AAT's advisory boards
AAT's Board of Trustees is supported by two independently led advisory boards that provide scrutiny, assurance and specialist insight, strengthening governance and supporting informed decision-making.
Operating under delegated authority from the Board of Trustees, the Professional Regulation and Standards Compliance (PRSC) Board oversees matters relating to AAT's role as a professional body and supervisory authority, while the Awarding Organisation Compliance (AOC) Board focuses on AAT's responsibilities as an awarding organisation.
Together, these boards play a key role in reinforcing oversight, ensuring transparency and maintaining confidence in AAT's regulatory and awarding functions.
Professional Regulation and Standards Compliance (PRSC) Board
The Professional Regulation and Standards Compliance (PRSC) Board provides independent oversight and constructive challenge across AAT's regulatory and supervisory activities. It helps ensure that decisions affecting AAT members and AAT licensed members are impartial, consistent, proportionate and made in the public interest.
It plays a key role in safeguarding confidence in AAT's professional standards and requirements, and regulatory approach. This includes oversight of AAT's responsibilities for anti-money laundering (AML) supervision under the Money Laundering Regulations, and holding AAT to account in its role as a Professional Body Supervisor.
Members also monitor relevant external developments to ensure AAT's regulatory and supervisory approach remains effective, proportionate and aligned with good practice.
The PRSC Board includes AAT licensed members and lay members, bringing together a broad range of professional, regulatory, supervisory and practitioner expertise. This may include experience in professional regulation, disciplinary processes, practice assurance, ethics, governance, AML supervision and accountancy practice.
Richard Collins OBE
- Chair, AAT Professional Regulation and Standards Compliance Board
Richard is Board Chair, bringing extensive senior leadership experience in professional regulation, including roles at the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
He has a particular focus on strengthening regulatory oversight, including anti‑money laundering (AML) supervision and the prevention of financial crime, in support of effective public protection. He also upholds the integrity of the professional register and promotes proportionate, risk‑based regulation.
Tina Russell
- Lay PRSC Board member
Tina is an independent consultant with over 20 years’ experience across professional membership bodies and non-profit organisations. She specialises in governance, regulation and disciplinary processes, having led over 1,000 fitness to practise hearings and complex investigations. She brings expertise in ethics, codes of conduct and regulatory frameworks, supporting robust, transparent decision-making and continuous improvement in professional standards.
The Awarding Organisation Compliance (AOC) Board
The Awarding Organisation Compliance (AOC) Board provides independent strategic oversight of AAT’s responsibilities as an awarding organisation, securing and maintaining compliance with the requirements of UK and international qualifications regulators, and ensuring AAT qualifications and assessments remain high quality, compliant and fit for purpose.
Operating outside AAT’s formal governance framework, the Board ensures objectivity and independence in regulatory oversight while reporting directly to the AAT Board of Trustees.
Members provide strategic oversight to ensure AAT qualifications remain high quality, compliant and fit for purpose. They review performance, challenge key decisions and oversee regulatory compliance, helping to ensure outcomes are fair, risk-aware and aligned with the public interest. Through independent challenge and scrutiny, they help maintain trust in AAT qualifications and ensure they continue to be valued by learners, employers and stakeholders.
AAT members and non-AAT members are eligible for the AOC Board, and can bring expertise in regulation, education and professional practice to support effective oversight.
Julie Swan
- Chair, AAT Awarding Organisation Compliance Board
As Chair, Julie brings extensive understanding of qualifications and assessment gained from her experience as Director of Education and Training at the Solicitors Regulation Authority and as Executive Director of General Qualifications and Deputy Chief Regulator at Ofqual. She has a strong background in regulatory oversight, qualification reform and maintaining high professional standards.
