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Grant Barnfather, Senior Vice President, Marsh Commercial
Grant Barnfather is Senior Vice President at Marsh UK Affinity and an insurance professional with 16 years’ industry experience. He leads the design and delivery of insurance schemes and client services for a wide range of professional bodies. Grant works closely with ICAEW on the professional indemnity scheme and cyber insurance for its members, ensuring cover, wording and support meet firms’ needs.

Natalie Binstead-Wey, Managing Director, BW Business Accountants & Advisers
Natalie is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser. She has 8 years’ experience working in the corporate tax teams of several Big 4 and Top 10 accountancy practices in Bristol. Natalie now owns her own digital accountancy practice, BW Business Accountants & Advisers, which was established in 2021 and works with a variety of owner managed business clients who are all serviced remotely by Natalie and her team. Natalie is also a Past President of ICAEW West of England.

Tamryn Dicks, Co-Founder and CEO, Human Edge Resourcing
When Tamryn opened her firm, she was an experienced accountant but had little idea how to run a business. After making mistakes, she committed to learning what she didn’t know and rebuilt. Now she helps other firm owners build successful businesses and achieve the freedom they once wanted.

Rich Dixon, QAD Reviewer, ICAEW
Rich is a QAD Reviewer in the Professional Standards Department at ICAEW, conducting Practice Assurance and Audit review visits to a wide range of firms. He primarily covers the East of England and North London. Prior to joining ICAEW, Rich spent close to 20 years in practice, largely at a regional office of a top 10 network of independent firms. His early career covered accounts, audit and tax compliance before specialising post qualification in audit and technical areas, alongside managing the audit and accounts team.

Chris Downing, Director Accountants and Bookkeepers, Sage
Chris joined Sage having been a partner at a top 100 accountancy firm. He brings nearly 20 years of hands-on experience and strategic insight of the profession, coupled with an infectious enthusiasm in the adoption of technology and Business Intelligence to improve reporting and drive innovation in the SME sector.

Aaron Patrick, Director, Accounting Advisory Group (AAG)
Aaron Patrick is a Chartered Accountant, Certified UK Intuit QuickBooks Trainer, and Director of the Accounting Advisory Group (AAG). He supports accounting firms and business owners through advisory, systems, and training, and is the founder of the Ask the Accountant Network and creator of The QuickBooks Chap YouTube Channel.

Akshaye Proag, Director, Frampton House Accountants
Akshaye is a chartered accountant with 17 years of experience across accounting, fund administration and financial control within global organisations. He now specialises in providing practical, client-focused support to growing enterprises. Akshaye owns Frampton House Accountants, which he took over in 2022, delivering tailored accounting and advisory services to owner managed businesses across a range of sectors.

Chris Surridge, Marketing Director, Whitefish
Chris Surridge is the marketing director for Whitefish Marketing. Having worked in the field of accountancy marketing for 19 years, Chris brings strong industry knowledge to the table. He has been the keynote speaker at numerous accountancy events throughout the UK, showcasing his proficiency in marketing.

Richard Sykes, Founder, CloudCFO
Richard Sykes is the Founder of CloudCFO - a Yorkshire-based digital accountancy business built to help independent small business owners choose life: more cash, more free time, and way more enjoyment from the business they’ve put their heart, soul, sweat & tears into. A chartered accountant who trained at KPMG, moved into the East London start-up scene, then set out to build a modern firm combining systems, tech and team to change the world - one small business owner at a time.

Simone Taylor-Allkins, Technical Advisory Service Manager, ICAEW
After qualifying with a top 20 firm, Simone moved to Grant Thornton and worked with a diverse portfolio of manager-owned businesses in a varied role covering both audit engagements and management accountancy engagements. After 18 months in the audit and assurance team, she transferred to their national training centre in High Wycombe to train audit trainees for the firm. From 2007 to 2010, she decided to apply her skills to the education of non-financial managers working as a freelance finance trainer for worldwide blue chip companies. This eventually led her back to her technical roots in July 2010, joining the ICAEW Technical Advisory Service, helping fellow chartered accountants make sense of accountancy, audit, company law, anti-money laundering and ethical regulations.

Workshop host and facilitator: Roz Harrington, Senior Practice Manager, ICAEW
An experienced engagement strategist and programme manager, Roz works to help practitioners succeed by providing them with access to skills, knowledge and tools to service their clients across the business and wider community. Before joining ICAEW, Roz worked for a healthcare charity overseeing central operations for 35 hospitals across the UK.

Human Edge Resourcing helps accounting firms to build teams that WORK. We find you top talent that fit your budget and your culture. People who are as passionate about helping your clients, as you are. We provide an end-to-end recruitment, onboarding and performance management service so that growing your firm - and your profit - is easy.

Marsh Commercial is ICAEW’s appointed insurance broker for members’ professional indemnity, offering enhanced cover, exclusive benefits, expert support, and comprehensive risk management tailored to accountants.

Sage is a UK-based software leader delivering AI-powered cloud solutions for finance, payroll, and HR - helping businesses automate workflows, stay compliant, and make smarter, faster decisions in a digital world.

Whitefish Marketing is a multi-award-winning agency in Kent, specialising in web development and digital marketing for UK accountants. Their experienced marketing team are experts in their respective fields. From SEO, PPC, social media marketing, content writing, email marketing, and more, they help accountants choose the right marketing strategies to achieve the best possible return on investment.