Chair of Audit Committee

Appointment: Non-Executive Director and Chair of Audit Committee

The Opportunity Castle Peak Group is working confidentially with an established organisation operating within an investment and property-related environment to appoint an experienced Non-Executive Director who will also Chair its Audit Committee.

This is an important governance appointment requiring an individual with strong financial credentials, established board experience and the confidence to provide constructive challenge and independent oversight within a commercially focused organisation.

The successful candidate will bring significant financial, audit and risk expertise, ideally developed initially within a Big Four or comparable professional services environment, combined with external senior commercial leadership experience.

Experience or a strong understanding of property, real estate, investment, development or a related asset-backed environment would be particularly valuable.

The Role

As a Non-Executive Director, the successful candidate will contribute to the wider work of the Board, bringing independent judgement, commercial perspective and constructive challenge to strategic discussions.

As Chair of the Audit Committee, they will provide leadership to the Committee and ensure it operates effectively in providing assurance to the Board.

The role will have particular responsibility for oversight of the integrity of financial reporting, internal financial controls, risk management, corporate governance and the external audit process.

The Chair will develop effective relationships with the Board Chair, fellow Non-Executive Directors, advisers and external auditors, while maintaining the independence and objectivity required of the position.

Key Responsibilities

The Chair will lead the Audit Committee in overseeing the integrity and quality of the organisation's financial reporting and considering significant accounting and financial reporting judgements.

They will provide oversight of internal financial controls and the organisation's wider risk management framework, including consideration of principal and emerging risks.

The Chair will oversee the relationship with the external auditor, including audit quality, independence, effectiveness, appointment and remuneration, and ensure that the Committee provides appropriate scrutiny and challenge.

They will ensure the Committee maintains a strong understanding of the organisation's governance and control environment and will report formally to the Board on the Committee's activities, findings and recommendations.

Alongside these responsibilities, the successful candidate will contribute fully as a Non-Executive Director, supporting and challenging the executive and advisers and bringing an independent perspective to the organisation's strategy, performance and longer-term development.

The Candidate

We are seeking an established senior finance professional with the credibility and experience to Chair an Audit Committee and contribute effectively around a board table.

A professional accountancy qualification is essential, with a background gained within a Big Four firm or similarly rigorous professional services environment highly desirable.

Candidates are likely subsequently to have developed significant commercial experience at CFO, Finance Director, Partner or equivalent senior level.

Previous Non-Executive Director experience is essential, ideally including membership or leadership of an Audit, Audit & Risk, or equivalent committee. Previous experience as an Audit Committee Chair would be particularly attractive, although we would consider an experienced committee member who is demonstrably ready to step into a Chair position.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate strong technical understanding across financial reporting, audit, internal controls, governance and risk, alongside the ability to translate that expertise into pragmatic, commercially informed board-level challenge.

Experience within property, real estate, investment, development, infrastructure or another asset-intensive environment would be advantageous. We are particularly interested in candidates who understand the relationship between financial governance, investment decisions, asset performance and long-term value creation.

Candidates must reside in the North East of England.

The successful candidate will be intellectually curious, commercially minded and comfortable asking difficult questions while building strong and constructive relationships.

They will know when to challenge, when to probe further and when to allow management and advisers the space to operate.

They will bring independence of thought, sound judgement and the ability to communicate complex financial and risk matters clearly to colleagues from different professional backgrounds.

Above all, they will recognise that effective audit governance is not simply about compliance. It is about helping the Board understand risk, test assumptions and make better-informed decisions.

Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to ensuring that the search reaches the widest possible pool of credible candidates.

We particularly welcome interest from individuals whose backgrounds and perspectives may currently be underrepresented at board level. Appointments will be made on merit against the requirements of the role, but we believe that different experiences and perspectives strengthen board decision-making and organisational performance.

Confidentiality

This search is being conducted on a strictly confidential basis by Castle Peak Group.

Further information about the organisation, its strategy, governance arrangements and the full requirements of the appointment will be shared with suitable candidates following an initial confidential conversation with candidates who meet the initial brief.

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