Quarter of KPMG new partners are women

KPMG UK appointed 29 new partners on 1 October, a quarter of whom were women, it announced.

The Big Four firm also announced the appointment of 88 new directors. Of the new appointments, 24% of the partners were women, compared with 14% across the firm's existing partners.

Richard Bennison, CEO of KPMG in the UK, said: "We are... very pleased to be able to improve the gender balance amongst our partners. We are genuinely committed to enabling more women to reach senior positions."

Meanwhile, KPMG has recruited a partner from pensions company Mercer to join its investment advisory practice.

Jon Exley will become the third Partner in KPMG's Investment Advisory practice, joining Patrick McCoy and Nick Evans from November. The practice deals with £25bn worth of investments.

McCoy, who heads the practice, said: "We are delighted that Jon is joining us as he brings a wealth of consulting and banking experience. He will be advising clients on investment and risk management issues, which are both areas where clients need clear guidance in these difficult times."

Exley is a qualified actuary. He has co-authored papers on the application of financial theory to pension funds.