Mazars enlists forensics specialist Nigel Layton as Partner

International professional services firm Mazars has appointed Nigel Layton as a Partner in its forensics wing in London. Layton arrives from KPMG, where he led the Big Four firm’s corporate forensics team.

Earlier in 2019, Mazars reported its ninth successive year of revenue growth and sixth of profit before tax growth in the UK. The firm’s overall revenue increased from £173.6 million to £181.4 million, representing 4.5% growth. Operating profit was £33.5 million, a 3.7% increase over the previous financial year.

Mazars is an internationally integrated partnership, specialising in audit, accountancy, advisory, tax and legal services. Operating in some 90 countries and territories around the world, in the UK Mazars has approximately 140 partners and over 1,700 employees. As the firm looks to continue building on its buoyant economic performance into a new decade, Mazars has rapidly been growing its Partner count in recent months. Earlier in October, this saw the firm appoint 10 new Partners across its national operations.

Now, as the firm continues to grow its senior expertise, the international accounting and advisory firm has appointed Nigel Layton as a Partner in its forensic and investigation services practice in London. As the UK continues to work to clamp down on financial fraud, the appointment strengthens Mazars’ capabilities in what is a field of heightened demand.

In his new role, Layton will focus upon establishing and growing a specialist investigations unit within the broader forensic and investigation services (FIS) team. He has over 25 years’ experience in conducting fraud, anti-bribery and corruption, targeted due diligence, and other investigations on a global scale.

Layton joins Mazars from KPMG, where he led the corporate forensic team, as well as running anti-bribery and corruption investigations, fraud risk management, third party due diligence and corporate intelligence work in London. During his time with the Big Four firm, he also led KPMG’s forensic business in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region.

James Gilbey, Mazars UK Head of Forensic and Investigation Services, said of the appointment, “This is a great opportunity for Mazars to expand our offering in the investigations market. Coupled with recent investments in forensic technology, and our unique international footprint, we are now well positioned to offer a dedicated and bespoke investigation service to our clients.”