Meet Our Speakers: IPA Personal Insolvency Conference 2025
Our Host
Yin Lee, President, IPA, Director, YLA
Yin is a Solicitor, licensed Insolvency Practitioner and Director at YLA. She has over 20 years’ experience focussing on business restructuring and insolvency. She enjoys the variety of the work insolvency brings together with the challenges of finding workable solutions for underperforming businesses. Through Yin’s position as President, she hopes to continue mentoring the next generation and opening the doors to increasingly diverse talent. Yin has a keen interest in football and sits on the Serious Disciplinary Panel and the Appeals Panel at the Football Association (FA).
An end-to-end View of Consumer Credit Lifecycle Trends
Robin Griffiths, Head of Debt Recovery, Equifax
As Head of Debt Recovery Analytics for TDX Group, Robin draws on his more than 25 years of experience in the collections and recoveries industry to optimise collections strategies and customer outcomes for clients through data-led decision-making.
With Capital One, Alliance & Leicester and Ikano Bank amongst Robin’s former employers, he joined TDX ten years ago to drive the performance of the government recoveries portfolio. He now also has private sector recoveries and insolvency performance under his remit, as well as overseeing customer communications and treatment paths.
James Suffield, Insolvency Performance Analyst, Equifax
As Lead Insolvency Performance Analyst, James leverages a decade of experience at TDX Group to enhance performance across the insolvency sector. He harnesses data analysis and market knowledge to pioneer strategies that drive continuous improvement for clients and their customers.
James possesses a specialist understanding of the insolvent consumer journey, applying this insight to create a balance between maximising returns for creditors and achieving better outcomes for consumers in a fair and effective way.
The Consumer Duty and Improved Debt Advice Outcomes
Costas Pittas, Head of Debt Advice, Financial Conduct Authority
Costas leads a Supervision Department within the FCA’s Consumer Finance Directorate overseeing regulation of debt collection, debt advice, credit reference agencies, motor finance, and retail finance lenders. An Australian-qualified lawyer with around 23 years in regulation, Costas has held investigative and regulatory roles at organisations including the FCA, Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Financial Services Authority, KPMG, and Ofcom
Shared Views on the Future of The Reimagining Insolvency Report
Meg van Rooyen, Policy Lead, Money Advice Trust
Meg van Rooyen is the Money Advice Trust’s Policy Lead and has more than 40 years’ experience in the debt advice sector. She serves on the Quarterly Account editorial board and represents the Trust at Money Advice Liaison Group (MALG). Meg is also a member of the Enforcement Law Review Group, IVA Standing Committee, FCA Consumer Network, Ofgem Consumer Group as well as the HMCTS Strategic Public Engagement Group and a range of other forums.
Matthew Vaughan Wilson, Senior Creditor Liaison Policy Officer, Citizens Advice
Matt joined Citizens Advice in 2021 as Senior Creditor Liaison Policy Officer. This role aims to strengthen the connections between frontline debt advice and Citizens Advice’s policy work. He has focused in particular on personal insolvency and debt remedies, alongside council tax collection and enforcement. Prior to joining Citizens Advice, Matt worked in policy and partnerships roles at the Money Advice Trust.
The Insolvency Service: Strategic Update
Paul Bannister, Head of Policy, The Insolvency Service
Paul has been Head of Policy at the Insolvency Service since August 2018. Prior to that he headed the UK Company Law Framework team in BEIS where he was also responsible for the policy output of Companies House. His previous roles in BEIS were in the Better Regulation Executive where he played a key role in the then Government’s deregulatory agenda in programmes. Prior to that he worked in competition law framework team where he played a key role in the merger framework and the merger of the then OFT and Competition Commission to become the Competition and Markets Authority.
The Insolvency Service: Personal Insolvency Review
Andrew Shore, Assistant Director; Strategy, Policy and Analysis Directorate, Insolvency Service
Andrew Shore is a career Civil Servant who has worked for the Insolvency Service, the government agency that oversees the UK’s insolvency regime, since 2003. From May 2017 he has been a member of the agency’s policy section. Andrew’s responsibilities have included several years as the agency’s lead on international insolvency policy and UK delegate to the UN Commission on International Trade Law. He presently manages the government’s wide-ranging review of the personal insolvency regime.
Advice for IPs: Recovery after Attorney Mismanagement
Tonina Ashby, Partner & Notary Public, Head of Older and Vulnerable Persons Team, HCR legal LLP
Tonina is a leading voice in the campaign against the financial abuse of vulnerable people. Tonina works with Local Authorities, the Police, MPs and government bodies to raise awareness, provide training and education and actively advocates for better protections. Tonina supports Police forces with legal commentary and expert opinion on live investigations. Tonina specialises in supporting vulnerable and incapacitated clients, their families and carers by providing support to help them navigate complex and sensitive issues such as safeguarding, care funding and financial abuse. She also acts as a professional Attorney and Deputy, working with a range of clients of all ages and backgrounds, including individuals with dementia, brain injuries and learning difficulties.
Sub-Prime Lenders and Implementation of Consumer Duty
Jason Wassell, Chief Executive, Consumer Credit Trade Association
Jason Wassell is Chief Executive of the Consumer Credit Trade Association (CCTA), the leading trade body representing smaller and alternative consumer lenders. With over 20 years of experience in policy, risk management, regulation, and communications, he leads a small but influential team that advocates for fair access to credit and promotes responsible lending practices. Jason works closely with regulators, government, and industry partners to ensure the voices of smaller lenders are heard and understood.
Getting People Out of Debt
Deven Ghelani, CEO, Policy in Practice
Deven Ghelani founded Policy in Practice to make the welfare system simple to understand. Its analysis and accompanying award-winning software give people the clarity and confidence they need to make decisions. Deven has advised private and public sector organisations, including central and local government, on the impact of changes to the welfare system. He was part of the team that developed Universal Credit and continues to write and speak extensively on welfare reform.
Current Compliance Issues in IVAs
Eileen Maclean, Director, Insolvency Support Services
Eileen is a licensed insolvency practitioner with over 33 years’ experience of personal and corporate insolvency. She is the founding director of Insolvency Support Services, an award-winning provider of training, outsourcing and compliance services to the UK insolvency market. Eileen is licensed by the IPA, sits on the IPA’s Board and chairs the IPA’s Standards, Ethics & Regulatory Liaison Committee. She is also a member of the IPA’s Anti-Money Laundering Committee. She represents the IPA on the AiB’s PTD Standing Committee, Bankruptcy Stakeholder Group and Policy and Cases Committee, and the Scottish Government’s Scottish Statutory Debt Solutions Forum.
The Final Word on Compliance: A Review of Current Risks, Remedies and Responsibilities in Personal Insolvency
David Holland, Chief Inspector, Insolvency Practitioners Association
David has oversight and management of the inspection team, ensuring adherence to policies and procedures of the IPA and making sure that the regulatory objectives are met via onsite monitoring visits. David is the IPA’s Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) and heads up the IPA’s responsibility as an Anti- Money Laundering Supervisor.
The Road Ahead for ORS: Bankruptcies, New Initiatives and Working with the Profession
Justin Dionne, ORS Director, Official Receiver Services, Insolvency Service
Justin Dionne, a qualified accountant and a JIEB prize winner, has over 25 years’ insolvency experience and is currently Director of Official Receiver Services. Justin has a background in operational delivery, holding a number of interesting roles within the Insolvency Service, which includes Official Receiver for Southend and London and latterly, Public Interest Unit. More recently he was Chief Technical Officer, leading on insolvencies of national interest.
Carol Megram, Official Receiver, Manchester, Insolvency Service
A former insolvency lawyer and qualified insolvency practitioner in private practice, Carol has been the Official Receiver serving Birkenhead and Blackpool for around eighteen months. She has now added the Manchester office to her area of responsibility, serving the entire North-West and North Wales region.
Improving Tax Guidance and Services: HMRC and IPs in Partnership and Q&A
Richard Hopwood, Deputy Director, Head of Insolvency Profession, HMRC
Richard heads up the insolvency profession in HMRC. His team lead on development, capability, guidance and governance for HMRC’s 500+ insolvency professionals, as well as being jointly responsible for the strategic direction of HMRC’s insolvency activity.
He qualified as an IP in 1993 with a Big Four accountancy firm before joining HMRC as its first insolvency professional in 1999. Richard chairs the Joint Insolvency Committee and is a fellow of IPA and R3.
Mark Chisman, Senior Insolvency Advisor, HMRC
Mark is a senior insolvency advisor in HMRC’s Insolvency Governance and Professionalism team. He provides expert advice, guidance, and training to staff working with HMRC customers on insolvency matters. With a background in civil investigations of employment taxes and VAT, and holding the ICAEW Certificate in Insolvency, Mark is frequently consulted on complex policy areas where tax and insolvency intersect—particularly those causing challenges for both HMRC staff and customers.