PwC appoints five Directors in West and Wales region
PwC has appointed five new directors to its practice in the West and Wales region as part of continued investment outside of London. As the firm looks to diversify its offering across the UK, more than half the firm’s staff now work regionally.
Big Four professional services firm PwC has spent 2019 executing a nationwide reshuffle of its resources, as it looks to ensure its UK firm is well-positioned to help clients of all the country’s regions during a period of sustained uncertainty. In addition to the launch of a new Bradford Assurance Centre, this has seen the company promote a number of new leaders for its local outlets.
Following 15 years with the firm, Linda Kempenaar has been made a Partner in PwC’s Cambridge office in August and Claire Reid was meanwhile named PwC Scotland's first female leader. In the same month, John-Paul Barker was installed as the leader of the firm’s West and Wales wing.
PwC holds multiple offices across the West of England and Wales, with around 700 employees in its Bristol locale alone, along with offices in Swansea and Cardiff. Now, as the firm looks to further strengthen its offering there, it has confirmed the appointment of five new Directors to its regional leadership team.
Daniel Pearce takes up the position in PwC’s banking and capital markets external audit wing, having first joined the firm in 2007. Pearce arrived as a University of Wales graduate, having studied a degree in Law and French in Cardiff.
Jamie Smith similarly joined PwC as a graduate in 2006, having picked up a degree in Mathematics from the University of Nottingham. He becomes a Director in asset and wealth management external audit in Bristol.
Katharine Adlard joined PwC’s Bristol office in 2005, and has since specialised in financial services tax work. She obtained a degree in Law from the University of Bristol, before arriving at PwC as an Assurance Senior Associate.
Speaking on her promotion to Director, Adlard noted, “Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to carry out four client secondments, experience life in both the assurance and tax practices and most recently lead a team of locally based financial services tax specialists. I very much look forward to the next stage of my career with the firm.”
Rick Watts has also been made a Director. He has been with PwC since 2006, having been a Trainee Pensions Actuary with Aon before that. He holds a first class degree in Economics from the University of York, and specialises in pensions actuarial work.
Tom Hunt joined PwC in 2014, and is a Director in technology consulting. Hunt previously spent two years with Mokum, where he was a Senior Consultant, and seven years with Oracle Consulting Services as a Functional Consultant. He holds a Business Informations Systems degree from Nottingham Trent University.
John-Paul Barker said of the appointments, “I’m delighted that we continue to build talent and create opportunities within the firm which is not only fantastic news for our people but also for our clients and businesses as we look to bring even more specialisms into the region. Our regional investment strategy ensures that we continue to be closer to our clients, supporting them on the ground as the UK’s economy shifts with more emphasis towards regional ‘powerhouses’, and the West and Wales is no different.”