KPMG appoints Callum Licence as Head of Advisory for the UK and Switzerland

KPMG has appointed Callum Licence as Head of Advisory for the UK and Switzerland. He takes over from Lisa Fernihough, who has been elevated to Advisory Vice Chair.

Callum Licence has been with KPMG since 2020, serving as lead partner on several global accounts and a leader in the Financial Services practice. He is a member of the Board and holds several governance roles within the firm’s leadership structure.

In his client work, Licence specialises in business transformation, pre-deal planning and post-merger integration within the financial services industry.

The appointment sees Licence lead the Advisory business in the two countries. The award-winning arm helps organisations improve performance, manage risk, and transform operations across areas such as strategy, transactions, technology, and business processes. It supports its clients with services including digital transformation, financial and risk consulting, deal advisory, and operational improvement.

“I’m delighted to be stepping into this role at such an exciting time. Our clients are navigating a fast-changing and increasingly complex environment; transforming how they operate, adapting to AI, and responding to global uncertainty. I’m looking forward to working with our talented people to bring the full strength of our advisory practice to help our clients achieve their ambitions and grow.”

Before KPMG, Licence built his career at Accenture, where he worked on large-scale business transformations and integrations, and UBS, where he served as Chief Operating Officer for the Wealth Management business in the UK and latterly worked in Asia and Switzerland.

“It has been a privilege to build our Advisory business over the past two years. I’m incredibly proud of everything we’ve achieved,” said Fernihough, who has been with the Big Four firm for more than three decades. She has led the Advisory business in the UK, and then played a key role in integrating the UK and Swiss practices – which merged in 2024.

“Leading this business through such an important period of change has meant a great deal to me, and none of it would have been possible without the talent, commitment and teamwork of our people,” Fernihough said.

Jon Holt, Chief Executive and UK Senior Partner at KPMG, said: “Lisa has done an outstanding job bringing together and leading our Advisory business. I am looking forward to working with Callum as he takes on this critical role; he brings deep expertise, strong leadership, and real belief in the power of our people to drive the next chapter of growth.”