Five new partners hired across BDO UK

Professional services firm BDO has welcomed five new partners across its audit and advisory teams. The promotions of Debbie Thomas, David Gonnelli, Helen Detre, Sarah Anderson and Ian Bennington take the number of UK partners at BDO to 434.

Global advisory and audit firm BDO has been growing rapidly over the last year. The firm led on £31.2 billion of deal activity in 2022, spanning a number of sectors including technology, real estate and financial services.

Amid this rising demand, the company has expanded its partnership – installing 16 new partners in the last financial year. The latest five new partners take the firm’s total number of partners to 434, and take up roles across BDO’s London, Nottingham and Leeds offices.

Ian Bennington will be based in BDO’s Midlands wing. He arrives from Deloitte, bringing more than 20 years of risk advisory experience to the firm. At BDO, he will take on a national role leading the firm’s governance, risk and compliance offering.

Debbie Thomas meanwhile joins BDO’s London office as an audit partner focusing on technology and media. Prior to joining BDO, Thomas was also a professional at Deloitte, where she was latterly a partner. She most recently served as CFO for Star, Fish and Little, a London-based FinTech focused on financial inclusion and launching mobile money products in emerging markets.

Helen Detre also joins BDO as a partner in the firm’s audit team. Arriving from another Big Four firm – this time EY – Detre will be based in BDO’s London office, and will fill a new role of Chief Audit Risk Officer focusing on audit quality.

David Gonnelli also joins the London office from EY. As a partner in BDO’s financial services audit team, he brings extensive multi-jurisdictional experience in the financial services sector with a focus on banking and capital markets.

Sarah Anderson, finally, is another former Deloitte professional joining BDO, and will be based in the firm’s Leeds office. Bringing nearly 30 years’ experience with particular expertise in charity auditing, accounts and governance advice, Anderson joins the not-for-profit team as an audit partner.

Paul Eagland, Managing Partner of BDO, commented, “Attracting talent is a major priority for us, so welcoming five exceptional partners is a great way to start 2023. Businesses tell us that, despite economic challenges, they remain determined to continue to invest and grow. I see our own investment in great people, including these 5 partners, as the best way for us to ultimately support those ambitions. Like so many others I want to see our economy grow.”