Financial Power List 2018: 46-50 revealed

Compiled by the Accountancy Age editorial team, the Financial Power List 2018 ranks the 50 individuals who we believe will have significant influence on the direction of the accountancy industry over the next 12 months. Individuals considered for the list span government, practice and business with the rankings reflecting who has the power to make an impact in 2018.

Make sure you check back to view the full rankings, which will be released on 31 January, with five individuals announced every day between now and the end of the month.

Here, we reveal the individuals who have made positions 46-50 on this year’s list.

50. Patrick Mears, Chair of the General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR) Advisory Panel

As chair of the GAAR Advisory Panel since 2013, Mears leads the panel in considering, reviewing and approving HMRC guidance on the GAAR, and delivering opinions on individual cases referred by the tax authority.

The panel published its first opinion last year on a case involving employee rewards using gold bullion, with more opinions expected to be delivered over the next 12 months by Mears and a new intake of panel members.

49. Richard Howitt, CEO, IIRC

Promoting financial stability and sustainable development through integrated reporting, the IIRC is on a mission for integrated reporting to become the global norm. Howitt will be buoyed by the results of a worldwide consultation on how companies are adopting integrated reporting since the release of the framework in 2013, which showed that companies have accepted the framework and are now in an implementation phase. With more work to be done, Howitt will be looking to further promote the global adoption of integrated reporting ahead of the IIRC Convention this year.

48. David Fenn, Managing Partner, Wilkins Kennedy

The only Top 20 firm to move up the rankings in the Accountancy Age Top 50+50 Accountancy Firms 2017, Fenn steered Wilkins Kennedy to 17.5% growth last year with total fee income of £47.7m. Leapfrogging Kingston Smith to jump into 18^th position, the firm enjoyed a boost in partner numbers, with the team increasing to 74 in 2017, up from 69 in 2016.

Wilkins Kennedy will be hoping to capitalise on the success this year and has another climb in the rankings within its sights, with potential to challenge for 17^th, or even 16^th place.

47. Jonathan Bingham, Partner, KPMG

Winner of the Judges’ Awards at the 2017 British Accountancy Awards, Jonathan Bingham was recognised for an outstanding contribution to the accounting and finance industry with his work in the audit sector.

As well as revolutionising the way in which data is shared between client and auditor with the introduction of a new audit software tool, Jonathan has co-created an IFRS 9 guidance paper for banking audit committees. This year, many auditors will adopt the advice, resulting in increased visibility of their financial statements, and a renewed focus on transparency and integrity in the audit sphere.

46. Pascal Saint-Amans, Director, Centre for Tax Policy and Administration, OECD

At the helm of the OECD’s tax policy initiatives since 2012, Saint-Amans has made great strides towards strengthening international tax transparency and ensuring that jurisdictions align tax policies on tax evasion and administration in recent years. Yet tax issues continue to emerge on the international stage, with the Paradise Papers the latest scandal to hit the international tax community. 2018 will see a new wave of over 50 countries begin to exchange Common Reporting Standard information to a bid to tackle tax evasion, but will the OECD’s strategies put an end to the potential for another Papers leak this year?

Find out who made the Financial Power List 2017.