Martina Neary head of EY's Midlands financial services practice

EY has named Martina Neary to lead its financial services business in the Midlands. She steps into the shoes of Amit Thaker, who will retain a leadership position in the Midlands as he returns to his tax technology and transformation role.

In 2018, global professional services firm EY has announced plans to triple its financial services team in the Midlands over the coming two years. The move saw it work to push its headcount over the 100 mark in the process in a bid to keep up with growing financial services demand of the region. The news saw Amit Thaker announced as the Head of EY’s Financial Services practice in the Midlands, relocating from London to take on the role.

With that two-year deadline having come and gone, EY has now announced that Thaker is to return to his earlier role as Tax Technology & Transformation leader. While he will still retain a leadership position in the Midlands, Martina Neary has been selected to succeed him as Head of EY’s Midlands Financial Services wing.

Anna Anthony, UK Financial Services Managing Partner at EY, said, “I’m delighted that Martina is now leading our growing financial services practice in the Midlands. She is highly respected within the industry and understands the full potential of the Midlands financial services market. Having worked with some of the UK’s largest financial institutions, Martina is well placed to guide our clients through the current challenges and opportunities.”

Neary is a CFO Consulting Partner at EY, advising businesses in the insurance, wealth, and asset management industries. She brings over 20 years of working experience to the role, having helped some of the UK’s largest financial institutions in that time. These include major UK and global insurance companies, as well as delivering finance transformation projects and advising on mergers and acquisition.

Commenting on her appointment, Neary said, “I’m proud to be leading our financial services team in the Midlands; inheriting a highly skilled and agile team, and working with some of the biggest financial services firms in the region. Our focus will be to support clients as they navigate their new future outside the EU, and respond to upcoming opportunities and challenges around the green and digital agendas.”

The news follows the recent promotion of Ben Morphet to Partner within EY’s financial services practice. Having been with the firm’s assurance wing since 2004, he joined the financial services team in 2007 with a focus on the pensions sector. After a decade, he began to build out EY’s financial services assurance practice in the Midlands, and it has doubled in size in the last two years – seeing him rewarded with the opportunity to join EY’s regional partnership.

Morphet said commented, “I am thrilled to join the EY partnership in the Midlands. The financial services sector in the Midlands is growing and there’s a wealth of opportunity for firms, which I am looking forward to supporting them on.”