ISBA

34 www.theisba.org.uk CONFERENCE SPEAKERS C2 16.00 – 16.40 HR and employment law update (repeat session) Jenny Arrowsmith Jenny is a partner at Irwin Mitchell and advises employers on a wide range of employment law issues. She is a  specialist in supporting clients in the education sector and has a particular interest in discrimination and wellbeing issues. She acted for and successfully defended claims against Capita in the recent sex discrimination case of Ali v Capita (men receiving statutory rates for shared parental leave when women were getting enhanced maternity leave) and was ‘Lawyer of the Week’ in the Times Newspaper for her work in this case. She’s taken a proactive interest in talking with employers about this topic and become known as a specialist on it from a legal and workplace impact perspective. C3 16.00 – 16.40 Finance update (repeat session) Anjali Kothari Anjali is the head of education at Moore Kingston Smith in their dedicated charities and schools group with more than 20 years’ experience of the sector. She is involved in auditing a number of independent schools as well as free schools, academies, educational bodies and exam setting bodies. As well as being one of the lead partners in the dedicated not-for-profit group, Anjali is a governor of an independent school, and has also served on the executive board for Moore Kingston Smith. She has extensive experience of helping organisations through expert and practical advice. With a wide network of contacts in specialist areas – such as data protection, pensions and VAT, Anjali is quick to draw on the knowledge of experts. Her ability to explain complex technical concepts in everyday language and to propose suitable solutions to meet challenges as they arise is greatly valued by her clients. She is the treasurer and executive member of the Charity Law Association. C4 16.00 – 16.40 Governance – boarding update and what is likely to feature in the new National Minimum Standards Dale Wilkins Dale joined the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA) during Summer 2017 with responsibility for safeguarding and standards. In July 2019 he also assumed responsibility for the BSA’s training programme, including both day seminars and accredited training courses. Dale leads on all safeguarding and inspection matters for the BSA, including managing the Commitment to Care Charter, the annual Safeguarding Conference, the Safeguarding Forum. He has also developed a process of BSA Accreditation for our overseas members. For 31 years, Dale was a boarding practitioner. After boarding positions at Norwich School and Tettenhall College, Dale became a housemaster at Old Swinford Hospital in 1992, and was promoted to deputy head in 2007, and subsequently also DSL. He has also been a multi-agency trainer for the Dudley Safeguarding Children’s Board and has been closely involved in inspection in state and independent boarding since 2002. Dale had previously been a BSA course tutor since 1998 and developed the BSA Self-Assessment Toolkit. Tuesday 23 November 2021 Plenary 13.15 – 13.45 Welcome to conference – To boldly go... into an unknown future David Woodgate, chief executive, ISBA David Woodgate was appointed chief executive of ISBA in May 2016. Prior to this he was chief executive of the Institute of Financial Accountants from 2007 to 2015 after which he spent a year as the strategy consultant to the Institute of Public Accountants in Australia. David qualified as a barrister in 1982 following a first degree in languages (French and Russian), law and linguistics. He moved from the law into the City, holding several senior management and executive positions in the National Westminster Bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland – in strategic planning, corporate finance and latterly as director of e-commerce for the corporate bank. He ran an outsourcing business and a specialist internal consultancy providing market intelligence and competitor analysis. He completed an MBA at Warwick University Business School in 1992. A former chief executive of the Institute of Administrative Management, he also holds a postgraduate diploma in charity management from the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a chartered banker, a Freeman of the City of London and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights. David is a governor of an HMC independent school and a former chair of governors of another. Keynote 13.45 – 14.30 The independent sector, the next five years, social mobility, partnerships and raising standards Rt Hon Baroness Nicky Morgan, Member of House of Lords (See Nicky’s biography on page 14) Choice of panel sessions D1 15.30 – 16.30 Building a robust financial strategy David Woodgate, chair (As before) Tina Allison (As before) Paul Flowerday Having previously been a practising accountant, Paul decided to change careers in 2012 and put his extensive finance and administrative skills to good use in the education sector. Now the bursar at his second school, Paul has managed to fully utilise his skills in what is a challenging but very rewarding role. Being part of the ISBA Board allows him to contribute to the success of bursars countrywide and to give something back to the sector. Paul is a parent governor at a special needs college and also runs his own small charity raising funds and awareness for a special needs unit in West Sussex for autistic children. He has been chairman of a pre-school and a past governor at a state primary school. Married with two teenage boys, Paul enjoys sport (mainly from the sofa!) and supports many charities through his involvement in local Freemasonry. Dene Jones Dene is national head of a team that looks after and supports clients in the education, charities and government sectors. He joined Lloyds Banking Group in 1988 and has spent most of his career in the commercial division, where he has been in a leadership role for the past 12 years. Dene has experience working with clients in many sectors, including manufacturing, retail, professional services, education and technology. He is an associate of the Chartered Institute of Banking (ACIB) and holds a Certificate of International Treasury Management. He is also a member of the CBI East Midlands Regional Council. Philip Watkins Philip is a partner in the FRP restructuring advisory team in London. He has led numerous successful mid-market and SME turnaround and recovery assignments across a range of sectors including acting for many independent schools and their banks. Philip’s experience is situation- based, working across a large part of the corporate lifecycle. He has undertaken contingency planning assignments and been party to many successful solvent and insolvent accelerated mergers and acquisitions. He also undertakes financial due diligence projects for a number of clearing banks and funders, and in 2006 Philip was seconded to Barclays Business Support for 13 months. Philip is a chartered certified accountant, a licensed insolvency practitioner and an accredited turnaround professional. His extensive experience includes implementing a range of restructuring and turnaround solutions to independent schools in financially challenged situations. Philip is a governor of a South Buckinghamshire preparatory school and trustee of a local hospice.