EY appoints Paul Reading as Executive Director in M&A arm

EY has appointed private equity market expert Paul Reading as Executive Director in its Operational Transactions Services team. He joins the firm from Antler, where he was CFO. Reading is tasked with further expanding the practice in the UK, with a focus on the mid-market private equity segment.

Prior to joining EY, Paul Reading worked at Antler as a Chief Financial Officer for six months. He was previously active at Workplace Systems, a modular workstation wholesaler, as its Chief Operations Officer. Earlier roles include Investment Director at LDC, for over four years; Director of Corporate Finance at Deloitte for almost four years; and Business Operations Consultant at PA Consulting Group, where he started his career in 1999.

Reading holds a Bachelor of Arts in Law from Nottingham University, a Master of Science in Accounting & Finance from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Diploma in Accounting & Finance, also from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

EY has appointed Reading as an Executive Director in the firm’s Operational Transactions Services (OTS) team, its arm focused on among others operational due diligence, post merger integration and carve-outs. Reading brings more than fifteen years of experience, including ten in private equity, to the consulting firm, and will focus on supporting the firm’s mid-market private equity clients, an area in which the Big Four player is seeking to expand its presence. He is based out of its London office.

Remarking on the appointment, Fredrik Bürger, a Partner at EY (also formerly Deloitte), said, “Paul is a very experienced operator in the private equity market and his unique background of M&A consulting, PE investments and senior management positions will greatly benefit our private equity clients and I am proud to be welcoming him to the team. He will play a central role in consolidating and strengthening our mid-market private equity focus.”

Reading says that he is “delighted” to be joining EY’s OTS team. He adds, “EY has a track record of working with private equity clients to generate value throughout the transaction life-cycle. I am looking forward to working with the team to grow and solidify EY’s presence in the mid-market.”