Stephen Haddrill
| Stephen Haddrill | |
|---|---|
| Residence | Tunbridge Wells, Kent |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | New College, Oxford |
| Employer | Financial Reporting Council |
Stephen Haddrill is Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) in the United Kingdom.
Biography
Educated at Trinity School of John Whitgift from 1967 to 1974, Haddrill then studied history and economics at New College, Oxford. During the summer months his first taste of industry started with Findlay Durham & Brodie Electrical Ltd.
He joined the Department of Energy in 1978, where he worked principally on nuclear power, and rose to the rank of Principal Private Secretary to the Energy Minister.
From 1990 to 1994 he worked in Hong Kong as a member of the Governor’s Central Policy Unit.
From 1994 until 2005, he had a succession of roles in the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), as a director of the Competitiveness Unit, Director of Employment Relations, then in Consumer Affairs. In early 2002 he was appointed as Director General of the DTI's Fair Markets Group.[1]
He succeeded Mary Francis as Director General of the Association of British Insurers (ABI) on 3 May 2005. In this role Haddrill has taken a close interest in accounting standards, and from December 2008 was the UK representative on the Financial Crisis Advisory Group, an international group of standard-setting bodies coordinating responses to the financial crisis of 2007–2010.[2]
In October 2007, Haddrill was also appointed Vice President and Chair of the Institute for Employment Studies, a leading employment and human resources body in the UK.[1] He stood down from this role in 2011.
The Financial Reporting Council announced in May 2009 that Haddrill would succeed Paul Boyle as its Director General. Sir Christopher Hogg, chairman of the FRC, said Haddrill's experience at the ABI would 'enable him to bring a strong investor perspective to the work of the FRC.'[3] He took up the post in November 2009.
Views
In 2007, Stephen Haddrill strongly criticised the Government for failing to tackle the threat of floods. He said he sought to lead the insurance industry and its customers to do more to prevent climate change.[4]
in his first interview after taking office at the FRC, Haddrill signalled a change of emphasis from his predecessor on the domination of the accounting profession by the Big Four auditors. He said that the FRC had looked at the level of competition, and increasing it by creating a fifth large player was not achievable in the near term; his priority was therefore maintaining high standards while also preparing for the possibility of another global firm collapsing. He also criticised the effort to converge international accounting standards with American standards, saying that the focus should be on the quality of international standards.[5] He has since also been critical of the European Commission's proposals to reform the audit market.[6]
Private life
Stephen Haddrill lives near Tunbridge Wells, Kent. He has two sons.
References
- 1 2 FRC Board. Retrieved 2010-06-21
- ↑ Don't mix politics and standards, says Haddrill, Accountancy Age, 26 February 2009
- ↑ New chief regulator for accountants named, Accountancy Age, 20 May 2009
- 1 2 Stephen Haddrill, Government should do more on floods, Mail on Sunday, 23 September 2007
- ↑ Haddrill: We don't need a Big Five, Accountancy Age, 11 December 2009
- ↑ Nick Huber (21 November 2011). "FRC chief attacks EU audit reforms". AccountingWeb. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
External links
- Investing in successful innovating businesses, ESRC (article by Haddrill)