The boss of a leading professional organisation has been hailed as a ‘stalwart champion’ of the Isle of Man.

Simon Osborne, the chief executive of ICSA: The Governance Institute, has announced his retirement.

ICSA is short for the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators. There is a thriving branch in the Isle of Man.

London-based Mr Osborne never made secret his praise for the island.

During interviews with Business News, conducted on several trips Mr Osborne made here, he praised the island for its high standards of compliance and transparency.

Christine Clucas, the chairman of the Isle of Man branch of the ICSA which represents professionals such as company secretaries and administrators, was full of praise for Mr Osborne after receiving the news he will be retiring inmid-2019

Mrs Clucas said: ‘Simon has been a stalwart champion of the Isle of Man branch and a tremendous support during his time as chief executive.

‘Not only that, but Simon has been an enthusiastic ambassador for the Isle of Man during his extensive travels.

‘I look forward to working with whoever succeeds Simon to continue building the reputation for strong governance that the island enjoys.’

Mr Osborne said: ‘I have been chief executive of ICSA: The Governance Institute since October 2011, following a legal career in the railway industry and then working as a consultant helping to grow ICSA’s board evaluation practice.

‘This role has been an unexpected and thoroughly enjoyable career change for me, but I feel that the time has come for someone new to take the organisation forward.

‘I have much enjoyed the challenge of improving our outreach and support for our many branches in the UK and Crown Dependencies, Ireland and our Associated Territories; as well as helping to raise the profile of ICSA generally and in the media.

‘Our strong programme of regional conferences, the new two-day conference format in London and our annual awards have established us as a leading player in the governance space, with numbers of attendees and exhibitors increasing year on year.

‘We also have the new ICSA qualifying programme which we launched earlier this year as well as a strong portfolio of standalone qualifications to be proud of.

‘None of this would have been possible though without the dedicated team of people that I have had the pleasure of working with at ICSA; the support of our honorary officers and committee members; and the volunteers who serve so selflessly to sustain our reinvigorated branch network.’

President John Heaton said: ‘Since becoming chief executive seven years ago, Simon has led a significant change programme, focusing on three key pillars: representing and engaging with members, including reviving the branch network; extending the range of ICSA’s qualifications and training across many sectors; and raising its profile to reflect the increasing global importance of good governance.

‘ICSA: The Governance Institute is in a substantially stronger position now than it was.

‘The recruitment process is under way and whoever succeeds Simon has a solid base on which to build.

‘We are grateful for the tremendous job he has done to modernise our professional body, enhance its reputation and build a good management and support team.

‘I don’t believe that our reputation with government, regulators and the key influencers with whom we interact has ever been higher.’

Mr Osborne was a popular figure at conferences and events organised by the island branch of the ICSA.

In one interview with Business News during a visit to the island he accused the UK of ‘a degree of hypocrisy’ over the issue of compliance and transparency.

He said: ‘I think the standards that are applied here [in the Isle of Man] go beyond what has been achieved in the UK.’

Mr Osborne added that he feels the island is ‘an easy soft target for politicians looking for a sound bite.

‘And I’m afraid the media in the UK is all too fond of including photographs of luxury yachts when there is a story about compliance issues, beneficial ownership issues.

’I think the standards are much higher in the Isle of Man.’

Mr Osborne and Mrs Clucas said their members in the ICSA were very much at the vanguard of compliance and transparency matters.

Mr Osborne said company secretaries had a critical role to play in business.

On a lighter note, Mr Osborne once attended an ICSA event in the island where a visiting speaker failed to attend because of bad weather hampering flights.

Mr Osborne, who had arrived in the island the night before, calmly helped to re-arrange the agenda and delivered an impromptu address.