Speakers

Biographies and Session outlines

Tuesday – Main plenary sessions

‘The TSA’s new Co Regulatory Framework – 90 days on’
Gordon Perry, Chief Executive, Accent Housing

The new regulatory framework under the 2008 Act which comes into effect in full from April 1st 2010, will herald a significant change in the way that RPs are regulated.

One of the fundamental objectives of the Act is to ensure that tenants of social housing have the opportunity to be involved in its management. Have your tenants become more involved?
In what way has this new Framework affected your Risk and Audit staff.

Gordon will talk about the Framework and how this has affected RPs.

Gordon joined Accent as Director of Operations in October 2007, and was appointed Chief Executive of the Group in November 2008.  He has over 30 years experience in the social housing sector.

Prior to joining Accent, Gordon was Chief Executive of Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation when it was awarded with 3 star excellent prospect status by the Audit Commission in September 2006.

Gordon was chairman of the London ALMO group and chair of the London ALMO procurement network where he pioneered collective procurement and partnering contracts as one of the CLG’s National Change Agents trailblazer consortia.

At a national level Gordon was the founding chairman of the national federation of ALMOs and remained on the board until moving to Accent Group in November 2007.  He sits on the Audit Commission Housing Inspection sounding board and Inside Housing editorial panel.

‘The Importance of Cost Control & Auditing in Development & Maintenance’
Phil Shelton, Chief Executive, Shelton Development Services

Development is the largest capital expenditure made by associations and the risks of getting it wrong can be literally catastrophic.  This means that proper cost control and auditing is paramount.  Banks and other funders are much more cautious about this area of the association's business.  Being able to demonstrate good cost control, accurate forecasting and being able to properly monitor changes in budgets and forecasts is vital.  Project Managers may be concerned more with the practical on-site aspects of a scheme, but a good Manager must also be equally vigilant over the financial management of projects.

Equally for maintenance and major repair projects it is crucial to manage the cashflow and workflow to minimise risk during the words and to enable the accurate updating of the various asset/housing management systems.  All owners of social housing can benefit from using our services whether you are building stock or continuing to manage it.

Phil Shelton runs the highly successful Shelton Development Services.  Its financial software products are used by over 150 associations, large and small, to help in this area.

‘Internal Auditing in a Changing World’
Lee Cartwright, Partner, Mazars LLP

So much is happening at present.  A new regulatory regime is taking shape, the economy continues to present challenges, and future funding for the sector is looking increasingly scarce.  In this session, Lee Cartwright will provide his views on the threats currently facing Registered Providers and on how the internal audit function must adapt and respond to the ever changing landscape.

Lee joined Mazars in 1995 and has specialised in the social housing sector for over 13 years.  His experience covers internal and external audit, governance, risk management, and fraud awareness and investigation.  Lee has over two year’s experience as a board member at a social housing organisation managing over 14,000 units.

‘What the TSA is looking for on Risk and Assurance’
Kelsey Walker, Senior Risk and Assurance Manager, Tenant Services Authority

The TSA make regulatory judgments in relation to governance.  Risk Management is a key element of, and contributes significantly to, good governance.  Given that the TSA and housing providers are now operating in a co-regulatory regime, there is the need for good quality assurance from registered providers to demonstrate accountability and to enable the TSA to focus on outcomes.  The TSA need to understand what ‘good’ risk management looks like in terms of outcomes, and Kelsey has been training regulators on this and the role of internal audit.

This fringe session aims to enable discussion on how the TSA and internal audit can co-operate in order to secure the best assurance outcome for the organisation.

The session will cover the following key points:

• The key questions the TSA needs to answer to make a judgment on governance and viability
• Risk Management as part of good governance 
• How Risk-based internal auditing helps provide the right level of assurance for boards and regulators
• Assessing providers against known sector risks – update on risk-based regulation

Kelsey is Senior Risk and Assurance Manager at the Tenant Services Authority, responsible for leading the regulation for a portfolio of 10 large housing providers (including 2 local authorities), mainly in the West Midlands.  Kelsey has been with the TSA since September 2009 and is responsible for maintaining a live overview and forming regulatory judgments in relation to her portfolio. 

Tuesday – Workshop sessions I

‘Risk Based Auditing with a strategic and performance management system’
Chris Down, Audit & Risk Assurance Manager, Merlin Housing Society & Nicky Hawkins, Operations Director, Clearview Systems

This workshop will demonstrate how the risk module of the Clearview strategic management system has enabled Merlin Housing Society to link its approach to internal audit to the corporate risk map and embed audit recommendations within the system.

Chris has 16 years experience as an internal auditor including 7 years experience of housing audit initially in a local authority and more recently in a housing association

Chris is the Audit & Risk Assurance Manager at Merlin Housing Society.

Nicky is the Operations Director at Clearview Systems, who provide software and consultancy services exclusively to the social housing sector.

With over fifteen years experience at senior management and executive level within the sector, Nicky has been extensively involved in strategic business planning processes, performance management, risk management and inspection preparation, and has helped over 40 Clearview customers develop their planning and performance practices.

‘Who do you think THEY are?’
Paul McLoughlin, Internal Auditor, East Thames Group

In "Protecting the Public Purse" the Audit Commission highlighted recruitment fraud as one of the areas local authorities needed to give more attention to - a useful message also for the housing sector.  In this workshop we consider how organisations might deter and detect undesirable employees.  We also consider how an organisation may verify its existing employees.

Paul McLoughlin has been involved in a number of fraud investigations during his career.   He is an Internal Auditor at East Thames Group, based in Stratford, East London. Paul has previously worked within internal audit at the London Borough of Hackney, the London Borough of Havering and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.    He started his working life as an external auditor with the National Audit Office.   

‘Governance: all about the Board and Executives or really about tenants and staff?’
Andy Watson, Associate Director, RSM Tenon

The governance focus has traditionally been on Boards and more recreantly with the TSA on Tenants and Leaseholders.   Meanwhile the internal and executive governance structures whir away often unseen by anyone but staff and regulators.  In this session Andy will explore drawing all the strands of governance together in an RSL to ensure more of the vision and purpose is delivered.

Andy has worked as a management consultant in the housing sector for nearly twenty years.  In that time he has assisted over sixty RSLs and has been on the Boards of RSLs since the mid-1990s in a non-executive capacity.  Andy is the Chair of Network Housing Group, a G15 member with 18,000 properties in London and the South East.

‘Finance for non financial internal auditors.’
Arthur Merchant, Partner, Grant Thornton UK LLP

As an internal auditor do you understand financial statements? Does it matter if you are not financially qualified? More and more, financial statements are becoming complex documents and as an internal auditor, are you capable of spotting the indicators which imply a concern or risk. This workshop will attempt to simplify the myriad of financial data and to provide insight into how such data can assist internal audit to add value.

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Wednesday – Main plenary sessions

‘What Boards and Audit Committees expect from their internal audit in challenging times’
David Goodman, Vice Chair of Johnnie Johnson Housing

David will consider the scope of internal audit, and explore its possible contribution to internal controls assurance, combating fraud, and to securing beneficial change.

David is currently Vice Chair of Johnnie Johnson Housing Trust, and Chair of the (ethical) Standards Committee at Trafford Borough Council .  He was Chair of Group Risk Management and Audit Committee at East Thames Group until February 2010.  He is a former Regional Director of the Audit Commission, responsible for the external audit of numerous local government and NHS bodies.   David was also seconded for a period to set up a modern internal audit function at the Department for National Savings.

‘When the going gets tough....the internal audit perspective’
Bill Gill, Director, BG Audit and Consulting Ltd

As well as reviewing the key points from the Conference, Bill will give his personal thoughts, as a practitioner and Audit Committee Chair, on what Internal Audit should be doing in the current environment.

As the sector prepares to tighten its belt even further with increasing demands on the public purse, how will internal audit adapt and cope. In such a highly regulated sector, with the arrival of co-regulation and customer scrutiny, is the need for internal audit becoming less? The challenges are clear but what can we do about them. The session will hopefully provide some thoughts and useful insights for you to take away.

Bill has been working with housing organisations, voluntary groups and private companies for over 20 years providing internal audit, risk management and governance consultancy and training. Bill has been heavily involved in the development of internal audit in the social housing sector through roles with the HAIAF, NHF and the IIA-UK and Ireland. Having initially trained as an accountant, Bill moved into internal audit, where his involvement with the North West District and then the Institute’s Council and Audit Committee, earned him a fellowship for services to the sector.

Bill has expanded his audit knowledge into new areas and now provides a range of consultancy and training services covering value for money, supporting people, performance management, governance and regulation. Bill is also a regular speaker, facilitator and chair at various conferences on the housing and audit circuits, and has become an annual fixture at the NHF Finance Conference covering subjects as diverse as mergers, internal control assurance and tenant scrutiny.

Wednesday – Workshop sessions II

‘Developing the Risk Manager’
Sheila Boyce, BA (Hons), FIRM, Dip SP&C (Open), Head of Risk Management, Metropolitan Housing Partnership & Carolyn Halpin, Risk & Insurance Manager, Fabrick Housing

This interactive workshop will explore the required skills – both obvious and less tangible – for getting the risk management message to the top and ensuring that your internal audit programme supports and promotes your Risk Management Framework. The session will be fully interactive and will be delivered by a former CEO and Chair of Alarm, the public risk management association.

Sheila is Head of Risk Management with Metropolitan Housing Partnership.  After spending three years as Chief Executive of ALARM, Sheila worked as an independent consultant prior to joining MHP.  Sheila has worked in risk management in both the public and financial services sectors and as a member of Aon’s Public Sector Consulting Group providing risk management consultancy to local authorities and other public bodies.

Carolyn Halpin has over 17 years of experience in the business of managing risk, in the first instance as an internal auditor, then as the Corporate Risk Manager for a local authority and since March 2005 as a Strategic Risk Manager for a Registered Social Landlord, Fabrick Housing Group.

In the past 14 years Carolyn has seen the transition of Risk Management from an operational responsibility to a strategic issue, discussed at the top table of the organisation. She believes that the subject matter, knowledge and skills required in a risk manager has increased with this rise of the role within organisations, and it is keeping pace with this need that has led to her burning interest in personal development, education and training for risk managers and risk professionals. Carolyn is currently working with a local university to assist in the development of a post graduate certificate and diploma in risk management.

‘Who’s in the house?’
Alan Bryce, Senior Manager, Counter Fraud Practice, Audit Commission

In the Audit Commission publication ‘Protecting the Public Purse – fighting fraud in local government’ the issue of tenancy fraud, including unlawful sub-letting, was identified as a major area of fraud risk requiring greater attention by councils.

The Commission estimated that control over the allocation of at least 50,000 social housing properties with an asset value over £2 billion has been lost due to such fraud.  This workshop considers the issues raised in the report and how such fraud could be tackled by social landlords

Alan is the Senior Manager Counter Fraud Practice of the Audit Commission with a specific responsibility for developing the organisation’s strategic approach to the wider anti-fraud agenda. Alan is one of the principal authors of the Commission’s Protecting the Public Purse - fighting fraud in local government national publication. He is also the national development lead for the Commission’s "Changing Organisational Cultures" toolkit, which has received national recognition. Alan’s work includes identifying and developing good practice in managing the risk of fraud in the public sector. He has also worked to support the establishment of the National Fraud Authority.

Alan has previously been the manager responsible for external audit delivery at a number of local government, health, police and pension fund authorities.

Alan is a Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) qualified accountant, and CIPFA Investigative Practice accredited. Before joining the Audit Commission he was a police officer in Glasgow.

‘Developing your people to manage risks, making use of SMART techniques and technology’
Sheila Morris FCIPD, Human Resources Director, Rooftop Housing Group Limited

Experience the continuing journey of how Rooftop are developing their people to achieve an integrated approach to risk awareness, management and assurance, incorporating an electronic management tool and time efficient practices.  This journey takes a route through processes which cover partnerships, roles/ownership, and improved governance via the Audit Committee. 

Sheila joined Evesham & Pershore Housing Association, a subsidiary of Rooftop, more than ten years ago.  Her current role covers corporate resources in which she has responsibility for governance issues.  She led on implementation of Clearview, the performance management tool which includes strategy and risk modules, and on managing the processes related to the Audit Commission inspection in June 2008, which resulted in EPHA gaining a three star result.

‘Managing insurable risks and premiums - Internal Audit's role in helping optimise performance’
Simon Wright, Risk Management Consultant, Acumus Risk Consulting

This workshop will explore how Internal Audit practitioners can apply their expertise to examine processes and controls to effectively manage insurable risk exposures. We will explore some best practice techniques for managing key insurable risks and also consider how risk management performance affects insurance premiums.

Simon is a risk management consultant with Acumus, a leading risk and insurance solutions provider for Housing Associations.

In this role, Simon works with clients to develop and strengthen risk arrangements, helping to reduce uncertainty and improve performance. Recent assignments have included strategy design and implementation, assurance reviews, risk training, project risk workshops and implementation of best practice controls to manage key insurable risks.

Simon has first degrees in Insurance Management and Applied Accounting and a Masters in Risk, Crisis and Disaster Management. He has also completed the ACCA professional programme.

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