Volunteers & Governance
Biyi Oloko
President
Biyi Oloko is a seasoned Chartered Accountant (FCA) with a distinguished 30-year career driving financial transformation and business growth worldwide. As a pioneer Certified SAP Finance Consultant, he seamlessly blends deep financial expertise with cutting-edge technology to deliver exceptional business outcomes. His tenure as Special Adviser to the Immediate past Oyo State Governor in Nigeria the most populous country in Africa, and subsequent election as a West Berkshire Councilor demonstrates his commitment to public service and ability to navigate complex environments.
A dedicated community leader, Biyi actively contributes to local governance while also holding leadership positions within professional bodies. His passion for developing talent and fostering collaboration is evident in his role as Co- Founder Reading Tech Cluster; President, Thames Valley Chartered Accountants; Ambassador, International Trade for the Institute of Directors Surrey & Berkshire and Vice Chairman for the Institute of Directors Africa Group.
He is a Freeman of the City of London. Biyi has a proven track record in turnarounds and sits on numerous boards.
Ian Blelloch
Deputy President
Ian is a Director and shareholder of Chaco Limited and has worked with the company for 30 years. Chaco specialises in investing institutional money into residential property. The company made the first investments by pension funds into shared ownership and DIYSO properties in the early 1990’s. Most recently, Chaco has worked with CBRE IM acquiring two portfolios of shared ownership and then in 2019 on launching the CBRE UK Affordable Housing PAIF. Chaco is now the Operational Manager for the fund which now owns nearly 3,000 properties managed by specialist property managers.
Ian is actively involved in cancer research having been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 2010 both with the Royal Marsden and the Oxford Translational Myeloma Centre. He established the Oxford Myeloma Support Group to help fellow sufferers. He is also a church warden at his local church.
Previously, he was the Head of Private Finance at the Housing Corporation and before that, he worked at NM Rothschild & Sons Ltd, having qualified as a Chartered Accountant.
Bindi Palmer
Vice President
Bindi Palmer qualified as a chartered accountant in 1996 and has been a Partner and Head of Audit South at Xeinadin since April 2024. She was previously Senior Partner at Rouse Partners, where she worked for 18 years. Before that she held positions at
mid-tier practices, including a secondment in Australia, and at PwC, where she worked with a variety of UK and global companies.
Bindi has served on the Management Board and Governing Council of Praxity, the world’s largest alliance of independent accounting firms, and as chairperson for the Praxity UK Audit Working Group, a forum of audit professionals who discuss and collaborate on best practice, audit quality and regulatory change.
In 2016, Bindi was winner of the British Indian Awards for Services to Accounting
with judges noting her passion for international business, combined with client support offered through periods of significant regulatory change.
Bindi served as an elected ICAEW Council member for Thames Valley from 2021 to
2025 and is currently Vice-President of Thames Valley District Society. She is also a trustee of a mental health charity based in Oxford.
Paul Wagstaff
Secretary
Paul Wagstaff qualified in 1974 and initially worked in industry, as Finance and Managing Director of a small family-run company. He switched to general practice in 1988, merging with Vantis plc in 2005. Following their demise he returned to general practice in Bracknell. Married to Sue with three adult children he plays golf in his spare time.
Paul served as President of TVSCA in 1985/86 and 2020/22, and as an ICAEW Council member for Thames Valley from 1997 to 2013.
He currently serves as Hon Secretary of TVSCA but is planning to step down from that role in the near future.
The Society would therefore be interested to hear from any member who might be interested in volunteering for the Hon Secretary role.
Jeffrey Smith
Treasurer
Jeffrey Smith was born in Chalfont St Giles and grew up on the family plant nursery – now a successful garden centre – in New Denham. During that time he was an Eton College Chorister. After studying Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Leeds University he qualified as a chartered accountant with Robson Rhodes.
In 1976 Jeffery joined Eacott Standing (now Eacotts) in Windsor, becoming a partner in 1979 and Managing Partner in 2003. Eacotts is now based in Grenville Court, Burnham, Buckinghamshire; a Grade 2 listed building.
Jeffrey has served as President of the Slough Council of the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce (2014-2019), Chair of the Thames Valley Branch of CIOT (1999-2001), President of the Thames Valley Society of Chartered Accountants (2013-14 and 2015-16) and ICAEW Council Member for the Thames Valley (2013-2021).
Jeffery has two daughters. One is a doctor currently on the Gold Coast in Australia and the other is just finishing training to do the same thing at Exeter.
Council Members
Graham Durgan
TVSCA Council Member
Graham trained at what is now PwC and at INSEAD, more recently he became an accredited coach. He has spent the last thirty plus years creating and running businesses in sectors including advertising, public relations, recruitment, travel, motor dealerships and particularly in training, publishing and strategic consulting.
He has run both fully listed public companies and smaller entrepreneurial entities. He was a senior advisor to Mazars. He is Chairman at Emile Woolf International, International Financial Publishing, Audeliss/Involve and Durgan Monstein. His offices span the world and for 30 years he has operated internationally.
He is also a Council Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and was a member of their Technical Strategy Board; Chairman of the Non-Executive Directors’ Association; was a Fellow at the International Capital Markets Association and a member of WPO (World Presidents Organisation).
Married with three children he is a countryman and passionate ski tourer. He has travelled widely. In 2013 he and his 19 year-old son drove around the world (the Longest School Run). He hopes to sail around in 2026/27.
John Stout
TVSCA Council Member
John Stout has been a Chartered Accountant for over 35 Years. He has worked in a wide variety of industries since leaving practice. These include, manufacturing, road maintenance contracting, computer outsourcing and latterly transport.
He was Finance Director and CEO of the joint venture company that successfully introduced the Oyster Smartcard into London working closely with Transport for London. Since 2010 he has worked on a number of other smartcard introductions throughout Europe.
Now in semi-retirement he is currently an Associate Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University Business School. He has been a member of Chartered Accountants Thames Valley since 1989 and taken an interest in their activities. He joined the Thames Valley Committee in 2009 and served as President in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018.
John is married with three adult children. He lists his hobbies as model railways, transport (especially steam trains) reading and travelling.
Elected committee members with date of (re-)election
- Michael Cooper OBE (2024)
- Paul Davies (2022)
- Louise Herrington (2024)
- Nick Lloyd (2022)
- Fiona McKenzie (2023)
- James Pennington (2024) - Chartam Magazine Editor