Noel Hepworth is currently Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, (International). Until he retired in 1996, Noel was the Chief Executive of CIPFA.

He is a professionally qualified accountant; was educated at Crewe Grammar School and the University of London where he was awarded a post-graduate diploma in Public Administration. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and an Honorary Freeman of the City of London.

He was awarded an OBE in 1980 and has been granted Honorary Doctorates in Economics by the University of Hull, in Law by the University of Brighton and in Science by the City University of London.

Until 2003, Noel was the Chairman of the Public Sector Committee of FEE and he has also been the UK technical representative on the IFAC Public Sector Committee.

His career prior to being appointed Director of CIPFA was mainly in the public sector but he has also worked with the World Bank, the OECD, been a member of several Inquiries and Government Bodies, not least the United Kingdom Audit Commission, and has written many articles and books. He has also worked outside the United Kingdom on consultancy assignments in a number of countries in Europe, Asia and Africa.