BDO adds new partners to Financial Services and Forensic practices
BDO has added new partners to its Financial Services and Forensic services arms. Richard Barnwell arrives from KPMG, while fellow KPMG alumnus Steven Law joins by way of Berkeley Research Group, completing a number of senior appointments over the summer of 2017, as the firm seeks to revitalise its financial and forensic services offerings.
Richard Barnwell has been appointed as a financial services partner in the London office of BDO, one of the ten largest firms in the consulting industry. A former director at KPMG, he has left his role with immediate effect to begin work at BDO, having also previously held positions at fellow Big Four firm EY. Barnwell specialises in advising clients on regulatory and compliance matters across the financial sector, having also built up specific experience in designing and implementing regulatory compliant governance frameworks, skilled person reviews, undertaking remediation reviews, and assisting clients to adapt to new regulatory legislation.
Paul Eagland, managing partner at BDO, said of the new hire, “The financial services sector is evolving and adapting as a result of intense competition, economic uncertainty and increasing customer expectations. Richard’s appointment reinforces our commitment to ensuring our clients receive the best advice to manage these demands. His wealth of experience will make a valuable addition to our already strong financial services team and our growing focus on the wealth and asset management sectors.”
In order to strengthen its London forensic services team, meanwhile, BDO have also hired forensic expert Steven Law as a partner. Law, who joins the firm from Berkeley Research Group, also previously held positions across the UK, US and Canada, at multiple Big Four firms, holding roles at KPMG and Deloitte along with US headquartered consulting firm AlixPartners. BDO will hope to bring his wealth of experience advising clients on disputes and regulatory matters to the London practice, while utilising his specific experience in damages in competition and anti-trust matters, quantification of losses, contentious private business valuations and post-acquisition disputes.
Commenting on the further appointment, Paul Eagland said, “Legal disputes and financial investigations are now commonplace in the business world. Having experts with significant experience in dealing with complex cases gives our clients complete peace of mind at what can be a very challenging time. We have one of the most impressive forensic and dispute advisory practices in the UK. The team has considerable experience in advising on complex disputes and litigious matters across multiple jurisdictions. Steven’s appointment reinforces our commitment to attracting and retaining the best talent in this area.”
Both appointments not only make use of extensive senior experience of the new BDO colleagues, they also play into a trend within the consulting sector for prioritising specialization. According to a recent study, high-growth consulting firms made the best use of specialisation in order to boost their economic performance, and to meet the needs of clients more consistently.
In addition, the firm also made several promotions within its tax team, and promoted capital markets specialist Peter Smith to partner. Globally, Robert Aziz, who with BDO since 2002 and set up BDO UK’s corporate international team in 2006, has become BDO’s global head of tax, leading a team of over 10,000 tax specialists across 162 countries. Stephanie Wilson, who joined the firm in 2015, and specialises in managing employment costs and mitigating employment tax risk, has meanwhile been promoted to national head of employment tax, leading a team of 50 specialists. Teresa Payne, previously head of employment tax, has been promoted to head of people for BDO UK.
