acie annual conference: London 5th October 2023

Confirmed Programme

London,

Resource for London, 366 Holloway Road, N7 6PA

• 9-10am Registration and Refreshments

  10:15 Welcome by Susan Robinson, FCIE and Board Member

  Susan Robinson is a partner and head the Charity and Not For Profit sector at Kreston Reeves. She is also a trustee of three charities.

  10:30 Keynote; ICAEW, Fiona Condron, Audit Partner, Not for Profit, BDO,  Charity Myths following ICAEW’s publication Dispelling common myths about charities

  Fiona is an Audit Partner and passionate about providing high quality external audit to many of the leading charities and social enterprises in the UK. She spent the first decade of her career with a Big 4 firm which was a fantastic grounding in a wide range of skills and experience. Her experience of the third sector extends across two decades. She has presented at internal and external technical seminars, published numerous articles and co-authored books on charity accounting and governance.

  11:00 The Fundraising Regulator, Conor Gibson, The Fundraising Regulator's Code Review

  The Fundraising Regulator will share information about code review feedback and engagement so far and the next steps in the process. We will explain how we're making sure the code is more accessible, reflects current legislation and best practice, and is sufficiently adaptable to emerging fundraising methods. Attendees will hear about the Fundraising Regulator's efforts to create a more principles-based code and how they can contribute to the ongoing consultation on the Code of Fundraising Practice.

  Conor Gibson joined the Fundraising Regulator as its Policy Manager in February 2023. He is currently overseeing a comprehensive review of the Code of Fundraising Practice and also manages the regulator’s code advice service. Conor has volunteered at North London Action for the Homeless since 2007 and became Vice Chair of its Board of Trustees in 2018. His responsibilities there have included safeguarding, fundraising and governance.

  11:30 Networking break

  12:00 Property and Finance, James Huard (Bates Wells), The Charities Act 2022 and what it means for charity property transactions.

  The aim of session is to update attendees on the changes the Charities Act 2022 has made to the regulation of charity property transactions to give them confidence on:

• ·       What has changed.
• ·       How this will affect them.
• ·       What a charity needs to consider now when carrying out a property transaction
• 
  

Jamie is a partner in Bates Wells' real estate department and advises charities, both big and small, on their property law matters. He has extensive experience of advising on the technical aspects of charity property law (including trusts and legacies), as well as expertise in all aspects of commercial property work, including sales, purchases and refinancings. This has included everything from advising a large charity in structuring its new head office to advising on charity hub arrangements and acting on the purchase of conference centres for charities.

12:30 Trustees Annual Report and the Accounts: Two Sides of a Coin, Amsel Page von Spreckelsen (Blackbird Charity Finance).

This will be a reflective and informative session looking at the two parts of statutory reporting - the words and the numbers - and asking what they need to do to support each other, so that the whole is as good as it can be. We'll be looking at what the purpose of the Annual Report is, and what it can be. Good examples and less so will be talked about and attendees should come away with a sense of what they can do to support trustees and enhance their practice.

Amsel  has been an accountant working in the not-for profit and social enterprise sector for over 15 years, is part qualified with a CIMA Diploma in Management Accounting and qualified by experience. They have had a varied career across employed roles, freelance and voluntary posts, and currently trade as BCF Consulting, specialising in management accounting services for small and medium charities.

13:00 Networking lunch

14:00 Update from the Charity Commission, Mazeda Alam, Head of Guidance and Practice, The Commission's priorities in relation to charity governance.

14:30 Ross Palmer (Sayer Vincent), Identifying Purchases from Overseas, and why it matters.

This session aims to highlight why charities, and examiners, need to be aware of the 'reverse charge' rules around purchases from overseas and case studies of how this can impact both VAT and non-VAT registered organisations.

Ross Palmer is a senior tax manager at Sayer Vincent, a firm specialising in the charity and social purpose sector. Ross helps assist charities across a range of subjects including VAT, Gift Aid, Trading and other tax issues. This includes advising on issues where these different taxes interact, the related consequences and how charities can manage these. He has experience across a wide range of different types of organisations and issues, including agreeing treatments with HMRC and helping to resolve and rectify errors.

15:00 VAT: What Charities Should Consider, Tamara Habberley (VAT People).

This is intended to be be Informative and help identify issues or opportunities for clients.

Tamara Habberley (Tamara) is a VAT consultant with a wide range of experience in assisting clients as diverse as arts and theatre companies, charities,  property developers, construction companies, e commerce suppliers and sports clubs to understand and deal with the complexities of VAT. Tamara is based in the North West of England but has clients throughout the UK and EC. Tamara has experience working as a VAT inspector for HMRC (then HM C&E) before jumping ship to join Deloitte and then BDO in the West Midlands, thus having the valuable ability to understand VAT issues from both a HMRC and tax payer’s perspective. She also provides and delivers bespoke VAT training to clients and was a class room trainer on VAT for Kaplan and BBP prior to lockdown.

15:30 Best practice: planning for an examination, Margaret Birse (Tangram Accounting).

Attendees should leave the session with enhanced practical skills and increased knowledge of the planning and recording of an Independent Examination.

Margaret has been an Independent Examiner for around 15 years, and a Fellow of ACIE for over 10 years. Having been a volunteer for most of my adult life, an employee of a charity, a trustee of a number of charities and an independent examiner, gives me a well rounded view of charities from both inside and outside. I am passionate about passing on knowledge and previously worked as a lecturer in further education.

16:15 Networking break

16:45 Board Report: the conversion to CIO.

17:00 End of Day.