Kevin Hellard, President

Other articles (Insolvency Practitioner, September 2020):

• Michelle Thorp, CEO
• IPA Virtual Roadshow Series
• Crisis Race to End Homelessness: An interview with Secretariat members Lisa O’Hara and Stephanie Miles
• Membership and licence renewals 
• Further website updates
• Joint Insolvency Examination – still time for candidates to enter
• Call for evidence: Recognition of professional qualifications and regulation of professions
• Meet a Committee member
• Five minutes with…
• Guest article: Companies in voluntary liquidation authorised by the FCA can pose difficult and complex challenges for Insolvency Practitioners

Well suddenly its nearly mid-September and yet last week was the August bank holiday… as if this year wasn’t confusing enough already. Hopefully you have been able to get away from the home office over the summer to take some time out with the family. Maybe you have been lucky and grabbed a little summer sun and avoided quarantine. I hope you managed some sort of break, as before we know it, we’ll be losing an hour and wondering if virtual Christmas parties will be the same.  

On the subject of virtual events, as I write this, I’m gearing up for our first interactive online Roadshow, which has an emphasis on Scotland. This is on Monday 21^st September, and if you are based in Scotland or indeed carry out insolvency work within the Scottish jurisdiction, please do join us. There is still plenty of time to book a place, which you can do here.

We have designed this Roadshow, and the others, to deliver the most up to date knowledge possible on what we have faced in this extraordinary year, what it means for the profession, and developments to watch out for over the coming year or so.

Amongst our bill of excellent speakers will be Richard Dennis, CEO of the Scottish Accountant in Bankruptcy, looking at the response to Covid-19 and its impact on Scottish insolvencies. Also joining us will be Eileen Maclean, Director of Insolvency Support Services, who will be taking us through the Scottish Government’s review of Protected Trust Deeds and the new Code of Ethics, and our Chief Inspector, David Holland. David is giving a very useful regulatory session on the IPA’s response to this year’s events, as well as the issues Insolvency Practitioners should be mindful of in the coming months.

I will be chairing a panel session with Frances Coulson, Managing Partner and Head of Litigation and Insolvency at Moon Beever; and Lucy McCann, Partner at Brodies and ranked as an Up and Coming lawyer by Chambers UK 2020. Frances, Lucy and I will be discussing the new Act that came into force in late June.

I hope that you will be able to join us, and for those who are already registered, see you there.

Our preparations for November’s Personal Insolvency Conference are in full swing – details on this event to come, and you can book your place by clicking here.

Finally, I would like to say a huge congratulations to all those from the IPA Secretariat who took part in the Race to End Homelessness for Crisis, our Charity of the Year. What a fantastic first campaign, raising over £1,500! I am very proud of the team, who clocked up several hundred kilometers with great enthusiasm, and in less than two weeks. Click here to read more. Watch this space for more activity from the IPA for Crisis!

I look forward to seeing you at our online Roadshows, and I’ll provide an update in my October newsletter. Until then, take care and be safe.

Kevin