People moves update: Spate of mid-market activity

Each month, Accountancy Age delivers a comprehensive update on the key people moves and promotions that have taken place among the UK accountancy market’s top-100 firms.

In October, we unpack the flurry of activity in the industry’s mid-market, as Grunberg & Co, RSM, Crowe, and Mazars all unveil major updates. People moves were also recorded among the Big Four, with numerous senior appointments among their ranks.

Big Four

(October 3) KPMG International has appointed Regina Mayor as its global head of clients and market. Mayor was previously global head of energy and natural resources for the firm.

The move was accompanied by three other appointments to KPMG’s global management team: Global Head of quality risk & regulatory, Paul Korolkiewicz; global chief digital officer, Lisa Heneghan; global chief operating officer, Gary Wingrove.

(October 3) EY UK&I has announced the appointment of Alan Hudson and Jo Robinson as new leaders for EY-Parthenon, the firm’s strategy practice.

(October 4) PwC has appointed Ian Hillier as the new leader of its UK Defence team. According to the firm, the move coincides with the UK’s renewed operational focus on developing defence-based capabilities.

(October 19) KPMG UK has promoted six colleagues (Grant Archer, Terri Costello, Ann Devine, Susan Dunlop, Slim Gueddana and David McKay), to partner in Scotland. They will work closely with senior partner James Kergon to drive growth for the firm in Scotland.

Mid-market

(October 3) Mercer & Hole has announced 28 promotions across the firm, including two partners and five directors. The remaining 21 appointments were made across all levels of the firm.

(October 14) Crowe UK has appointed three new partners – Dan Nixon, Andy Coghlan and Jennifer McNally – in its private clients and corporate finance teams. The move comes as Crowe UK enjoys a fruitful trading period, having posted revenues of £125m for the last financial year.

(October 17) Mazars has appointed 13 new partners across the firm, eight of whom have been promoted from within the business. Four of these eight partners were deemed “home-grown”, having joined Mazars as graduates.

(October 31) RSM UK has announced 40 new promotions to director level. The appointments span several key service areas, including accounting and business advisory, audit, consulting, tax, and transactions.

(October 31) Grunberg & Co has promoted seven of its experienced managers to new roles as associate directors. The firm has characterised this as a key step in its “ambitious” growth trajectory.

Regulators and trade bodies

(October 4) The Institute for Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) has elected Derek Blair as its vice-president for 2023-24. Blair will succeed current vice-president Malcolm Bacchus and “continue work to build on growing trust in the profession”.

(October 5) Neil Harris has commenced his role as the Financial Reporting Council’s (FRC) first director of local audit. Harris will be responsible for the creation of a new local audit unit ahead of the FRC’s transition to the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority.

(October 20) Josephine Jackson, the FRC’s director of international auditing and assurance standards, has been appointed as the vice-chair of the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board.

If your firm has made any acquisitions or appointments that you think should feature in one of our updates, email [email protected]