Appointed as a Board Member (Chair of Audit and Risk Committee) from 01 September 2022 until 31 August 2026.

Rachel is a general sports enthusiast. She is currently the Senior Independent Director at the LTA where she chairs the Audit and Risk Committee. She is also the LTA Board sponsor for Inclusion and Diversity. Rachel is also an Independent Non-Executive Director of Somerset County Cricket Club where she Chairs the Audit and Risk Committee. She is the Chair of the mental health charity Minds@Work.

Rachel was a partner at KPMG for over twenty years where she served as an audit partner and for eight years, until her retirement, she was also a member of KPMG International’s Global Executive serving as the global head of people, performance and culture and as the executive responsible for global communications. She has worked extensively abroad living in continental Europe, Asia and Africa. She is a qualified chartered accountant and was a fellow of the chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Rupen Shah

Appointed as a Board Member from 01 September 2022 until 31 August 2026.

Growing up a stone’s throw away from Wembley Stadium, it was almost impossible for Rupen not to be inspired by elite sport from an early age. Whether it was an England home international or FA Cup Final day, the excitement generated in the local area cemented his passion and enthusiasm for it. Rupen is now a powerful advocate for sport and believes in the transformational effect it can have on people’s lives and society.

Qualifying as a chartered accountant with KPMG, Rupen spent several years working strategically with high profile clients and also completed a secondment to India. He went on to become the Chief Financial Officer of the Football Foundation, the UK’s largest sports charity set up by the Government, The FA and Premier League. Rupen combines substantial expertise in commercial, charity and public finance with a real grasp of the challenges participants face when engaging and competing in sport.

Alongside his professional journey, Rupen developed a longstanding relationship with Arsenal FC for over a decade, which included several voluntary and part-time roles. This saw him deliver local community programmes, coaching clinics in 14 countries and coaching elite female players in the Academy, many of whom have now become, and will become, Lionesses.

Rupen now enjoys mentoring the next generation of talented sport enthusiasts, spending time with his family and travelling the world. He also continues his charitable work to tackle inequalities through trustee roles in sport and beyond, including Women In Sport and The Legal Education Foundation.

Remuneration and Governance Code

This role is remunerated at £218 per day. These appointments have been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Rachel Baillache and Rupen Shah have not declared any activity.

The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has today confirmed the appointment of Marion Leslie as Non-Executive Chair. Marion will chair the UKHO Board in this independent position, after a year as interim Non-Executive Chair and six years as a Non-Executive Director at the UKHO.

The Board supports, challenges, and validates the UKHO business strategy and oversees the organisation’s performance. Marion leads the Board as Chair, acting in the interests of the Ministry of Defence and key stakeholders, and supports and provides guidance to Peter Sparkes, UKHO’s Chief Executive.

UKHO exists to support safe, secure, and thriving oceans. The UKHO is a world-leading centre for hydrography, specialising in marine geospatial data that supports defence and global shipping, while helping customers and partners to unlock a deeper understanding of the world’s oceans and coastal environments. The UKHO serves Defence and wider government, has a thriving navigation business, and is developing future maritime products and services.

Working closely with the UKHO CE and executive leadership team, the Chair and the Board offer support and challenge to ensure that there is a clear focus on transformation, increasing revenues, building partnerships, and exploring new markets.

Away from the UKHO, Marion is the Head of Financial Information at SIX Group and a member of SIX Group’s Executive Board. She is also a member of the BME Board of Directors.

Named as one of Swiss Finance’s Women to Watch in 2022, Marion was also included in the World Federation of Exchanges Women Leaders List 2021 and named one of the 100 Most Influential Women in European Finance by Financial News in 2020 and 2021. In 2017, she was nominated in the Cranfield University Female FTSE 100 Women to Watch Board Report and, in 2014, won the Award for Achievement at the Women in Banking and Finance Awards.

Commenting on the appointment, Peter Sparkes, Chief Executive at the UKHO, said:

The position of Non-Executive Chair plays a pivotal role supporting the UKHO Board in the delivery of its corporate goals. We look forward to continuing to work with Marion who, as Interim Non-Executive Chair, has played an integral role in propelling the UKHO’s digital journey. Marion has helped us to identify and realise the opportunities that our ongoing transformation will bring and supports our vital work in enabling safe, secure, and thriving oceans.

Marion said she was delighted to accept the role full-time after being in post on an interim basis:

I am thrilled to continue to lead the UKHO’s talented Board and support the UKHO as it continues to create world-class products and services for safe navigation and maritime decision support, both for defence and for the commercial world. It is a wonderful organisation with deep expertise, and I feel privileged to be part of its journey.

The Non-Executive Director role that Marion held for six years has in turn been filled by Tash Toothill, Director, Enterprise Transformation at Lloyds Banking Group. Tash also becomes the Chair of UKHO’s Remunerations Committee.

Since arriving at Lloyds Banking Group in 2019, Tash has led enterprise transformation across risk, finance, people, payments, fraud, and financial crime, supporting Lloyds Banking Group’s aim to help Britain prosper and build the best bank for customers.

Before joining Lloyds Banking Group, Tash was Head of Enterprise at Amazon, with responsibility for developing Amazon’s payments solutions and evolving voice commerce experience on Alexa. She has also worked extensively across Europe as Senior Vice President for Visa. In that role, she created an omni-channel payment experience across in-store, online and mobile, helping global retailers, fuel brands, hotels, and airlines to leverage digital technologies for a frictionless customer journey.

Speaking on the appointment of Tash as a Non-Executive Director of the UKHO, Peter Sparkes said:

I am delighted by Tash Toothill’s appointment as a Non-Executive Director of the UKHO, and as Chair of our Remunerations Committee. Tash possesses a wealth of digital transformation acumen and experience that will help us to drive forward our ambitious change programme, ensuring the UKHO remains a partner of choice and that our assured ADMIRALTY products and services continue to be relied upon by the world’s mariners.

Tash said she was relishing the opportunity to help advise the UKHO’s board:

Joining an organisation with such a rich history and tradition in the maritime sector is a great honour. I’m excited about working with and helping guide the UKHO as it continues delivering digital products and services that support the future of navigation.

Tax-Free Childcare puts more money back in the pockets of working families by providing much needed financial support towards the cost of childcare for children aged 11 or under, or up to 17 if the child has a disability. For every £8 paid into a Tax-Free Childcare online account, families will automatically receive an additional £2 in government top-up.

Families receive up to £500 every three months (£2,000 a year) per child, or £1,000 (£4,000 a year) if their child is disabled, helping towards the cost of before and after-school clubs, childminders and nurseries, holiday clubs and other approved childcare schemes.

In June 2022, HMRC paid out £41.6 million in top-up payments, which was shared between approximately 391,000 families across the UK.

Families can find out what childcare support is best for them via Childcare Choices.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said:

Tax-Free Childcare can make a big difference to families, helping with the bills for things like wraparound care for school children, nurseries, childminders and holiday clubs. It’s easy to register – search ‘Tax-Free Childcare’ on GOV.UK.

More than one million families in the UK are entitled to some form of government childcare support and the government is encouraging those eligible to not miss out on their entitlements.

For thousands of families who use Tax-Free Childcare, the money they save each month on their childcare costs is money that goes back into their pockets. Accounts can be opened at any time of the year and can be used straight away, and money can be deposited at any time and used when needed. Any unused money that is deposited can be simply withdrawn at any time.

Read more information about Tax-Free Childcare and how to register.

Parents and carers could be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare if they:

• have a child or children aged 11 or under. They stop being eligible on 1 September after their 11th birthday. If their child has a disability, they may get up to £4,000 a year until they are 17

• earn, or expect to earn, at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week, on average each earn no more than £100,000 per annum

• do not receive tax credits, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers

A full list of the eligibility criteria is available on GOV.UK.

Latest Tax-Free Childcare statistics were released on 17 August 2022. Data is available up to June 2022.

HMRC has produced a refreshed Tax-Free Childcare guide for parents, which explains the reasons and benefits for signing up to the scheme.

Each eligible child requires their own Tax-Free Childcare account. If families have more than one eligible child, they will need to register an account for each child. The 20% government top-up is then applied to deposits made for each child, not household.

Account holders must confirm their details are up to date every three months to continue receiving the government top-up.

Childcare providers can also sign up for a childcare provider account via GOV.UK to receive payments from parents and carers via the scheme.

The government is offering help for households. Check GOV.UK to find out what cost of living support, including help with childcare costs, you could be eligible for.