History

We are proud of our long history of bringing public finance professionals together, and championing the industry

CIPFA started out in 1885 as the Corporate Treasurers and Accountants Institute. The first meeting was held in Manchester, a bustling industrial-centre at that time, growing at the kind of pace seen in Chinese and Indian cities today. The first president was George Swainson Borough Treasurer of Bolton.

During this period local authority treasurers united to support each other and share best practice to help combat the significant changes to the infrastructure of towns and cities, as well as the predominantly poor living conditions of Victorian citizens. On 6 January 1959 a royal charter was granted to the Institute.

In 1973 the institute became the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, or CIPFA for short. By this time it had branched out from local authority treasurers to supporting the whole financial aspect of the public sector and had 1,360 fellows.

The continuing expansion of the institute saw CIPFA purchase No. 2 and 3 Robert Street in 1983. Previous residents of the building included the author JM Barrie (the creator of Peter Pan), the poet Thomas Hood and the playwright Sir John Galsworthy.

Today, our 14,000 members and 3,000 students work throughout the public services, in national audit agencies, in major accountancy firms, and in other bodies.

Find out more in Tony Travers' look back at CIPFA's history, published on the institute's 125th anniversary.

Branch establishment

1897 – Lancashire and Cheshire branch
1898 – Western and South Western Counties branch
1900 – Metropolitan and Home Counties branch
1903 – Yorkshire branch
1906 – Scottish branch
1918 – Midlands branch
1919 – regulations for branches were promulgated
1903 – the first student society was formed for CIPFA students in the London area.

Past presidents

2023 Caroline Rassell, Chief Executive Officer of Parkinson’s UK
2022 Jayne Owen, Finance and Resources Director at North Wales Housing
2021 Mike Driver, Permanent Secretary at Ministry of Justice UK
2020 Professor Andrew Hardy, Chief Executive Officer of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW)
2019 Carolyn Williamson, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Corporate Resources for Hampshire County Council
2018 Sarah Howard, Partner, Head of Public Sector Assurance, Grant Thornton UK LLP
2017 Andrew Burns, Director of Finance and Resources, Staffordshire County Council
2016 Brian Roberts OBE, Director of Corporate Resources, Leicestershire County Council
2015 John Matheson CBE, Director, Finance, eHealth and Pharmaceuticals, Scottish Government Health Directorates
2014 Mike Owen, Interim Chief Executive, Bury Metropolitan Borough Council
2013 Jaki Salisbury, Executive Director, Bright Space Solutions Limited
2012 Sir Tony Redmond, former Chairman and Chief Executive, Commission for Local Administration in England
2011 Chris Bilsland, OBE, Chamberlain, City of London Corporation
2010 Jaki Meekings Davis, Director MD Associates
2009 Roger Latham, Visiting Fellow, Nottingham Trent University Business School
2008 Caroline Mawhood, Assistant Auditor General, National Audit Office
2007 John Butler, retired (formerly Director of Finance and IT, East Riding of Yorkshire Council)
2006 Caroline Gardner, Deputy Auditor General, Audit Scotland
2005 Diane Colley, Chief Executive, Rugby Borough Council
2004 Mike Barnes, Head of Technical Development, Audit Commission
2003 Hilary Daniels, Chief Executive, West Norfolk Primary Care Trust
2002 Roger Tabor, Strategic Information Director, Consignia plc
2001 Chris Hurford, Associate Director, District Audit
2000 Mike Weaver, Director of Financial Services, Worcestershire C C
1999 Brian Smith, Chief Executive, Stoke-on- Trent Council
1998 Margaret E Pratt, Rockingham Forest NHS Trust
1997 Ian Wood, Consultant, PDFM
1996 John E Scotford, CBE, County Treasurer, Hampshire C C
1995 Grenville J Folwell, Managing Director, Halifax Building Society
1994 Richard G Tettenborn, OBE, County Treasurer, Staffordshire
1993 Roger Buttery, Managing Director, Hartshead Ltd
1992 David B Chynoweth, Director of Finance, Lothian Regional Council
1991 Mike H Collier, CBE, Director of Finance, NHS Management Executive in Scotland, The Scottish Office
1990 Cliff Nicholson, CBE, Deputy Controller, Audit Commission
1989 David Hopkins, CBE, City Treasurer, Westminster
1988 Colin McMillan, Board Member, Severn Trent Water Authority
1987 E J (John) Patrick, Chief Executive and City Treasurer, Oxford
1986 Arnold Morton, City Treasurer, Coventry
1985 Phillip Sellers, CBE, Board Member, Corporate Finance and Planning, The Post Office
1984 Maurice F Stonefrost, CBE, Director General, Greater London Council
1983 Gerry E Daniel, County Treasurer, Nottinghamshire
1982 Keith J Bridge, CBE, Chief Executive, Humberside CC
1981 Eric Cobb, County Treasurer, Derbyshire
1980 Eric J Gilliland, Director of Finance, Thames Water Authority
1979 W (Bill) O Jolliffe, County Treasurer, Lancashire
1978 Ray K Lacey, County Treasurer, Mid Glamorgan
1977 William C Evans, OBE, General Manager, Redditch Development Corporation
1976 R L W Moon, County Treasurer, Wiltshire
1975 G S Pollard, Director of Finance, West Yorkshire M C C
1974 R S Grindrod, OBE, Chief Accountant, Eastern Electricity Board
1973 T W Sowerby, Borough Treasurer, Bromley
1972 Wilfred Bowdell, CBE, City Treasurer, Westminster
1971 James Lewis Salt, City Treasurer, Liverpool
1970 Francis Stephenson, City Treasurer, Birmingham
1969 W S Hardacre, County Treasurer, Berkshire
1968 Sir Harry Page, City Treasurer, Manchester
1967 JB Woodham, CBE, Borough Treasurer, Teeside
1966 Richard Partington, Treasurer, Eton R D C
1965 Herbert Keeling, OBE, Borough Treasurer, Worthing
1964 I M Cowan, MBE, Borough Treasurer, Eastbourne
1963 G C Jones, OBE, Borough Treasurer, Reading
1962 Norman Doodson, County Treasurer, Lancashire
1961 A L Imrie, CBE, City Chamberlain, Edinburgh
1960 A L A West, OBE, Treasurer, North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board
1959 George Beedie Esslemont, CBE, JP, City Chamberlain, Glasgow
1958 Joseph William Hough, OBE, Borough Treasurer, Islington
1957 William Orwin Atkinson, MBE, County Treasurer, Middlesex
1956 Ernest Sinnott, Chief Accountant, South Eastern Electricity Board
1955 Thomas Reginald Johnson, City Treasurer, Bristol
1954 Thomas Llewellyn Poynton, Borough Treasurer, Blackpool
1953 Arthur Hedley Marshall, CBE, City Treasurer, Coventry
1952 Sir Charles Herbert Pollard, CBE, City Treasurer, Kingston-upon-Hull
1951 Jack Whittle, County Treasurer, Nottinghamshire
1950 William Adams, Borough Treasurer, Wolverhampton
1949 James Scougal, Borough Treasurer, Beckenham
1948 Henry Brown, OBE, City Treasurer, Rochester
1947 Sir James Lythgoe, CBE, City Treasurer, Manchester
1946 John Ainsworth, MBE, City Treasurer, Liverpool
1945 Robert Sutcliffe, Borough Treasurer, Middlesbrough
1944 Robert William Edwin Bunn, Borough Treasurer, Brighton
1943 Hugh Robert Ralph, Treasurer, Harrow U D C
1942 Arthur Benjamin Griffiths, City Treasurer, Sheffield
1941 George Ernest Martin, Borough Treasurer, Poplar
1940 George Ernest Martin, Borough Treasurer, Poplar
1939 George Ernest Martin, Borough Treasurer, Poplar
1938 Sir John Dunlop Imrie, CBE, City Chamberlain, Edinburgh
1937 Frederick Steadman, Chief Financial Officer, Surrey C C
1936 Sydney Larkin, City Treasurer, Coventry
1935 Frank Waller Rattenbury, OBE, County Accountant, Middlesex
1934 Alfred Ernest Dean, MBE, Borough Treasurer, Swindon
1933 Robert Alexander Wetherall, Borough Treasurer, Swansea
1932 Donald Macnab Muir, Burgh Chamberlain, Dunfermline
1931 George Richard Butterworth, Borough Accountant, Hastings
1930 John Edward Bray, Treasurer of the City, Manchester
1929 Edmund Lund, MBE, City Treasurer, Carlisle
1928 John Robert Johnson, Treasurer of the City, Birmingham
1927 William Allison Davies, OBE, Borough Treasurer, Preston
1926 Charles David Johnson, Comptroller, London C C
1925 Samuel Lord, Borough Treasurer, Acton
1924 Roger Daniel Lambert, Borough Treasurer, West Hartlepool
1923 Percy Farnworth, Borough Treasurer, Bolton (Mr R D Lambert, Vice President, was appointed Acting President on the resignation of Mr Farnworth on 31 August 1923)
1922 Henry John Hoare, Chamberlain and Treasurer, City of Plymouth
1921 Arthur Collins, Treasurer of the City, Birmingham
1920 Edward Darnell, OBE, City Treasurer, Newcastle upon Tyne
1919 Feather Ogden Whiteley, OBE, City Treasurer, Bradford
1918 John Walter Forster, Borough Accountant, Tunbridge Wells
1917 John Walter Forster, Borough Accountant, Tunbridge Wells
1916 John Walter Forster, Borough Accountant, Tunbridge Wells
1915 Edward Alfred Coombs, Borough Treasurer, Kensington
1914 Edward Alfred Coombs, Borough Treasurer, Kensington
1913 Frank Winter, Borough Treasurer, Gateshead
1912 John Allcock, City Treasurer and Controller, Cardiff
1911 Robert Paton, City Chamberlain, Edinburgh
1910 Thomas Henry Clare, Treasurer of the City, Birmingham
1909 Jabez Beckett, Borough Treasurer, Accrington
1908 Sir Harry Edwin Haward, Comptroller, London C C
1907 Henry Marshall Stevens, Borough Accountant, Brighton
1906 Arthur Towers, Borough Accountant, Islington (Mr H M Stevens, Vice President, was appointed Acting President on the death of Mr Towers in April 1907)
1905 George Albine Thorpe, City Treasurer and Controller, Bradford
1904 William Gunner, Borough Accountant, Croydon
1903 William Bateson, Borough Treasurer, Blackpool
1902 William Stevens Carver, City Accountant, Oxford
1901 Thomas George Milner, City Treasurer, Kingston-upon-Hull
1900 Lister Woodhouse, Borough Treasurer, Birkenhead
1899 James Carter, Borough Treasurer, Preston
1898 Walter Clarke, County Accountant, Yorkshire (West Riding)
1897 George Stephen Parker, Borough Accountant, Stafford
1896 William Penn-Lewis, Borough Accountant, Leicester
1895 Richard Barrow, City Controller and Auditor, Liverpool
1894 Frederick Ernest Harris, Borough Accountant, West Ham
1893 William Cooper, Borough Accountant, Derby
1892 William Fisher Tasker, City Accountant, Sheffield
1891 John Henry Bailey, Borough Treasurer, Blackburn
1890 Samuel Collier Potts, Borough Accountant, Huddersfield
1889 John Elliott, Borough Treasurer, Rochdale
1888 John Eley Bryan, Borough Accountant, Nottingham
1887 Benjamin Jones, Borough Accountant, Sheffield
1886 George Swainson, Borough Treasurer, Bolton
1885 George Swainson, Borough Treasurer, Bolton

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