Kevin Hellard, President

Other articles (Insolvency Practitioner, April 2021):

• Michelle Thorp, CEO
• Important reminder: Annual General Meeting
• IPA events update
• Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies AML guidance
• Future IPA AML regulation: What members can expect
• Richard Long becomes an Honorary IPA member
• How IPs can save history
• Case law update
• Updated Statements of Insolvency Practice
• Guest article: IPs of FCA authorised companies in voluntary liquidation face more new and difficult challenges

Hi everyone. I would like to start with some wonderful news on the Charity of the Year front. Through some serious stepping in March, the IPA has finished in second place on Crisis’s Step Forward to End Homelessness teams leaderboard for distance covered – a seriously impressive 2,292.1 miles between 14 participants. On fundraising, the IPA is also in second place with an equally impressive £2,044 currently raised! This is considerably more than was raised for Crisis by the IPA in the whole of 2020, and I think that the team have done brilliantly.  

Donations are still open, and if you would like to support the team’s excellent effort, I am sure they would be very grateful for any contributions. Click here to visit the team’s fundraising page.

Looking ahead, the AGM will soon be here. All members should have received notice of the AGM, and we hope that you will either be able to dial in to the meeting on 28 April, or alternatively submit the supplied proxy form by 12pm on 27 April. If you need assistance, do get in touch on membership@ipa.uk.com.  

As you may know, the Annual Conference follows the AGM. We look forward to the profession coming together for an interactive series of talks on intriguing subjects including crisis in the third sector with Prof. John Tribe of the University of Liverpool; creditor insights with Sue Chapple, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Credit Management (CICM); crypto assets with Aidan Larkin, Founder of Asset Reality; a parliamentary and Brexit update from Rt Hon. Jim Murphy, former Secretary of State for Scotland; and many more. Find out more and book your place here.

Last month, we sent out details to members on the new Statements of Insolvency Practice (SIPs) that came into effect on 1 April. I hope that this summary and the subsequent training session, the first of our new IPA Learning workshops delivered in partnership with Insolvency Support Services (ISS), helped you to understand the application of the new SIPs in practice. The new Breathing Space moratorium provisions come into effect in England and Wales on 4 May, and on 13 May we look at the new rules and their likely impact in the next IPA Learning session. I am sure many will be interested in this training – you can book here. Between 13 May and 18 November this year, we will also cover pre-pack regulations, SIP 16 and corporate insolvency from the angle of the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act, and public interest in corporate insolvency. We will conclude the year’s training with a wider review of this area of the profession, how it has changed in recent times and how it is likely to change further still. These sessions will be invaluable in informing your work and that of your team members, and I recommend that you join. Click here to find out more.

The country continues to make its way out of restrictions at various stages across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. I wish our members the very best as we gradually have the opportunity to see family members and loved ones, drink together in beer gardens and have long-awaited haircuts! With luck in the coming months, we will have the benefit of meeting together in person once again.

Kevin