Virtual Summit Speakers

Garry Carter
Co Founder & President
ICB
Garry Carter founded the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers in 1996 with his wife June Carter. Since then, he has remained a passionate advocate for bookkeepers and their role in the success of small businesses. In his current role at ICB, Garry oversees the professional standards team and is responsible for overseeing, inspecting and maintaining the high standards expected of ICB bookkeepers. A key part of this role is liaising with government bodies to ensure that the interests of bookkeepers are represented at a policy level. Garry is also responsible for keeping members up to date with the latest MLR regulations.

Cheryl Sharp FCCA
Domestic Abuse Workplace Consultant
Cheryl Sharp FCCA trains employers to recognise and respond to domestic abuse at work. She spent 12.5 years as a business owner and employer, founding the accountancy practice Pink Pig Financials in 2014 and selling it in June 2026 to work on this full time. She left an abusive marriage in 2011 with two young sons and no money, and built the practice while rebuilding her own financial independence. Her training covers how to spot the signs, how to have the conversation and how to keep someone in work and earning. She also runs Rebuild & Thrive, a programme for survivors that she delivers in Women's Centres for the frontline charity Safer Places, where she is a Trustee. She has spoken at Accountex and the EMR Customer Experience Conference and has appeared on BBC and Times Radio, in People Management and Personnel Today.

Chris Downing
Director for Accountants and Bookkeepers
Sage

Craig Olgivie
MTD Director
HMRC
Craig has enjoyed a UK Government career spanning over twenty years holding several key roles specialising in Digital and Data Transformation.
Craig is a proud Chartered Project Professional (ChPP) who attained Master Practitioner status in 2023 from the Infrastructures and Projects Authority (IPA).
Most recently from January 2019 as Deputy Director, Craig led the internal delivery of business change and engagement for go live of the high-profile Making Tax Digital Transformation Programme.
Following the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, Craig was instrumental in helping the UK Government deliver Furlough as the Project Director of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). CJRS was part of the HMRC’s CV19 programme which won APM’s Programme of the Year 2020.
In October 2020, Craig joined the Cabinet Office as a Director responsible for the Single Trade Window and several End of EU Transition Services including the cross-Government data sharing capability that enabled the Borders Operation Centre.
In April 2021, Craig re-joined HMRC to take over as Director and SRO of Debt Management, Debt Respite, Payments and Pensions Transformation programmes within the newly formed Transformation directorate. For two years Craig went on to lead HMRC’s Data Transformation as the SRO for Data Transformation, Data Remediation, and the Unique Customer Record Programme.
From late 2023, Craig moved to lead HMRC’s flagship Making Tax Digital as the programme Director. In 2025, alongside being Director of Making Tax Digital, Craig was appointed a joint Head of Place for Scotland.
Craig has a strong passion for building teams, putting people first and driving effective outcomes.

Lily Druian MICB
Credit Controller and Bookkeeper
LD Credit Control and Bookkeeping
Lily Druian is the founder of LD Credit Control and Bookkeeping and a passionate advocate for transforming the way bookkeepers and companies approach debt. With a decade of credit control experience across diverse industries and ICB Level 2 and 3 qualifications, Lily specialises in bridging the gap between standard ledger maintenance and high-impact cash flow management. She believes that converting sales into prompt payments is vital for business sustainability and growth. Rather than just "chasing money," Lily works as a professional extension of her clients' teams to resolve disputes, fix misallocations, and strengthen customer relationships. Her mission is to inspire fellow bookkeepers to look beyond the reports and take proactive steps toward mastering the accounts receivable conversation.

Ami Copeland
CEO
ICB
Ami Copeland is CEO of the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers in the UK. Ami stepped in to the role of CEO in 2023 after many years successfully overseeing the marketing and communications arm of the organisation. This background gives Ami an in-depth knowledge of the bookkeeping profession which combines with a natural empathy and enthusiasm to place Ami as a champion for bookkeepers across the world.

Rebecca Benneyworth MBE
Tax Expert
Rebecca is well known as a lecturer, writer and commentator on tax issues. She is a chartered accountant with 40 years' experience in practice and serves on a number of HMRC boards, including the MTD Programme Board. She was awarded an MBE in 2012 for services to the tax profession.

Lisa Pirie MICB
Co-founder/Operations Director
Acey Bookkeeping
Lisa Pirie MICB is a qualified ICB L3 bookkeeper and co-founder of Acey Bookkeeping, supporting small family and owner-run businesses. Acey Bookkeeping recently won Client Experience of the Year at the LUCA Awards 2025, having been finalists in three categories. They are also the proud winners of the New Practice of the Year Luca Award in 2023. Lisa is also Joint Chair of the Kent Branch of the ICB and is passionate about community, confidence and sustainable success.

John Gillert MICB PM.Dip
Scripted Finance

Fi Titus
CEO
Fineo
Fi is an ex-Deloitte ICAEW Chartered Accountant. Known affectionately as the “Financial Fairy Godmother,” she has built her career around helping SME businesses feel more confident and in control of their finances. She previously founded Coco Financial, an SME accounting and finance hub. More recently, as co-founder of Fineo, Fi sits at the intersection of accounting, technology, and client experience – driven by a clear mission: to elevate how financial professionals communicate and connect with their clients.

Della Hudson FCA
Accountant and Entrepreneur
Minerva Accountants
Della Hudson FCA is a chartered accountant, 2 times practice founder, and adviser helping firms grow from compliance to advisory. She grew and sold her first advisory practice in 2017 and now mentors accountants and bookkeepers on real-time finance and advisory frameworks. In 2021 she was made a Companion of ICB. Author of the award winning ‘The Numbers Business: how to grow a successful cloud accountancy practice’ and the highly commended ‘Changing the Numbers: how to deliver advisory services for maximum success’ Della delivers practical, actionable strategies to turn data into decisions that drive growth and resilience.

Natasha Everard
Bookkeeper Superhero
Bewitching Bookkeeping
Natasha Everard is a passionate sole practitioner bookkeeper, dynamic speaker, published author, and podcast host on a mission to elevate the bookkeeping profession. With a no-nonsense approach and a heart for helping others, she champions the power and value of bookkeepers daily — online, onstage, and in her thriving community. Known for her sharp insights and straight-talking style, Natasha empowers fellow professionals to build sustainable, successful businesses with confidence. Whether she’s mentoring, mic-dropping at events, or sharing stories on her podcast, Natasha is a relentless advocate for the industry — showing that bookkeepers are anything but behind the scenes.

Sobi Hariharan
Head of Strategic Partnerships
ICB
Sobi is an integral part of ICB, having joined as a marketing assistant post-university. After 3 years, she took an opportunity to be a D&I Programme Manager at UBS New York, igniting her passion for all things D&I. Upon her return to the UK, she went on to work in various roles at Morgan Stanley and Moody’s Analytics. Returning to ICB, she focuses on empowering bookkeepers with new tech as Head of Strategic Partnerships. An ICB DEI committee member, she champions inclusivity and is committed to elevating bookkeepers by raising their profile within the accounting industry.
