A Chartered Accountant (CIPFA), Internal Auditor (CMIIA) and Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist (ACFS), Rich has worked with the local public sector for almost 25 years, first as a trainee with the Audit Commission in London. He worked in the private sector with KPMG, then leading another audit partnership in Mid Kent before becoming the London Borough of Lewisham’s Head of Assurance. His wider roles have included Treasurer of the London Audit Group, Core Group Member of the Local Authority Chief Auditors’ Network and Local Government Lead on the Internal Audit Standards Advisory Board. He joined SWAP as its Chief Executive on 24 February 2025.

Bethan Jones is a qualified chartered accountant with over 20 years internal audit experience. She has held several senior positions including Head of Internal Audit, SMF5 and Audit Committee Member. Bethan began her career with PwC LLP where she worked in the Public Sector department for over eleven years. During this time Bethan managed the delivery of a number of key internal audit clients across a range of public sector bodies including local government, NHS, FE, and HE and Welsh Government funded bodies.

Bethan became the Head of Assurance for Gocompare.com in 2012 where she established a new audit function. Subsequently, Bethan has held several other senior internal audit positions at various organisations including Target Group and Somerset Bridge Group.

Bethan currently works as an independent internal audit consultant, delivering bespoke internal audit, governance and risk assignments to clients in a range of industries. Bethan has been a member of the Chartered IIA External Quality Assessment panel for over five years and has performed 20+ EQAs . Examples of Bethan’s recent EQA reviews include the GIAA, Northern Ireland Water,  One Family, Convex Insurance, Covea Insurance, Money supermarket Group, Rank Group, Transport for Wales and Motobility.

After six years as an external auditor, I transitioned from accountancy to internal audit and have spent the subsequent 31 years working firstly in the private sector for professional services firms, as a supplier of outsourced internal audit, and then as an in-house head of internal audit in the public sector/central government. I found internal audit by chance but realised quickly how fascinating, challenging, stretching and rewarding it is. I have been an IIA Wales Committee member since 2015 and really value the network of internal auditors in my region; as an auditor, I never stop learning and this network provides great opportunities to collaborate, engage, learn and develop while allowing me to make a contribution to my profession.

Ben Prosser is the Acting Head of Internal Audit at Wales & West Utilities, where he has led significant modernisation of the Internal Audit function, strengthening audit methodology, enhancing quality standards, and building trusted relationships across senior leadership and the Audit and Risk Committees. Since joining WWU in 2017, he has developed deep organisational insight spanning finance, risk, governance and assurance.

An ICAEW‑qualified accountant with an LLB in Law, Ben previously practised law before embarking on a successful career as a UK diplomat, working in London and overseas on complex legal, policy and crisis matters. He brings a distinctive combination of analytical rigour, legal grounding and diplomatic judgement to his leadership of the internal audit function.