Isabelle Jenkins leads PwC’s Financial Services practice in UK
PwC has named Isabelle Jenkins as its new Industry Leader of Financial Services in the UK.
As 2021 gets under way, the financial services sector faces a host of new trends, which incumbents will need to adapt to quickly in order to prosper. While uncertainty surrounding the fallout of Brexit’s culmination and the continued Covid-19 recession remain, organisations also have to reckon with ongoing discussions around digital currency, disruptive new competitors, and the upgrading of their customer journeys, along with a host of regulatory pressures.
As PwC’s UK wing looks to help clients in the sector over the coming months, it has announced the appointment of Isabelle Jenkins as its new Leader of Financial Services. She replaces Andrew Kail, who held the role over the last four-and-a-half years.
During that time, Kail played a key role developing the practice to help offer leading advice to clients and the sector as a whole. He will take up a new role as the CEO of Legal & General Retail Retirement in the next few weeks, ending his near-20-year spell with PwC.
Commenting on her new challenge, Jenkins said, “I'm well aware of how impactful my colleagues are, so very much look forward to working with my colleagues to help our clients navigate the current environment… There is the potential that the next 12 months may again prove challenging, however I am reassured that the strong foundations the financial services sector laid down in 2020 will continue to support the economy at this time.”
Jenkins joined PwC in 1995, and was latterly the firm’s UK Banking Leader. She has led a number of significant projects related to regulation, control, operating model, cost management and technology for our key banking clients and European governments. She was also the interim CIO at Lehman Brothers International Europe while it was in administration for five years. More recently, she has played a key role working with a number of industry task forces including being a part of TheCityUK leadership team tasked with developing a 2025 vision for the sector.
Dan Schwarzmann, Head of Market Initiatives and Industries at PwC UK, said, “I know I speak on behalf of the entire team when I say how delighted we are with Isabelle's appointment. Isabelle’s leadership experience and expertise will be invaluable at a time when our clients require support to help them navigate the opportunities available or their challenges they face with speed, imagination and care.”
Jenkins has also been congratulated by more than 300 colleagues and contacts on LinkedIn. Since announcing that she was still “slightly in awe to be picking up the reins as PwC UK Financial Services Leader” on the site, her post has been inundated by well-wishers, including her predecessor himself.
The outgoing Kail noted in his own post that he was “thrilled that Isabelle has succeeded me as the new Head of FS at PwC. She will be a fantastic leader of the firm’s 6,000 financial services professionals.”