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Honorary Doctor of the University, 2007
Bio | Citation

A champion of both academic and professional education, Steve Freer is the Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), a member of the Board of the Centre for Public Scrutiny and the Local Government Leadership Centre. He is also a Technical Adviser to the Board of the International Federation of Accountants.

Before joining CIPFA as Chief Executive, Steve was Chairman of the Education and Training Committee, encouraging new universities to develop their public service education programmes. He was appointed CIPFA's Chief Executive in 2000 following a successful career spanning the public and private sectors. He has held senior finance positions with three large local authorities and has also worked as a successful management consultant with Coopers & Lybrand (now PriceWaterhouseCoopers). Since 2000 Steve has continued to build and support collaboration between professional accountancy bodies and academic institutions. His vision of the future role for international accountants, and the importance that education and training has in preparing individuals for that role, continues to strengthen the collaboration between CIPFA and our University.

In 2007 Steve Freer received the award of Honorary Doctor of the University.

Areas Of Interest: Business
Faculty: Lord Ashcroft International Business School
Citation:

"The Senate of Anglia Ruskin University has great pleasure in recommending the award of Honorary Doctorate of the University to Steve Freer, the Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).

CIPFA is the only chartered accountancy body focussing on public services. It has 13,000 members and a growing student body. CIPFA educates and trains accountants and provides a range of services and products focussing on inspiring and supporting modernisation and improvement.

Steve Freer was appointed as CIPFA's Chief Executive in 2000, following a successful career spanning the public and private sectors. He has held senior finance positions with three large local authorities - Birmingham City Council, Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire County Councils - and has also worked as a successful management consultant with Coopers & Lybrand (now PriceWaterhouseCoopers).

Immediately prior to joining CIPFA, he held the post of County Treasurer of Warwickshire, managing the financial affairs of the Council which has an annual turnover approaching £400m and employs 18,000 people. Under Steve's leadership the finance department gained a national reputation for its innovative approaches to quality assessment and improvement. The department was the public sector prize-winner at the Midlands Excellence Awards in both 1998 and 1999. In 1999 the Department was selected as a UK case study for the first European Union Conference to showcase excellence in public services.

Steve also holds a number of non-executive positions. He is a member of the Board of the Centre for Public Scrutiny and the Local Government Leadership Centre. He is also non-executive member of the Board and chair of the Audit Committee of the National Audit Office.

In his various roles, Steve has been a champion of both academic and professional education. Before joining CIPFA as Chief Executive, Steve was Chairman of the Education and Training Committee, encouraging new universities to develop their public service education programmes. Since 2000 he has continued this focus, building and supporting collaboration between professional accountancy bodies and academic institutions.

Academics at Ashcroft International Business School have been working with CIPFA for over thirty years, and since 2000 this relationship has blossomed with Steve's support and encouragement.

Anglia Ruskin University led the national network of CIPFA providers, ACIPFAL, for six years. It established a nationally recognised academic journal (the Journal of Finance and Management in Public Services), which continues to prosper. The University has worked with CIPFA to develop the first Professional Development Scheme for newly qualified accountants, which set the benchmark for building professionalism and continued learning into accountancy education.

Steve's vision of the future role for international accountants and the importance education and training has in preparing individuals for that role, continues to strengthen the collaboration between CIPFA and the University.

It is for his contribution to the development of public service accountancy education, for his contribution to the Ashcroft International Business School and for his wider contribution to the accountancy profession that I hereby exercise the power conferred on me by Senate, to invite the Vice Chancellor to bestow the award of Honorary Doctor of the University to Steve Freer."

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