charities, and the legal and financial framework in which charities sit. Margaret has been running training and seminars for ACIE since 2013. Chris Dayson: The Role and Value of Small Charities in the Current Climate.
Chris Dayson is Professor of Practice and Director of the Centre for Charity Effectiveness at Bayes Business School, City St George's, University of London. Chris has spent the past 20 years involved in research, evaluation and knowledge exchange at the intersection of small charities, public services and communities and is passionate about equipping small charities with the evidence they need to support and deliver social change for the communities across the UK. This presentation will draw on the latest research and practice insights to consider the role and value of small charities in the current climate. It will explore how small charities are being affected by and responding to current pressures relating the to the economy, public services, the environment and AI and discuss how they can be supported to articulate their value more effectively in these challenging times. Kerry Gallagher: Accounting and Reporting Changes
Kerry Gallagher, financial reporting director from RSM will cover the recent and upcoming changes to financial reporting for charities including an overview of the new Charities SORP and the changes to reporting and assurance thresholds. Kerry Gallagher works in the Finance Function Support team at RSM and leads a team providing financial reporting support to charities, academy trusts and social housing providers. Her work includes statutory accounts preparation and year-end support, as well as charity Independent Examinations. She also provides governance support and carries out service charge reviews for housing providers. Kerry has over 20 years’ experience working in RSM’s not for profit team having joined as the firm as a graduate trainee in 2002. Kate Hilier: What AI Can (& Can't) Do For Your Charity
Kate Hillier is the Digital & AI Manager at Charity Excellence Framework - the UK's largest charity community with a weekly newsletter reaching over 100,000 sector professionals. She works across communications, content, and AI adoption, helping charities of all sizes find practical ways to use technology. AI promises to save charities time and stretch limited resources - and in many cases, it genuinely can. But it also comes with real risks the sector can't afford to ignore. This session offers an honest, practical guide to where AI adds value, where caution is needed, and how to make smarter decisions for your organisation. Mark Heaton, Chair, ACIE, FCCA FCIE DChA Fellow: Introduction to the SORP
Mark Heaton is a practicing accountant in Burnley, Lancashire. He is currently trustee and chair of ACIE and trustee of ACAT. Jen Richardson, FCA FCCA DChA: Financial Statements, Disclosures, and Technical Changes
Jen Richardson is a self employed Chartered Accountant and Independent Examiner who started her career with Deloitte and has specialised in charity finance and governance for nearly thirty years Mark Salway: Impact Reporting
SORP 2026 asks all charities to report on impact in their annual reports and accounts. You may also want to go further in annual reports or on websites. How do we practically do this and what does good practice look like? Mark will discuss this. Mark Salway is a Chartered Accountant and management consultant specialising in charity sector finance, business models, and social impact. He has over 25 years experience of helping small and large charities strengthen governance, transparency, and financial accountability under SORP. Mark has also been Hon Treasurer for several large organisations. He co-leads the MSc Pathway Sarah Smith MSc BSc FCCA FCIE Fellow: Lease Accounting
Sarah Smith is a Fellow Chartered Certified Accountant and Fellow ACIE. She has 33 years in mixed commercial and charity practice. In the last 10 years she has concentrated on her charity clients, from the smallest unincorporated community groups up to large charities requiring support to prepare accounts for their statutory audit . She also enjoys teaching and training in charity law, governance accounting and Independent Examination and acts as a Technical Advisor to ACIE. Alan de Sousa Caires: Using AI Well: what good looks like in a small charity finance function.Alan de Sousa Caires FCCA is Director of AI Finance Office, which creates and deploys AI automations for charity and not-for-profit finance teams. He has spent thirty years running finance functions, including at BBC Media Action and The Film and TV Charity, and has written on AI in charity finance for Charity Finance and Charity Times. “I tested whether AI could actually handle a charity month-end close rather than just discussing it in the abstract. I'll show what that looked like in practice on a small charity's numbers, and then spend most of the half hour on the part that matters most for your members — how you tell, from the outside, whether a charity has used AI well or badly. The short version is that the test isn't the technology. It's whether anyone can still explain how a figure was arrived at, whether there's a review step with a name against it, and whether the trail survives contact with an examiner six months later.”
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