CIPFA council is the institute's overarching governing body. The council sets the strategic direction, approves the business plan and budget, makes appointments including trustees and to the subcommittees, approves co-options to council, and approves standards of professional practice.
2024/25 officers
President
Carol Culley OBE CPFA
Commissioner, Woking Borough Council.
Member of:
CIPFA Board
Commercial Board
Nominations Committee
Remuneration Committee
Vice President
Sir Mark Lowcock
Distinguished Non-resident Fellow
Centre for Global Development
Member of:
CIPFA Board
Commercial Board
Nominations Committee
Remuneration Committee
Junior Vice President
Hardev Virdee CPFA
Group Chief Finance Officer (CFO) for Barts Health NHS Trust
Member of:
CIPFA Board
Nominations Committee
Remuneration Committee
Past President
Caroline Rassell CPFA
CEO Parkinson's UK
Member of:
CIPFA Board
Nominations Committee
Remuneration Committee
The 2023/25 Institute Council members
Adesola David Adepoju CPFA, FCA – Elected (Africa)
Team Lead Auditor/Office of Auditor General For The Federation
Member of:
Public Policy and Reform Forum
Naeem Ahmed CPFA – Elected (South East including Channel Islands)
Assistant Director, Strategy and Transactions – Corporate Finance, Ernst & Young LLP
Member of:
Nominations Committee
Caroline Al-Beyerty CPFA – Elected (South East including Channel Islands)
Chamberlain, City of London Corporation
Member of:
Public Financial Management Board, Vice Chair
Deirdre Bane CPFA - Co-opted 
Senior Finance Specialist Institute of Public Administration, Dublin
Member of:
Student and Members Board
David Blair – Elected (Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland)
Head of Finance, Governance & Risk, Northern Regional College
Member of:
Student and Members Board
Theresa Channell – Elected (The Midlands)
Service Director Finance, Chesterfield Borough Council
Member of:
Student and Members Board
Amy Crowson CPFA – Elected (South East including Channel Islands)
Senior Manager, PWC
Member of:
Student and Members Board, Vice Chair
Jim Dafter – Elected (North East)
Senior Manager, Mazars LLP
Member of:
Governance and Assurance Forum
Nadeem Dean CPFA - Elected (The Americas)
Treasurer/Director of Finance for the Township of Adjala-Tosorontio, Ontario, Canada
Member of:
Finance Work Force Forum
Dr. D Joyce Christina Dharmaraj – Elected (Asia Pacific)
Deputy Chief Accountant, Accountant General's Department of Malaysia
Member of:
Student and Members Board
Stephanie Donaldson CPFA – Elected (North West)
Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer, St Helens College
Member of:
Audit Committee
Amanda Dowse – Elected (Scotland)
Assistant Director of Finance, NHS Ayrshire & Arran
Member of:
Nominations Committee
Peter Gillett CPFA – Elected (The Midlands)
Director of Commercial Services, West Midlands Police
Member of:
Public Policy and Reform Forum
Libby Mason, CIPFA – Co-opted
Partner, Deloitte Consulting.
Mark McBride CPFA – Co-opted
Independent Chair, Northern Ireland Local Government Officers Superannuation Committee (NILGOSC).
Member of:
CIPFA Board
Students and Members Board, Chair
Nominations Committee
Remuneration Committee
Leslie Milne – Elected (Europe) 
Principal Administrator, European Commission
Member of:
Student and Members Board
Rebecca Nelson FCPFA – Elected (Wales)
Director of Planning, Performance & Informatics, NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership
Member of:
Public Finance and Management Board
Mike Newbury FCPFA - Co-opted
Director, Department of Health, National Audit Office
Member of:
Audit Committee
Lee Outhwaite CPFA - Co-opted
Chief Finance Officer, NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board
Member of:
Public Policy and Reform
Ian Owen – Elected (North West)
Industry Director - Local Government TechnologyOne
Member of:
Nominations Committee
Nina Philippidis – Elected (South West)
Deputy Chief Executive & Executive Director of Corporate Resources, Gloucestershire County Council
Member of:
Public Finance and Management Board
Mohammed Sajid – Elected (The Midlands)
Head of Financial Strategy, Birmingham City Council
Member of:
CIPFA Board
Geoffrey Simpson - Co-opted
Director of Audit Quality Council, European Court of Auditors
Member of:
Public Financial Management Board
Dennis Skinner – Elected (South East including Channel Islands)
Director of Improvement Local Government Association
Member of:
Governance and Assurance Forum
Luke Smith – Elected (Yorkshire and Humber)
Senior Commercial Assurance Manager, Department of Health and Social Care
Member of:
Audit Committee
Ileana Steccolini, PhD – Co-opted
Professor of Accounting and Director of Research, Essex Business School
Member of:
Student and Members Board
Donella Steel – Elected (Scotland)
Director of Finance, National Galleries of Scotland
Member of:
Audit Committee
Professor Toshihiko Ishihara – Co-opted
President of CIPFA Japan
Jason Vaughan – Co-opted
Managing Director, VF Consultants Limited
Member of:
Audit Committee (Vice Chair)
Ian Williams - Elected
Group Director of Finance and Corporate Resources
London Borough of Hackney
Member of:
Public Financial Management Board
Harriot Winfield - Co-opted
Finance Manager, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Member of:
Students and Members Board
Lee Yale-Helms FCPFA - Elected
Director of Finance & Resources
Birmingham Children’s Trust
Member of:
Public Policy and Reform Forum