Baroness Margaret Ford to step down as Chair of the Centre for Public Interest Audit

LONDON, 21 September 2026 – The CPIA has announced that Baroness Margaret Ford will step down as Chair at the end of October 2026, as part of her plans to retire from her wider business activities.

During her tenure, the CPIA has established a growing programme of research and engagement. This includes the Audit Trust Index, which provides new evidence on how audit is perceived by finance directors, audit committee chairs and investors, alongside wider work examining audit quality, market resilience, corporate reporting, technology and the contribution that audit can make to economic growth.

Dean Beale, Executive Director of the CPIA, said:

“Margaret has made an exceptional contribution to the creation and development of the CPIA. Establishing a new organisation is never straightforward, particularly in an area involving a wide range of interests and strongly held views. Margaret brought clarity, authority and energy to that task.”

Baroness Ford said:

“I would like to thank my fellow Board members, Dean and the CPIA team, our member firms, and everyone who has supported and contributed to our work. The organisation has an important role to play at a time when expectations of audit and corporate reporting continue to evolve.”

Baroness Ford informed the Board of her decision in June. The Board subsequently began the process of appointing her successor and is currently considering a number of candidates. Mary Reilly, a non-executive Director and Chair of the CPIA’s Audit Committee, will serve as interim Chair from the end of October until the appointment process has been concluded.