Home - KCG Audit

Optimising
educational
performance for
thriving futures

We are a leading provider of specialist risk assurance and internal auditing services to the Higher Education sector.

We support institutions by completing independent, objective assessments that help streamline systems and processes to reduce costs and achieve strategic objectives.

Our work enables institutions to focus on providing the best environment for student learning, growth & experience.

Talk to us

Our Experts

With more than 200 years of combined experience in auditing, our team of passionate auditors understand the Higher Education sector and will integrate seamlessly into your team as a supportive and trusted partner.

Meet our team of dedicated specialists.

Alan Lees

Alan is Chief Executive at KCG Audit, a position held for eight years. A qualified accountant, Alan specialises in leadership and strategy. Alan is passionate about growth, and furthering development and improvement; qualities that led Alan to internal auditing.

Prior to joining KCG, Alan held roles at Grant Thornton and Robson Rhodes, where his clients included higher education and other not-for-profit organisations, and Central Government, industry regulators and accounting bodies. Alan’s career path led him to KCG with a remit to grow and expand the business and team.

Alan is motivated by having the space to be innovative and bring new ideas into play to future-proof KCG which has seen rapid growth in the past seven years.

Alan’s leadership style is to lead by example, motivating the KCG team to realise their potential to empower institutions we work with to navigate regulation and auditing controls with ease. In this way, KCG has emerged as a leading contender in the field of internal auditing in the HE sector.

Alan is at his best when demonstrating how KCG has improved a situation and enabled a successful outcome and energized by writing audit reports that are packed full of value.

In his spare time (though he is not always able to completely switch off!), Alan enjoys long walks with his Labrador Bella and is quite the chef, recreating MasterChef-worthy dishes at weekends.

a.lees@kcgaudit.co.uk

Jeannine Marlow

Jeannine is our Senior Audit Manager and Head of Internal Audit for two of our institutions. A Big Four trained Chartered Accountant, Jeannine has extensive and diverse experience across all areas of internal auditing, assessing the quality of risk management processes, systems of internal control and corporate governance, reporting directly and independently to the most senior level of executive management and to the board’s audit committee.

Jeannine worked for KCG from 2016 to 2018 and then re-joined in early 2022 after spending three years in the charity sector. A previous Head of Internal Audit for the UK’s largest private charitable hospital and project financier within the investment arm of a listed multi-utility company.

Jeannine is energized by meeting new people and motivated by a sense of pride and fulfilment through delivering work that makes a difference and enables institutions we work with to provide the best experience for learning and growth.

Family time is important to Jeannine and she enjoys supporting her daughters in their various sporting and musical pursuits and walking her dog, Dora. Jeannine is also a keen musician and plays the violin.

j.marlow@kcgaudit.co.uk

Melanie Cockton

Melanie is a Senior Audit Manager and Head of Internal Audit for two of our clients. Melanie specialises in risk management as a member of the Institute of Risk Management.

Melanie holds an MSc in Internal auditing and is a qualified internal auditor and member of the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors. Melanie joined KCG in 2020 having worked in central government for the Ministry of Agriculture and then Defra as an in-house internal auditor. Melanie was part of the in-house internal audit team at Royal Holloway University of London, and then the University of Surrey for a combined period of 12 years. Following a year in the private sector at Capita, Melanie returned to the HE sector with KCG.

Melanie likes to be on top of her workload and be able to play an active role in managing priorities. The best part of the job for Melanie is meeting new people, and her personable approach to client relationships has led to a large portfolio of clients who trust Melanie to present innovative ideas to resolve challenges.

Melanie leads an active life and enjoys walking her dog, Milo, as well as regular exercise classes to ensure she is always switched on and ready for the next challenge.

m.cockton@kcgaudit.co.uk

David Jones

David is our Corporate Governance and Data Analytics lead, an experienced internal auditor with 16 years of experience in both the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. David won a European scholarship and graduated with a MA in Banking and Finance in 2003 from the University of Wales, Bangor. David established an internal audit function within a mid-tier accountancy practice in East Anglia prior to joining KCG. David’s portfolio ranges from small specialist institutions to traditional multi-faculty universities.

David has worked with several central government departments, membership organisations and a variety of charities advising on their corporate governance structures and risk and financial control frameworks. Through his experience outside of the higher education sector, David brings an alternative perspective from a variety of sectors and tailors any recommendations accordingly.

David is driven by understanding how things work by dissecting issues and challenges and putting them back together. The key to David’s approach is to provide independent assurance that an organisation's risk management, governance and internal control processes are operating effectively.

David integrates seamlessly into institutions teams with reassurance that we are a trusted partner working together to identify gaps and opportunities. David is motivated by the variety of work and people he works with as no 2 days are ever the same, and he is energised by continually learning and progressing his skill set. David is a people person, he brings charm, professionalism and humour to understand how you work at your best to develop an open and transparent working relationship.

David has many interests outside of work that include playing piano, violin and the church organ. In addition, David is teaching himself to play the guitar and saxophone. David enjoys cooking, particularly Chinese and Indian food, but is a self-confessed control freak in the kitchen! David also undertakes voluntary work teaching swimming to disabled children.

David.Jones@kcgaudit.co.uk

Phil Drysdale

Phil is our Audit Programme Manager who specialises in financial audit, data analytics and project management. Phil trained as an accountant with the Audit Commission and worked in external auditing before moving to internal auditing in 2007. Phil has primarily worked in the public sector – local and central government, Police and Fire services and the NHS.

Phil is motivated by quality service delivery to clients and a genuine interest in the areas being reviewed. Phil enjoys meeting new people and getting to know his clients. Always eager to expand his current skill set, Phil is navigating a new data analytics process to introduce to KCG’s portfolio.

Phil is at his best when interacting with new people and having new portfolio areas to review. Phil is progressive in outlook and enjoys new challenges. Phil’s day starts early with a dog walk before heading to the office for work sprints that involve head-down focus to get as much done as possible and repeated every hour.

Phil is proud of the professional approach deployed by KCG. The team has a wealth of experience and are constantly sharing learnings and best practice to ensure KCG is at the cutting edge of internal auditing processes and practices.

p.drysdale@kcgaudit.co.uk

Matteo Biondi

Matteo is a CMIIA qualified Audit Manager. Matteo has broad experience across internal auditing, working with HE institutions to understand key objectives of each department, assessing the key risks and the processes in place to mitigate those risks.

Matteo joined KCG from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, where he was the Senior Auditor responsible for delivering an audit function across a complex policy and programme portfolio that spans 280 locations across the globe, building a strong assurance culture, embedding consistent international audit and investigation standards and setting capability standards across the teams.

Matteo is a problem solver by nature, with tenacity and persistence to provide solutions that support organisations growth and success, bringing independent and objective consultancy to present the facts neutrally based on evidence.

Matteo takes a person-centred approach to building relationships with clients, preferring to integrate completely into departments. At his best when supporting clients to understand the audit findings and recommendations, Matteo is energized by providing rich insight to clients to support decision making.

On a personal level, Matteo starts the day at the gym to wake the mind and get a head start to the day to enable productivity. A keen sportsman and big football fan, Matteo enjoys travelling after back-packing across South America during a gap year.

m.biondi@kcgaudit.co.uk

Kay Trinder

Kay is an Internal Audit Consultant specialising in UUK Accommodation Code of Practice, CUC Governance, data quality, financial systems and compliance with Competition and Marketing Authority requirements. ACCA-qualified, Kay joined KCG from the internal auditing team at Royal Holloway University.

Kay is tenacious in delivery, ensuring all relevant information is explored and understood to make useful and effective recommendations for clients. Kay is motivated by finding solutions that are justified and useful, acting as a trusted advisor to clients.

Kay is energised by problem-solving and is dedicated to professional development by reviewing best practice trends in the industry to ensure KCG is alert to innovative techniques and methods to provide the best service for our clients.

Kay is a Team Manager and assistant treasurer at Woking athletics club, competing on the track and in cross-country races and leading coaching sessions once a week. Kay likes to unwind with long off-road bike rides with friends taking in refreshments along the way.

k.trinder@kcgaudit.co.uk

Jayani Jayasinghe

Jayani is an Internal Audit Consultant focusing on financial systems, student systems, data quality, risk management, value for money audits and grant certifications. With a background in management consultancy, Jayani is adept at managing multiple accounts simultaneously having developed a varied client portfolio.

Jayani is motivated to make the best use of the time to provide as much value as possible and is energised by auditees who value the quality of service delivered. Listening is the key to success for Jayani, as it helps to understand and ask the right questions whilst also builds trust and respect with our auditees.

In her spare time, Jayani values time with family spent on long walks, reading and Zumba classes.

j.jayasinghe@kcgaudit.co.uk

Irene Mortimer

Irene is an Audit Manager with over 25 years’ experience across the education, not for profit, public and private sectors. After qualifying as a Big Four trained Chartered Accountant, Irene worked for several years for the Audit Commission, including an overseas secondment to Audit New Zealand. In recent years, Irene worked as an Audit Manager for a national accountancy firm specialising in the charity and not-for-profit sector.

Irene joined KCG Audit in 2023 having gained internal audit experience in the NHS and primary, further and higher education sectors. Irene enjoys the rigour of internal audit in ensuring that there are appropriate systems of internal control in place to support a person’s journey, whether they’re a patient, pupil, or student.

Irene has an emphatic approach and likes to work with and listen to her clients to agree practical and appropriate solutions. Having previously served as an Audit Committee member for three Police forces, Irene is motivated to promote and improve understanding of audit, governance, and risk within audit committees.

Outside of work, Irene loves to take part in various water sports including open water swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding and sailing her boat ‘Ruby Tuesday’.

i.mortimer@kcgaudit.co.uk

Mark Swinerd

Mark is an Audit Manager with broad experience of working with HE institutions. Mark qualified as a chartered accountant, and became an Audit Manager, with KPMG, providing external audits and other services to clients ranging from small companies to publicly quoted groups. Mark then had a number of years with the Audit Commission, primarily focusing on auditing the financial statements of local councils, as well as assessing their use of resources and certifying grant claims. By joining KCG in 2010 Mark moved over to internal auditing and has thrived in its greater scope to add value to clients through the provision of assurance and identification of areas for improvement.

Using his extensive experience both inside and outside higher education, Mark has a focused approach to understanding how clients operate and provides an independent assessment of controls, governance and value for money. Mark enjoys meeting new people throughout an organisation and building collaborative and effective working relationships. Audit work is undertaken in a manner that whilst minimising disruption, also ensures potential findings are shared and discussed on a ‘no surprises’ basis. Most importantly, Mark is motivated by the desire to see clients succeed and achieve sustainable futures.

Mark is proud to work with his colleagues and jointly support continuous improvement within both KCG and its clients.

m.swinerd@kcgaudit.co.uk

Meet The Team

Discuss Your Needs With
Our Experienced Team

Curious to find out how KCG could help your institution
achieve its goals?
Are you in need of independent, objective assessments of
your operations?

Get in touch with our team to find out how KCG could help your institution.

Email | enquiries@kcgaudit.co.uk
Call | +44 (0) 33013 38065

KCG Audit Limited, 7 Bell Yard Street, London WC2A 2JR

Company Number 09075270 England