Kate Sayer
Biography
Kate is Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC) and a qualified Chartered Accountant. She was part of the founding team of Sayer Vincent, a professional audit and advisory firm specialising in social purpose organisations. Kate has audited and advised a wide range of charities and social enterprises for over 30 years.
Kate contributed to the development of charity accounting through membership of the Charities SORP Committee for 15 years. For many years, she taught charity finance to students at Bayes Business School. She has written a number of books and publications covering charity management, finance, taxation and risk management.
From January 2020 to December 2023, Kate was Oxfam’s first Director of Integrity and Ethics. She introduced fresh thinking on risk management, internal audit, social responsibility and led the establishment of organisation-wide prevention and management of misconduct.
She has served as a trustee for numerous charities, currently holding the position of Chair for a human rights charity and acting as a trustee for a charity dedicated to disability rights.
Board member
Charity Commission Board members are ultimately responsible for all that the commission does. They set the commission’s values, business direction and strategy and make sure it acts fairly, responsibly, transparently, proportionately and ethically. Board members see that the Commission maintains its integrity and independence. They identify and manage risks and listen and respond to stakeholders.
The Commission’s Board members also:
- monitor how the Commission meets its statutory objectives and uses its legal powers
- consider the Commission’s management team’s performance, governance standards and delivery against plans
- focus on maximising the Commission’s impact and effectiveness
- make sure the Commission uses public funds prudently