RSM appoints Gregor Schmidt new European Regional Leader

Global professional services firm RSM has appointed a new European Legional Leader in the lead up to Brexit. Former Deloitte employee Gregor Schmidt takes up his new role from RSM’s London office, and will look to guide the firm and its clients through an uncertain period, as the UK’s withdrawal from the EU culminates.

RSM is the world’s sixth largest network of independent audit, tax and consulting firms. In 2017, the professional services group reported revenues of £319 million in the UK, growing by 9% despite a period of sustained uncertainty in the country. Indeed, the firm is enjoying a healthy period of expansion in part thanks to this uncertainty, as the unknown quantity that is Brexit pushes potential clients to seek external expertise, as they look to navigate a potentially turbulent future.

While this is true of UK businesses, it also applies to those on the continent, with a number of firms being reliant on trade with the UK wondering what the coming years hold in store for their supply chains, among other issues. RSM also grew revenues by 6% in Europe, and expanded into Bulgaria along with completing merger and acquisition activity in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland and the UK. As RSM prepares to better support its European clients through a potentially turbulent period, and realise the potential of its larger network across the region, the firm has appointed Gregor Schmidt as its new European Regional Leader.

As Regional Leader, Gregor Schmidt will drive RSM’s long-term global strategy within the region, focusing on developing member firm growth and increasing our cross-border client services. Working closely with the leadership of RSM’s members in Europe, he will also support firms to implement business development, marketing and client service strategies focused on strengthening the brand. The role will see Schmidt take on a jurisdiction of 41 countries, as he works alongside RSM’s European Leadership Team and European Regional Council, and will mean he will relocate to London from the RSM’s office in Düsseldorf, where he was most recently Chief Officer of Strategy, Markets and Communications, a role he has held since 2016.

That position saw him play a key role in the merger of RSM’s German firms, and the creation of RSM GmbH; a single-practising entity, and strong and stable platform for future consolidation and growth. Schmidt joined RSM’s German member firm as Chief Operating Officer in 2012, having previously spent almost four years with Big Four firm Deloitte, where he was latterly a Senior Manager in Business Development.

RSM International CEO Jean Stephens, who Schmidt will report directly to, commented, “Gregor has been with RSM for many years now and has demonstrated his strong leadership and professional experience… We welcome Gregor to the RSM International team and I look forward to seeing our European region grow even stronger in the years to come.”

Schmidt himself added, “Europe is in an exciting period of change. Brexit will of course disrupt business, but on top of this, there are new complex European regulations on data, a renewed scrutiny of international taxation and the international trade landscape is being transformed. More than ever, European businesses are looking to their advisers to both understand their needs and aspirations and to anticipate and respond to these challenges. I look forward to driving growth for our clients and for RSM during this era.”