Colin was a prize-winner of the Institutes of Chartered Accountants’ exam and has considerable expertise in the areas of tax planning, pensions, charities and computerised accounting.

In particular he is a specialist in forensic accounting and was responsible for the forensic investigation of Equitable Life’s finances during the well-publicised examination of its activities of the past decade. Colin was responsible for uncovering an additional £1 billion ‘black hole’ in the society’s accounts – a shortfall previously undiscovered by regulators and auditors – and he is the author of ‘The Alternative Penrose Report’ which predicted the findings announced in March 2004 when Lord Penrose’s report to Parliament on Equitable Life was published.