Kevin Hellard, President

Hi everyone. How time Marches on! It was pleasing to see the Government’s plans for leaving lockdown measures and getting back to the ‘old’ normal. Hopefully everything goes to plan.

Thank you to those who responded to the EGM notice that went out recently, either through attending the meeting or submitting their proxy, in approval of the extension to my term to finish at the AGM in 2022, rather than this year. I am honoured and grateful for members’ approval and look forward to having the time to carry out my role as President more fully, as opposed to having done this in Covid response conditions over the last 11 months or so. The approval of the proposals at the EGM mean that my fellow Office Holders, Samantha Keen (Vice-President), Paul Davis (Deputy Vice-President) and Carrie James (Immediate Past President), will join me in performing our roles for another year. I note that the last – and only – time a President served for more than one year was 1990-1992!

I hope that those who attended enjoyed this year’s Annual Lecture with Lord Leigh of Hurley, a highly impressive figure significantly involved in the development of the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act. Lord Leigh of Hurley’s lecture was very engaging, covering a wide range of topics from life in the House of Lords to the introduction of the National Security and Investment Bill, potentially hugely significant to our members. Thank you to everyone involved in the organisation of this event, and to attendees for their insightful questions and contributions.

Looking ahead, the Annual Conference in April draws nearer, and bookings are now open. With gatherings still not possible, the conference is the perfect opportunity to meet up virtually with familiar faces and gain that valuable CPD through a set of carefully curated sessions on all things important in today’s insolvency world. Our speakers and sessions include crypto assets with Aidan Larkin, CEO of Asset Reality; why we need to save charities, with Prof. John Tribe of the University of Liverpool; an update from the creditor community with Sue Chapple, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Credit Management; an update from the Insolvency Service with Angela Crossley, Head of Insolvency Practitioner Regulation at the Insolvency Service; a parliamentary and Brexit update with Rt Hon. Jim Murphy, former Secretary of State for Scotland; a session with Companies House, taken by the organisation’s Director of Policy and Strategy, Martin Swain; a monitoring update from the IPA inspection team, and more to be announced.

I hope that we will see you there. Click here to book your place.

IPA Learning

Another development in our events calendar is the launch of IPA Learning in partnership with ISS training, providing members and their teams with training on current and emerging technical and regulatory issues. The training sessions are focused on the practical application of new practise as change impacts your business. Between now and the end of the year, we will cover the revised SIPs, Breathing Space, the new pre-pack regulations, the impact of the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act, and the new public interest requirement in the Ethics Code. This year’s IPA Learning series will then conclude with a corporate insolvency review and look ahead.

We start with the revised SIPs on 18th March. If you haven’t booked yet and would like to, there is still time – click here to book and to find out about all the other sessions.

Take care and stay safe.

Kevin