Audit Commission - About us

Appointed by the Department for Communities and Local Government, commissioners independently oversee the Audit Commission's remit. They come from a range of backgrounds and their appointments are reviewed regularly.

Chairman

Michael O'Higgins, Chairman

Michael O'Higgins has been Chair of the Audit Commission since October 2006. Prior to that, he spent 10 years with PA Consulting Group as a Managing Partner leading its Government and IT Consulting Groups, and also, latterly, as a Member of its International Board. In 2005/06 he chaired a Department of Health external panel on Commissioning a Patient-led NHS and the previous year he chaired the Group advising the Minister for Health on the operation of NHS Research Ethics committees. He has also been on the Board of Trustees of Centrepoint since 2002 and its Chair since 2004.

He was previously a Reader in Social Policy at the University of Bath, with visiting appointments at LSE, Harvard and the Australian National University. He then worked at the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development in Paris and moved into consulting and advisory work at Price Waterhouse where he was a Partner until 1996.

Declaration of interest - Michael O'Higgins (PDF, 36Kb)

Commissioners

Steve Bundred, Chief Executive

Steve Bundred has been Chief Executive of the Audit Commission since 1 September 2003. Prior to joining the Audit Commission, Steve was Executive Director of the Improvement and Development Agency for local government and before that worked for the London Borough of Camden, joining as Director of Finance in 1992 and becoming Chief Executive in 1995.

Steve has also previously worked for Lewisham and Hackney councils and London University's Birkbeck College. From 1999-2005 he was a Board member of the Higher Education Funding Council for England and Chair of its Audit Committee. He continues to be a member of the Council of City University.

Declaration of interest - Steve Bundred (PDF, 86Kb)

Bharat Shah, Deputy Chairman

Bharat is currently CEO of BCS Business Consultant Limited, providing Business Consultancy and Executive mentoring. Has been a non-exec director for the West Bromwich Building Society since July 2004. Trained as a certified Accountant, worked for Eastman Kodak for 27 years where he became Vice President of Eastman Kodak and CEO of EAMER, Kodak Consumer Imaging. He has previously been the non-executive Chairman of Picdar Group, a 3i backed Digital Asset Management business and a non-executive director of Places for People Group.

Declaration of interest - Bharat Shah (PDF, 36Kb)

Jim Coulter

Jim was Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation for 17 years until retiring in June 2005 and before that he had a similar role at Leeds Federated Housing Association. He is now Chair of Bridging Newcastle Gateshead, the housing market renewal pathfinder, and a member of the North East Regional Housing Board. He has been a past Board Member of Shelter and Chair of Homeless Network and has served on a number of ODPM project boards.

Declaration of interest - Jim Coulter (PDF, 32Kb)

Dr. Jennifer Dixon

Jennifer is presently Director of Health Policy at the Kings Fund. She has held numerous posts in health, including Policy Adviser to the Chief Executive of the NHS. She has a background in clinical medicine and holds a PhD in Health Services Research. She is also a Board Member of the Healthcare Commission.

Declaration of interest - Dr. Jennifer Dixon (PDF, 96Kb)

Lord Adebowale

Victor is currently Chief Executive for Turning Point, and has held this role since 2001. Previously he was Chief Executive of Centre Point for a six year period. Chairmanships have included; Review of Social Housing for the IRR (1999), Third Sector Task Force and Departmental Race Equality national mental health steering group (co chaired with Rosie Winterton). He is currently a Special Commissioner to the Commission for Race Equality.

Declaration of interest - Lord Adebowale (PDF, 50Kb)

Sheila Drew Smith

Sheila is currently an independent management consultant to clients in the UK on business development and related management/governance issues. She was the part-time executive Chair of Tower Hamlets Housing Association Trust until its statutory end date of 2004/05. She is also a Board Member of the Housing Corporation and the South East Regional Housing Board.

Declaration of interest - Sheila Drew Smith (PDF, 97Kb)

Cllr Stephen Houghton

Cllr Stephen Houghton has been Leader of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council for nine years. He is Chair of the Barnsley Local Strategic Partnership; Chair of SIGOMA; Chair of the LGA Urban Commission; Chair of Barnsley Miller Partnership Ltd; and a Member of the South Yorkshire Objective 1 Programme Monitoring Committee. Cllr Houghton was awarded the CBE for services to Local Government in 2004.

Declaration of interest - Cllr Stephen Houghton (PDF, 30Kb)

Dame Denise Platt

Denise is currently Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection. Between 1998 and 2004 she was the Chief Inspector of Social care for the Department of Health. She is currently a trustee for NSPCC and is on the Independent Review Board for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Services.

Declaration of interest - Dame Denise Platt (PDF, 52Kb)

Cllr Peter Jones

Peter is a retired investment banker. He has been Conservative Leader of East Sussex County Council since 2001. Among other roles, he is Chairman of Sussex Police Authority, and Deputy Chairman of the South East England Development Agency.

Declaration of interest - Cllr Peter Jones (PDF, 98Kb)

Sir Thomas Legg

Sir Thomas' main career was in the Lord Chancellor's Department (now the Department of Constitutional Affairs), of which he was Permanent Secretary from 1989 to 1998. Since then, he has held a variety of part-time posts, mainly in the public sector, including being Chairman of the Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust and an external Member of the House of Commons Audit Committee. He is also currently Chairman of the London Library.

Declaration of interest - Sir Thomas Legg (PDF, 94Kb)

Raj Rajagopal

Raj was Chief Executive of BOC Edwards and Executive Director of the BOC Group plc between 1998 and 2006. Between 1981 and 1996 he held various positions including Managing Director of Edwards High Vacuum. He is currently NED for Foseco plc and a member of the Council of Science and Technology and is Chairman Manufacturing Sector Panel, Inst of Eng and Technology.

Declaration of interest - Raj Rajagopal (PDF, 42Kb)

Brian Pomeroy CBE

Brian was the Senior Partner of Deloitte Consulting until 1999 when he took up a number of public, voluntary and private sector appointments. He is currently Chairman of the Treasury's Financial Inclusion Taskforce, the Payments Council and the Gambling Commission. He is a member of the Financial Reporting Review Panel; Director and Deputy Chairman of QBE Insurance Europe Ltd; a Trustee of the Money Advice Trust; a Board Member of The Social Market Foundation; and Chair of The Photographers' Gallery. He was formerly Chair of the National Lottery Commission, Centrepoint and Homeless Link, and an independent member of the Council of Lloyd's.

Declaration of interest - Brian Pomeroy CBE (PDF, 97Kb)

Professor Peter C. Smith

Peter is Director of the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York, having previously worked at Cambridge University and in local government. He has held numerous posts as adviser to governments and international agencies, and has published widely on economic aspects of public services.

Declaration of interest - Professor Peter C. Smith (PDF, 99Kb)

Jenny Watson

Jenny was the last Chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission prior to its merger with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission. She is a member of the Advertising Advisory Committee, a non-executive director of WRAP, and an associate with Global Partners and Associates.

Declaration of interest - Jenny Watson (PDF, 42Kb)

Cllr Chris White

Chris was elected to Hertfordshire County Council to represent central St Albans in 1993. He was Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group from 1994 to 2003, resuming the leadership in 2005. He was Deputy Leader of the Council and has also been a member of the Hertfordshire Police Authority. Since 1998 Chris has been Leader of the Liberal Democrats of the East of England Regional Assembly. He also chairs the LGA Regeneration Board.