RSM promotes new managing partner in Midlands
Helen Brocklebank has been appointed as RSM’s new regional managing partner in the Midlands and East of England. The role involves overseeing 755 staff and 65 partners across the two regions.
RSM International, branded RSM, is a global network of accounting and consulting firms. The group represents the seventh largest professional services firm in the UK, and the sixth largest in the world by revenue. After working in audit and transaction services with PwC for three years, Brocklebank joined RSM in 2007. In the 17 years since, she has worked as a partner in the firm’s mergers and acquisitions wing.
In that capacity, she continues to specialise in corporate finance lead advisory, with experience in working on a wide range of transactions - management buy outs, disposals, acquisitions and development capital fund raising projects. Brocklebank has also worked with a range of enterprises from large corporates to small owner managed businesses.
As she becomes the regional managing partner of RSM’s Midlands and East of England teams, Brocklebank succeeds Mark Taylor, who has held the title for eight years. As he exits the firm after 20 years to embark on his next venture, Brocklebank takes on the job following five years of major growth – during which RSM’s Midlands headcount alone has expanded to more than 500 staff.
Speaking on his successor, Taylor said, “I’ve been lucky enough to have enjoyed twenty hugely rewarding years at RSM and had the pleasure of working with the extremely talented people at the firm. I am delighted that Helen will succeed me as regional managing partner. I’m very proud of the growth and progress we have made since 2016, and I’m confident the region will continue to go from strength to strength under Helen’s leadership.”
Looking ahead, Brocklebank takes on the role following two tumultuous years in the UK deals market. While 2022 saw record levels, those highs have since turned to lows – but now she believes activity is finally returning to more stable pre-pandemic levels.
Speaking to The Business Desk, Brocklebank said, “The fundamental drivers remain positive around the level of kind of liquidity in the market, the level of private equity and then drivers as well for entrepreneurs looking to de-risk, given how much change has occurred over the last five years. We had a lot of uncertainty with interest rates and while they may come down very gently, we expect them to stabilise out. I think there’s a benefit in just stability because stability can ensure planning, understanding what the medium to long-term financing implications are and making decisions around strategy. Investment decisions have been really hard to make during this period.”
