Trusted Advice for Purpose-Led Organisations
Durrant Riley Advisory supports charities, SMEs and public bodies with independent, judgement-led advice on governance, compliance and organisational risk. We believe effective governance should be proportionate, practical, and grounded in clear, defensible reasoning, not bureaucracy for its own sake.
With senior, hands-on experience across regulatory compliance, data protection, counter fraud, health and safety, business continuity and board assurance, we help trustees and leaders understand their responsibilities, navigate uncertainty, and make confident, well-founded decisions. Our approach is pragmatic, discreet, and always tailored to the realities of your organisation.
Joseph Durrant-Riley
Founder & Principal
I founded Durrant Riley Advisory after more than two decades in senior governance, compliance and risk roles across the charity, higher education, social housing and commercial sectors.
Most recently, I spent nearly eight years at Alzheimer’s Research UK, one of the country’s largest medical research charities, latterly as Head of Legal & Compliance and Data Protection Officer, where I led the organisation’s legal, compliance, data protection, health & safety, and risk functions and acted as Money Laundering Reporting Officer. Before that I was a Global Compliance Manager at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, and Senior Compliance & Investigation Officer at Circle Housing Group. Across those roles I built compliance and business continuity frameworks from the ground up, led sensitive investigations, and managed serious incidents through to regulatory notification with the ICO and Charity Commission.
That experience shapes how I work. I have sat in the seat my clients sit in — accountable to a board, balancing limited resources against real risk, and making decisions that have to stand up to scrutiny afterwards. My focus is on sound judgement over unnecessary process: helping organisations navigate complexity with confidence, discretion and integrity, and giving leaders advice that is both practical and defensible.
For charities in particular, I understand the specific pressures trustees carry, the duty to protect funds and beneficiaries, the weight of safeguarding and serious incident obligations, and the need for genuinely independent support when matters are sensitive or reach the top of the organisation.
Qualifications & Accreditations
My advice is grounded in formal qualifications across the full breadth of governance, risk and compliance:
- CBCI — Certificate of the Business Continuity Institute (Merit)
- CFPAB Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist
- Postgraduate Diploma in Counter Fraud and Counter Corruption Studies — University of Portsmouth
- Practitioner Certificate in Data Protection (GDPR) — PDP Training
- NEBOSH National Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety
- CIPFA Certificate in Investigative Practice
Let’s talk
If you’re weighing up a decision, facing a tricky issue, or simply want a second opinion from someone who has been in your position, I’m happy to talk it through – no obligation.