David Watkins

David Watkins spent 34 years in the UK public sector. He began his career at the National Audit Office (NAO), where he gained his Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) qualification. He became a CIPFA Fellow in February 2016.

His experience in the NAO was mainly focused on auditing accruals accounts. He moved to HM Treasury in 2000, where he worked on accounting policies for Whole of Government Accounts, including social benefits and tax. Mr. Watkins became secretary to the Financial Reporting Advisory Board and developed the Government Financial Reporting Manual.

In May 2006, he became Head of Financial Reporting Policy where he led the move to International Financial Reporting Standards across central government. In September 2008, Mr. Watkins moved to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office where he held a number of roles relating to improving processes and procedures. He retired from the public service in April 2013. Between May 2013 and July 2022, he provided consultancy services relating to improving Public Financial Management and migrating to accrual based accounting, mainly in Africa.

He has been a team member on a number of IMF missions relating to improving government financial reporting. He was the Chair of CIPFA’s Accounting and Auditing Standards Panel (from May 2010 to September 2021) and was a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants' Public Sector Global Forum (2007 to 2016).