SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Phil Agulnik, Director, Entitledto
Phil is an expert on the UK’s benefits and tax system. He is responsible for product development within entitledto and for representing the company externally. He has worked as an economist in the Department for Work and Pensions, HM Treasury, the Financial Services Authority and in academia. He has a PhD from the London School of Economics on social security policy.
John Berry, Director for Business Design and Policy, VOA
John is currently the Director for Business Design and Policy for the VOA’s NextGen Rating Programme. This has 2 elements, firstly replacing the VOA’s entire IT platform and secondly layering on the new services required as part of the government’s Transforming Business Rates agenda. He was previously Director of Property Professional Services in the VOA covering legal/technical policy, advice and guidance, valuation assurance, budgets and resources, and oversight over the VOA’s surveyor development pipeline. He has been a co-opted member of the Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation’s (IRRV) Valuation Faculty Board for a number of years and is a member of the RICS Yorkshire and Humber Regional Board. He currently lives in Derbyshire on the edge of the Peak District National Park and spends much of his spare time walking in the locality.
Phil Black, Assistant Director, Financial Shared Services, City of London Corporation
Phil is the Assistant Director, Financial Shared Services at the City of London Corporation with responsibility for Business Rates, Council Tax, Housing Benefit, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable and Payroll. He joined the City in 2017 as the Head of Revenues. Prior to the City he spent 23 years at Westminster City Council as the Head of Revenues and Benefits. Phil has been a member of the institute since 2005 and is also a member of the London and Homes Counties Executive. He has written for Insight Magazine and is a regular speaker at IRRV events.
Nigel Blair, Head of Strategy, NEC Software Services
Nigel Blair IRRV (Hons) was born in Antrim but has lived most of his life in Reading (the largest town in the UK). He is Head of Strategy at NEC Software Services where he looks after the team that manages a portfolio of local and central government solutions but principally, his first love, Revenues and Benefits.He has worked in the software industry for over 30 years, prior to this; he worked in Local Government for City of Westminster and Reading Borough Council where he was Head of Revenues and Benefits during the implementation of the Poll Tax.
Ed Bowen, Housing Benefit Technical Manager, Runnymede Borough Council
Alan Clark, Head of Exchequer, London Borough of Barnet
Allan brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his role as Head of Exchequer at the London Borough of Barnet. Since beginning his career in Local Government in 1995, Allan has amassed a diverse skillset through his involvement in various roles, including benefits, cash and bank management, debt recovery, fraud, local taxation, and transactional finance services. A recognised figure in the field, Allan is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and a Fellow member of the Institute. He is a past President of the London and Home Counties Association and former examiner for the Institutes certificate level qualification in Council Tax Law (England and Wales). Allan was elected to National Council in 2016 and is currently the Portfolio Holder for Law and Research and Vice President of the Institute.
Nick Cooper, Technical Specialist: Business Rates, DLUHC
Nick has been involved with various aspects of the rating system since 1992 covering both policy and valuation. He now works for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities as a Technical Specialist on rating valuation and local taxation.
Paul Dalling FRICS, Dip Rating, IRRV(Hons)
Paul Dalling FRICS, Dip Rating, IRRV (Hons) retired from the Valuation Office in 2024 after a 36-year career. For the last decade he served as a rating specialist with the National Valuation Unit, providing technical advice, direction, guidance and support to ensure consistency across the VOA network for large shops, restaurants, and garden centres. His responsibilities included assisting with complex rating casework and representing the Agency as an Advocate or Expert Witness at Tribunals. Additionally, Mr. Dalling facilitated and chaired the Class Coordination meetings and authored several sections of the Rating Manual and Practice Notes. He played a key role in negotiating values centrally and aiding the progression of casework and appeals throughout the Agency. Paul has also contributed significantly to the Institute, serving as a member of the Qualifications Management Board and an examiner for the Rating Valuation paper. He has recently accepted an invitation to Honorary membership. Paul continues to be involved in delivering the RICS Rating Diploma study course and is an active member and treasure of the Section. Since retiring, Mr. Dalling works in a voluntary capacity for a Trust that holds the freehold of approximately 100 buildings. In this role he assists with various property issues, including landlord and tenant matters, maintenance, access, title enquiries and disposals. .
Barry Davies, Davies & Co
I advise a broad range of rural and commercial businesses in relation to all aspects of rating practice, valuation, law and procedural aspects between the VOA and Local Authority Non-Domestic Rates Departments. I have been an active Member of the IRRV Valuation Faculty Board for the last eight years and I currently represent the IRRV on the Working Party for the Refresh of the 1997 Joint Professional Institutions - The Receipts and Expenditure Method of Valuation - Guidance Note. I am a Member of the Rating Surveyors’ Association (RSA).
Richard Dunsire, Head of Housing and Benefit, South Norfolk and Broadland Councils
Richard possesses 19 years of experience in Housing, with a significant portion of that time also dedicated to managing the Benefits team. His early work in income services provided him with a keen understanding of eligibility and guidance for clients navigating assessments and legislative housing policy. As the Housing and Benefit Manager for the South Norfolk and Broadland One Team, Richard effectively unified his team, addressing the challenges they faced and fostering collaboration. Currently, Richard chairs the Housing Alliance and contributes to various strategic workstreams, leveraging his broad knowledge gained from managing a diverse and integrated service. His responsibilities encompass a wide range of areas, including Housing, Homelessness, Rough Sleeper Services, Housing First, Asylum and Ukraine support, Benefits, Council Tax Support, Domestic Abuse Services, Prison Release, Temporary Accommodation, and compliance as a newly registered provider.
Clare Elliott, Head of Local Authority Partnerships, Engagement and Delivery, DWP
Clare is head of Local Authority Partnerships, Engagement and Delivery in DWP with oversight of Housing Benefit delivery across GB as well as the delivery of a number of grants funded scheme including Discretionary Housing Payments and the Household Support Fund. Joining the Civil Service on a one year contract in 1986 as a junior economist, she was attracted by the bright lights of public service and has never left with stints in education, training and skills, employment, small business and local government performance.
Matthew Evans, Head of Service Revenues & Benefits, Wrexham County Borough Council
Matthew is Head of Service for the Revenues and Benefits service, and has over 20 years of experience in Revenues & Benefits in a number of different roles. Matthew is the current chair of the Welsh Revenues & Benefit Manager Group and is involved in a number of working groups relating to Revenues and Benefits both locally and nationally and works closely with Welsh Government in relation to regulations and policy development in this area. Matthew is a past president of the North and Mid Wales Association.
Mark Fearn, Customer Experience Lead (Revenues, Income Recovery & Debt), Walsall MBC
Mark has worked within the Revenues arena for almost forty years and is currently the Customer Experience Lead (Revenues, Income Recovery & Debt) at Walsall MBC. His previous posts have included Revenues Manager at Milton Keynes Council, Head of Revenues at North West Leicestershire DC and Revenue Collection Manager at South Derbyshire District Council. Mark is a Council Member of the Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation (IRRV) and is currently Chair of the institutes Local Taxation and Revenue Faculty Board. He is a regular speaker at the IRRV national events had articles published in the Institutes journal and carried out training across the country.
James Feltham, VOA
Ian Ferguson, Former Revenues & Benefits Manager, Durham CC
Geoff Fimister, Head of Policy at Inclusion Barnet and Policy Co-Chair of the Disability Benefits Consortium
Geoff Fimister is a consultant, writer and researcher, specialising in social security and related issues. He is also Head of Policy at Inclusion Barnet. He has a long history of involvement in the anti-poverty and benefits field, including in local government (for Newcastle City Council and the local authority associations) and for a number of non-governmental organisations (among them the Child Poverty Action Group, Citizens' Advice and the Royal National Institute of Blind People). He is a former Policy Officer at the IRRV, a current member of the Benefits Faculty Board and a regular contributor to Institute publications.
Michael Fisher, Assistant Director Revenues, Benefits and Contact Centre, St Helens Council
Jude Green, Director Transactional Services, Liverpool CC
Christopher Grose, Director - Business Rates, Hartnell Taylor Cook
Christopher is a Director in the Business Rate team at Hartnell Taylor Cook. Having joined the business rates world in the run up to the 1990 revaluation he has dealt with appeals on many different property types in every Revaluation since including a spell in the Valuation Office. Christopher is Vice Chair of the IRRV Valuation Faculty, Secretary of the London & Home Counties IRRV Association and a member of IRRV Council.
Patrick Hall, Corporate Collections and Housing Benefit Overpayments Manager, Ealing LBC
Russell Hamblin-Boone, Chief Executive, Civil Enforcement Association
Russell is Chief Executive Officer of CIVEA. He was previously Chief Executive of the Consumer Finance Association, working with legislators, regulators and consumer organisations to raise standards in the short-term lending industry. He is a proficient commentator and industry spokesman with a strong media profile. He has held senior positions at the Finance and Leasing Association and the Energy Retail Association (now known as Energy UK). He has worked for successive governments in the Chief Whip’s Office in Downing Street. He was private secretary to the Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal and was parliamentary clerk to the Attorney General.
Corin Hammersley, Head of Advice & Benefits, Royal Borough of Greenwich
Corin started her career in Welfare Rights and worked in various organisations including private sector (under legal aid contracts) and in local government. Corin is the London committee member for NAWRA (National Association of Welfare Rights Advisers, and chairs the LGA Social Security Advisers Group. Through her career at Royal Greenwich, Corin has covered various roles within the Advice & Benefits Service at Royal Greenwich, and is now Head of Service for the department, with oversight of the benefits assessment service and the advice and discretionary payments service. Corin has particular experience in delivering discretionary payment schemes including Local Welfare Assistance and Household Support Fund, and integrating the support with in-house advice provision, and is a strong advocate for local authorities being well placed in providing effective in-house advice services.
Richard Hanby, Managing Director, Ascendant Solutions Ltd
As a founding director of the business Richard brings knowledge of private sector debt collection and experience building data driven software solutions at scale. With over a decade of experience, Richard steers the business objectives and technology stack, driving Ascendant into a 100% Cloud based business with massive scale and infrastructure redundancy as a result. Richard is also the Data Security Manager, tasked with managing operational risk, data security and compliance.
Dean Hannan, Director of Operational Excellence, VOA
Nick Houlton, Finance Manager: Revenues and Benefits, Barnet LBC
I am currently Finance Manager: Revenues and Benefits at London Borough of Barnet and have been in this position since May 2024. The role involves managing our Capita contract who oversee Revenues, Benefits and HBOP, I also manage our Income Maximisation Team and our Quality Assurance Officers within Barnet, in addition to this I also lead on our Money Worries initiative. In 2023 I achieved my IRRV Honours and prior to this I passed the IRRV Level 3 Certificate in 2017. I started in Local Government in 2011, temping in Customer Services whilst on University holidays, at the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, going permanent in late 2012, before becoming a Revenues Officer in July 2014. I left in April 2019 to go to London Borough of Harrow as the Revenues Team Leader. In addition to this I am on the IRRV Thames Valley Executive and currently Vice President.
Carole Kenney, Director Welfare, CDER Group
Carole has over 25 years’ experience within the enforcement profession, starting her career as a Certificated Bailiff and moving on to hold high profile positions focussed on improving the journey and outcomes for individuals in debt. Representing CDER Group as Director of Welfare, Carole has cemented firm relationships with many advice sector organisations and has implemented collaborative working practices and initiatives to fully support vulnerable customers. This has been recognised through her appointment to the Money Advice Liaison Group Board. As a Past President of CIVEA, Carole was influential in raising industry standards through her involvement in the revised CIVEA Code of Conduct for enforcement agents and leading the industry response to the coronavirus pandemic. Carole’s advocacy for further reform through xpendent oversight of the industry has been pivotal to the development of the Enforcement Conduct Board, who Carole continues to support as a member of the ECB Stakeholder Engagement Forum.
Zoe Kent, Head of Revenues & Benefits, Mid Kent Services
Zoe’s career started at the DHSS working on Supplementary Benefit and then Income Support. After a career break she moved into Local Government in 2003 working on the frontline of the Housing Benefit team at Swale Borough Council, then moving on to the roles of Training Officer, Assistant Revenues and Benefits Manager and from 2015 Revenues and Benefits Manager. Zoe worked with the DWP to set up the Kent Overpayments Network, to ensure that overpayment officers were able to meet, to discuss good practice and bring in new initiatives. She obtained her full IRRV qualification in 2010 and has been on the IRRV SE Association executive for many years becoming an IRRV Council Member in October 2018.
Michelle Kettles, Benefits Manager, South Staffordshire C
Michelle has worked in local government since 1990 and is currently the Welfare and Benefit Team Manager at South Staffordshire Council, where she has been since 2007. She leads the Welfare Support and Benefit teams, providing essential assistance to vulnerable residents in the community. Michelle has successfully managed several “into work” programmes designed to help individuals overcome barriers, improve skills, and gain employment; these programmes have received national awards. In addition to her core responsibilities, she oversees the management of the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) contract, operated as a shared service. With extensive experience, Michelle is passionate about her teams’ performance and remains focused on ensuring effective delivery of support and services to the community.
Charles Metcalfe, Head of Corporate Revenues, Manchester CC
Charles started his career as a volunteer at the Citizens Advice Bureau in Stourbridge in 1984. He has worked in various roles in Housing Benefit, rent arrears collection and finally Revenues in Sandwell, London, Scotland and Cumbria before moving to Manchester in 2005 as Revenues Manager.
Timothy Morshead KC, Joint Head of Chambers at Landmark
Stephanie O’Neill, Partner, Wilks Head & Eve LLP
Stephanie is a Partner at Wilks Head & Eve LLP who specialises in Valuation for Business Rates purposes on behalf of ratepayers. Stephanie has experience of assessments across a wide range of property types, from bulk descriptions of industrial, retail, offices to the unusual, such as Waste Plants and Crematoria. Stephanie’s Practice has a number of public sector Local Authority clients who are business property taxpayers in their own right, as well as tax collectors and Taxing Authorities. In addition to rating appeal work Stephanie deals with more complex issues in relation to s44a, empty rates and Completion Notice issues and undertakes a range of one-off Red Book Valuations. Stephanie is a highly experienced Business Rates Valuer and Practitioner and a member of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation (IRRV) and a member of the Rating Surveyors Association (RSA).
Daniel Pearce, Director of Service Development & Sales, Telsolutions
With 31 years’ experience in designing and delivering services that simplify and automate business applications. Daniel has a background in producing innovative communications, techniques and strategies that reduce costs and improve productivity. Our advanced services reduce the cost of customer engagement, promote self-serve freeing up resources. Specialising in debt recovery and customer engagement applications for local government and enforcement, our services are industry proven and award winning. Daniel now develops services merging behavioural science and technology to improve outcomes based on current public behaviours and habits with the objective to improve outcomes for both parties more effectively.
Nick Rowe, Assistant Director of Finance - Revenues, London Borough of Ealing
Nick has dedicated nearly 40 years to Local Government, beginning his career in 1986 in General Rates and advancing through Community Charge and Council Tax/NNDR. His experience also extends to the private sector, where he contributed to various Revenues and Benefits sites. Currently, he is employed as the Assistant Director of Finance – Revenues & Payments for Ealing Council. Nick chairs the London Revenues Group and has represented local authorities on several central government working parties and as an LGA advisor for Revenues. He is a former National President (2023/24) of the IRRV, he was President of London & HC Association in 2011 and will be again in 2026. Nick has spoken at many conferences and training days.
Lindsay Sayer, Partnership and Innovation Senior Manager at South Norfolk and Broadland Councils
Lindsay brings 20 years of dedicated experience in Benefits, specializing in Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support. Over her career, she has co-managed two high-performing Benefit teams across both councils, successfully redesigning Council Tax schemes and authoring the Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) policies. Her collaborative work with the Housing Team has been instrumental in the acquisition of temporary accommodation, aligning financial objectives with improved housing outcomes for customers. Recently, Lindsay has advanced the Councils’ use of benefit data to adopt a proactive approach in customer support, aiming to deliver a more holistic service while mitigating incoming costly demand. Her interest in identifying customer needs and developing proactive ways of working highlight her commitment to ensuring comprehensive assistance, both financial and otherwise. Currently Lindsay is the partnership lead on Homelessness Strategy, future risks of supported and exempt accommodation, review of Council Tax Support schemes; as well as future housing delivery, preventative services and Benefits.
Laura Anne Smith, Director of Client Relationships, Excel Civil Enforcement
Laura has spent her entire career to date within the industry, starting out in revenues and benefits management within local government, before transitioning into civil enforcement. She joined Excel in 2018, before moving to Civica as Business Development Director to promote CivicaCollect Single View of Debt Solution and Enforcement case management software, where she learned a great deal about the technology side of our industry. Laura returned to Excel in 2023, as enforcement is where her passion lies. Her current role entails looking after Excel’s clients across England and Wales. Her focus is threefold: winning new client contracts, driving the adoption of technology throughout the business to assist the debtor journey and supporting the industry. In 2024, Laura was elected to the IRRV National Council and, earlier this year, was invited to join the Regional IRRV Wales Executive.
Alistair Townsend, Director, Alistair Townsend Ltd
Alistair is currently IRRV Commercial Services Portfolio Holder and Council Member. He is also a Past President of the Institute. He has worked within Local Taxation, Revenues and Benefits throughout his career, initially working for a couple of Nottinghamshire Councils and latterly as Head of Revenues & Benefits for Milton Keynes Council. Alistair originally joined Milton Keynes, working for Mouchel in a contracted out service, and then later managed the transfer of the Service to the Council, during which time he also became Deputy Partnership Director for a Council owned LLP. After leaving Milton Keynes, Alistair joined Marston as Group Client Services Director, where he managed the Client Services function for the whole range of Group companies. After some 28 years working in Revenues and Benefits on an employed basis, Alistair established his own business as a consultant specialising in Local Taxation, Revenues & Benefits and local authority debt collection.
Cecilia Torsney, Advice & Policy Manager, Royal Borough of Greenwich
Cecilia has worked in the debt advice sector since 1995 as a volunteer, caseworker and manager. She has worked in a variety of third sector agencies, including multiple Citizens Advice and the Mary Ward Legal Centre. In her current role, she established and leads the in-house specialist Money Advice Team at Royal Greenwich. The team works collaboratively with the Housing Incomes Team, Council Tax Enforcement and Benefit Recovery to tackle local authority debt in a constructive and compassionate manner. She also leads the Local Welfare Assistance Scheme at Greenwich, offering emergency cash, furniture and white goods to the most vulnerable residents in the borough. Cecilia has a particular interest in developing the potential for debt advice to amplify the effectiveness of local authority discretionary support schemes and to bring about long-term behaviour change, tenancy sustainment and improved quality of life. Cecilia is the London Representative for the Institute of Money Advisers and part of the organising committee for the London Money Advice Group.
Alex Worthington, Barrister, Greenhalgh Kerr
Alex joined Greenhalgh Kerr in 2017 and is involved in each of the firm’s practice areas; Local Government Finance, Asset Finance, Insolvency and Landlord & Tenant. As a Barrister, he appears for the firm’s clients regularly in the Magistrates’ Court, County Court, High Court and Valuation Tribunal for England, specialising in litigation relating to National Non-Domestic Rates and issues arising from avoidance. In addition to appearing as Counsel, Alex has an advisory practice providing opinions on issues relating to business rates, council tax, insolvency, asset finance and property. Further, Alex provides training to clients, speaks regularly at events and is frequently published in the IRRV’s Insight magazine.