Catherine Gowthorpe (née Shovelton) has B.A. Honours degree in Russian from Durham University (UK) and is a Fellow of Institute of Chartered Accountants in England Wales. After a few years in practice with firms including Deloitte Haskins & Sells and Coopers and Lybrand, she became a university teacher and an education specialist, with a focus on the professional examinations in accounting. She has also been an external examiner on university accounting and finance courses.