Please note that the programme is subject to change

About the Speakers 

Anjali Kothari, Partner, Head of Education, Moore Kingston Smith
Anjali is Head of Education in our dedicated schools sector and a senior partner in our nonprofit group. She has over 25 years’ experience of the schools and the nonprofit sector, the last 20 with Moore Kingston Smith.
Her experience includes working with independent schools and academies ranging from preparatory schools, senior schools and boarding schools, as well as international schools, MAT’S and complex groups. She regularly provides training for heads, aspiring heads and bursars as well as speaking regularly at seminars and has a detailed understanding of the issues affecting schools. She works with a number of the main sector bodies such as GSA, CISC and ISBA and regularly speaks and advises at their conferences. She Chairs the ICAEW Academies Forum and is involved with several of their committees. She also looks after a variety of non-charity clients which range from research institutes and grant making charities.
Anjali is also a Governor of a large Independent Prep school in NW London and is an executive member and treasurer of the Charity Law Association.

James Saunders, Partner, Moore Kingston Smith
James is a key member of Moore Kingston Smith’s Non-Profit Sector Group. He has been providing expert advice on technical, accounting, governance and strategic issues to charities and schools for nearly 20 years, handling everything from core financial services to best practice and ongoing improvement for trustees and governors. James has built up an extensive group of sector-specialist contacts in many legal, banking, investment, fundraising, governmental and grant-making bodies, which proves invaluable to his clients. He is also a school governor, a multi academy trust non-executive board member, and a trustee of a personal protection equipment charity.

Colin Wilcox, Director, National Audit Office 
Having studied Economics at University Colin joined the NAO's graduate recruitment scheme in 1989 and has remained with NAO ever since. Colin is CIPFA qualified and specialised in Financial Audit. He has undertaken secondments within Government, with Big 4 audit firms and even did a period of work with the United Nations. After over 30 years auditing central government clients, he now finds it quicker to list those Departments he has not been involved with than those that he has. Colin has been a NAO Director for more than half of that career, where he has specialised on the big spending, sector funding Departments - Work and Pensions; Health; Communities and Local Government and currently Education. Away from the NAO Colin is a Vice President of the Marine Society and Sea Cadets, where he also previously served as a Trustee for over 8 years.

Sarah Chambers, Senior Manager, Bishop Fleming Chartered Accountants 
Sarah Chambers is a fully qualified Chartered Accountant who works as a Senior Audit Manager for South West based frim, Bishop Fleming. Sarah has worked in the education sector for the past 15 years and is a fellow of the Institute of School Business Leadership. She works closely with her clients to build supportive relationships working on internal assurance, accounting support and wider governance and compliance issues.

Prior to her advisory role, Sarah worked as a school business manager in a large primary school.

Bianca Silva, Head of Education, Partner, MHA Macintyre Hudson
Bianca heads the firm’s Schools & Academies sector, leading a team of Partners due to her specialist knowledge and expertise developed over 30 years; initially supporting a number of schools in the 1990’s which became Grant Maintained, then moving on to support independent schools as well as schools converting to Academy status and today advising established and growing Multi Academy Trusts, often with complex structures and individual needs. Her diverse portfolio includes many charities, schools, academies, religious organisations and voluntary groups as well as commercial and owner managed businesses.

Bianca holds the ICAEW Diploma in Charity Accounting, which acknowledges expertise and experience in charity accounting and finance at the highest level and is regularly referred to by Partners of the firm to provide guidance on the complex and regulated accounting requirements faced by the Not for Profit sector.

Bianca takes a personal interest in her clients' success and is proud to support the many dedicated individuals, organisations and professionals to achieve their goals.

Tina Allison, Partner, Head of Education, Crowe
I am the Head of Crowe's Educational team and a specialist partner in the charity department. I have specialised in audit of charitable, educational and Non Profit organisations since 1995.

I regularly lecture on sector issues at the request of regulators, governing bodies and the firm's sponsored courses. I present for the Independent Schools Bursars' Association on technical issues and speak at their training events.

This includes ISBA's new bursar course and finance day. I also lecture for ICAEW on their charity technical training programmes.

Rachel Eastman, Head of Pre-16 Assuarnce, Education and Skills Funding Agency 
Rachel Eastman is Head of Pre-16 Assurance at the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) based in Leeds. She has worked in the sector for several years, having worked in the ESFA’s predecessor organisations in various finance and assurance roles. She is a Chartered Accountant, qualifying with Coopers & Lybrand, London.