The ACCA Global Forum for the Public Sector

The forum leads ACCA’s work in finance and accounting issues in the international public sector. It brings together senior figures from central and local government and other state institutions from all over the world. The forum’s agenda covers public financial management, budgeting,accounting, audit, governance and regulation.

Chair

Photo of Anthony Harbinson

Anthony Harbinson

Anthony is the Permanent Secretary of the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. He is responsible for the all aspects of the Departments work including farming, fisheries (both inshore and offshore) plant and Animal health, environment planning, climate change and green grown.

Prior to taking up this role Anthony spent 20 years working in the justice field for the NI department of Justice and the Northern Ireland Office. He was responsible for a wide portfolio of areas during this time including resourcing, policy and legislative framework for policing, the courts and community safety within Northern Ireland and he spent five years as a Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions designing and implementing the new Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland and before joining the Civil Service he worked within the Northern Ireland Health Service.

ACCA Expert

Photo of Alex Metcalfe

Alex Metcalfe

Alex is the head of public sector policy in the Policy & Insights team at ACCA. He leads on developing thought leadership for the public sector and represents ACCA at a variety of events and senior forums.

He has worked across central, provincial and local government in the UK and Canadian civil service, including as a senior economist - specialising in tax policy - at the Ontario Ministry of Finance. He has published material across a breadth of public sector topics, including: infrastructure finance and delivery, employment law, fiscal policy, immigration and skills, and adult social care.

Alex is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). He studied at Oxford, Cambridge and Queen's universities.