CIOT: new leadership team announced for 2026/27

He will be joined by John Barnett as Deputy President and Jonathan Riley as Vice-President. The appointments, approved by the Institute’s Council, will take effect from 4 June 2026 at the CIOT’s Annual General Meeting.

Paul Aplin

Paul Aplin is a well-known tax writer and speaker, particularly on issues around tax administration and technology: he filed the UK’s first electronic tax return in 1997. He was for many years a tax partner at AC Mole & Sons and now advises two software developers. He is a member of HMRC’s Administrative Burdens Advisory Board, an Independent Adviser to HMRC’s Closing the Tax Gap Committee and is a former member of both the GAAR Panel and the Board of the Office of Tax Simplification. He was appointed an OBE for services to the profession and for public service in 2009.

Paul has been a CIOT Council member since 2017 and chairs the Institute’s Diploma in Tax Technology Committee. Notably, he will become the first individual to have served as President of both the CIOT and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

John Barnett

John Barnett, who will serve as Deputy President, is a partner at law firm Burges Salmon. He has been a CIOT Council member since 2014 and until recently chaired the Institute’s Technical Policy and Oversight Committee. He was a member of the 2013 GAAR panel, a contributor to the 2020 Wealth Tax Commission, is a member of the CenTax Advisory Board and is a former chair of Presiding Judges for the STEP Private Client Awards.

Jonathan Riley

Jonathan Riley, the incoming Vice-President, spent the majority of his career as a partner with Grant Thornton UK LLP, where he was National Head of Tax between 2013 and 2018, after which he served on the firm's National Leadership Board. He has been a member of CIOT since 2017 and is a former chair of both the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG) and the Institute’s Finance Committee. He currently provides consultancy advice on matters relating to tax risk and governance, in addition to chairing the Institute's Nominations Committee.

Nichola Ross Martin will remain on CIOT’s Officers Group as Immediate Past President, while former President Charlotte Barbour will take over as chair of the Technical Policy and Oversight Committee.

Looking ahead to his presidential year, Paul has identified tax administration as a key priority, highlighting the need for effective digitalisation and simplification of the tax system. He explained:

‘The tax system has become more complex and more difficult to navigate in the 37 years since I qualified as a Chartered Tax Adviser. That increased complexity is challenging for individual taxpayers and for businesses. It is a situation that CIOT works constantly to address, through our engagement with government and HMRC and through our efforts to help taxpayers understand the system, particularly through the work of the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group.

‘During my presidential year, I want to focus on some key aspects of tax administration: effective digitalisation, simplification and reducing administrative burdens, especially for smaller businesses where the impact can be disproportionately high. The working relationship between the tax profession and HMRC is critical to progress on these areas and an open, candid dialogue built on mutual trust must sit at the heart of that.

‘It is a privilege to take on this role and to work alongside such a dedicated and talented team.’