Who we are

30 years of doing
one thing well

Independent Examiners has been serving the charity sector since 1996. Here's a little of our story.

Independent Examiners was founded over thirty years ago under the watchful eye of Daryl Martin. Well known around the charity sector, Daryl had been serving charities in one form or another for more than fifty years. His relational style — putting people first, building trust over time — has always remained at the heart of how we work.

IEL office

We are delighted to say that some of our very first clients from those early days are still with us today. Over the years we have looked after the accounting needs of thousands of charities, and today a great team of specialists continues to provide what has become the UK's leading Independent Examination service.

"Built on relationships, grown through experience — that's not just a tagline. It's genuinely how this organisation has operated from day one."

In 2010, after years of building his network of trusted friends and clients, Daryl established what was to become Trust Advice — a full-service charity support offering. This new venture brought together a diverse range of staff and partners capable of handling all manner of charity matters, designed as a membership organisation to benefit both larger and smaller charities and churches that needed an outside resource.

At the end of 2019, Daryl began exploring the hope of a quieter life. Over the months that followed into 2020, the ownership and responsibility of the business moved into family hands. As the business made its transition in March 2020, so the world moved into very unknown territory. After a complex season both internally and across the country, Trust Advice and Independent Examiners emerged stronger and more resilient than ever.

Over the last four years we have been privileged to help hundreds of charities navigate their own challenges, and we would love to help yours.

We are very transparent and always happy to talk — with old and new clients alike. Do drop us a line or give us a call if you'd like to discuss your year end financial needs.

Meet some of our team

We have a broad team of examiners and support staff working behind the scenes — here are a few of the people you might hear from.

James Pavey

Chief Executive Officer

Providing support and direction to the whole team, James is leading the business growth and development.

Fi Ellis

Chief Operations Officer

Fi has eyes on all the work coming and going through the business and makes sure everything is running smoothly.

Jane Kenton

Administration

Jane supports the examiners and clients and ensures all the data is where it's supposed to be.

Daryl Martin

Advisor • FOUNDER

With an extraordinary career in the sector, Daryl remains on hand with uncanny insights and knowledge.

Gary Schulz

Senior Independent Examiner

Gary's depth of understanding and experience helps us all navigate through whatever comes up.

Jackie Irvine-Smith

Senior Independent Examiner

Our best practice specialist, Jackie brings many years of charity examination experience and is a regular go-to for advice.

Kim Gomes

Senior Independent Examiner

With a wealth of charity leadership and trustee experience, Kim's broad understanding is invaluable.

Lomax Pavey

Independent Examiner

Recently qualified and continuing to study alongside his work, Lomax looks after many of our smaller charity clients.

Zita Derbak

Independent Examiner

With a trustee and corporate finance background, Zita helps growing charities find their feet and get through their accounting challenges.

We would love to hear from anyone interested in joining our team. Whether you're a seasoned examiner or just starting out in your career, get in touch to find out if we have a current opening.

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We'll respond promptly with a clear, fixed fee tailored to your charity's size and circumstances.

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