AiB welcomes insolvency specialists

Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) has appointed two of the most respected figures in the Scottish insolvency sector to its Advisory Board.

Bryan Jackson and Laurie Manson join AiB as non-executive board members to offer independent challenge and professional expertise to the Executive Agency of the Scottish Government.

AiB is Scotland’s insolvency service and is responsible for administering the process of personal bankruptcy, the Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS) and recording corporate insolvencies in Scotland.

Johnston Carmichael’s Bryan Jackson is one of the most well-known figures in Scottish insolvency, having been practicing in the industry since 1979.

He was a partner with BDO LLP until retiring from the firm in August 2015 and prior to this was a partner in PKF (UK) LLP for 35 years prior to its merger with BDO in 2013.

A corporate insolvency expert, Bryan has successfully led the formal insolvency appointments at seven football clubs, including Heart of Midlothian and Dumfermline Athletic in Scotland and Portsmouth FC in England. He has also led high profile administrations for the likes of The Gadget Shop, USC and the southern division of Optical Express.

Bryan recently joined Johnston Carmichael as a consultant and is a member of ICAS and a former chairman of its Insolvency Committee. He is also a Fellow of Association of Business Recovery Professionals (R3) and a member of The Chartered Institute of Credit Management.

He said: “Having practiced personal insolvency for 37 years, I’m very pleased to have the opportunity to give my input to the direction and strategic planning of the Accountant in Bankruptcy.”

Laurie Manson has recently retired from big four firm PwC, which she joined in 1980.

Prior to retirement, she was a director in the deals team and had specialised in corporate insolvency and restructuring since 1987.

She has been involved in some of Scotland's and the UK's largest insolvency and restructuring assignments, was involved in a number of Chapter 11 cases for PwC's US firm and more recently led the firm's national insolvency and restructuring technical learning and development team.

Laurie is a member of ICAS and a Fellow of R3 and has been both a member and chair of ICAS' Insolvency Permit Committee, a member of ICAS' Regulation Board and of the R3 Scottish Technical Committee, contributing to a number of working parties looking at significant proposed changes to insolvency regimes in the UK and overseas.

Laurie said: “I'm delighted to be joining AiB's Advisory Board and am looking forward to working with Richard Dennis, the executive team and my fellow non-executive board members at this time of change."

Both new members join AiB at a time when the Agency is seeking to update the regulations governing corporate insolvency in Scotland and will work alongside the Agency’s existing non-executive board members Yvonne MacDermid, chief executive of Money Advice Scotland and former director of long terms savings at Abbey National Kate Dunlop.

Accountant in Bankruptcy chief executive Richard Dennis said: “Our new Advisory Board members are some of the most respected and authoritative in the field of insolvency in Scotland and bring with them a wealth of experience in strategic planning and business management.

“We are committed to ensuring our strategic decisions are made following advice from those possessing the best knowledge and expertise available and there is no doubt Bryan and Laurie are two of the most skilled and experienced operators in the country.”