Gerald Bates

I am a leader within our International Institutions and Donor Assurance team, which specialises in delivering assurance and advisory services to international donors; helping them to build trust as to how their funds are being and will be managed by their partners, whilst also promoting the effective delivery of programs. I founded and head up our offering for grant-giving trusts and charitable foundations, whether attached to high-net-worth individuals, multinational corporations or established under a historic endowment. My team's work protects these donors from the financial, compliance, programmatic and reputational risks associated with the management of funds by their global partners.

I am a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. I have been involved in the delivery of over 3,000 assignments for global donors and have personally performed fieldwork in more than 40 countries. I hold a post-graduate qualification in International Development from the London School of Economics, and have served as a Trustee for an International NGO. I have been invited to contribute to sector initiatives, notably the world's first harmonised standard for assessing the financial capacities of prospective grantees and sitting on a global, grant award panel on behalf of the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

I am driven by the desire to make the most of the daily opportunities that my work affords me in helping both funders and recipients succeed through the application of effective systems of control relating to the management of donor-funded projects. My work, in turn, helps to underpin the trust that is necessary to enable the global flow of development, research and humanitarian relief funding, whilst also promoting the effective management of these funds to deliver optimum results for end-user beneficiaries.

Ask me about donor assurance, grant management, compliance, philanthropy, foundations, financial capacity assessments and international development.