About us

Meet our leaders

Leadership is all about setting direction, taking responsibility and helping others to achieve things they didn’t think possible.

Our leaders set the tone for ethical and responsible decision making at the firm. They lead in line with our shared values to ensure that what we do, and the way we do it, make a positive impact.

Being a partnership means our leaders are also owners of the business. They’re invested in sustainable growth and long-term success – not only for our business, but for our people (regardless of how long they stay with us), our clients, the entities we audit and the wider economy.

This sense of stewardship and desire to leave the firm, and the world in which we operate, in a better place for the next generation, has driven our leaders and guided our decisions for more than 175 years.

Our activities in the UK are managed by our Senior Partner and Chief Executive, Richard Houston, and the UK Executive.

Richard was elected as Senior Partner and Chief Executive for both Deloitte North and South Europe (NSE) and Deloitte UK from 1 June 2019.

The UK Executive, who were appointed by Richard, work closely as a team to lead the UK business. Every member of the team takes responsibility for leading an area of our operations and strategy, alongside client delivery and people development.

They each bring a unique set of skills and industry knowhow. Together, their varied experience and perspectives create a strong and confident leadership team focused on delivering a differentiated client experience, a respectful and inclusive place to work and a business that is mindful of its actions on society and the planet.

Governance

The work we do matters. From transforming business, to providing assurance and responding to crises, our work helps to deliver a more responsible and sustainable tomorrow. It’s work that supports society and ultimately touches most people’s daily lives, even if they don’t know it. It’s a responsibility we take seriously.

To recognise the importance of what we do, we’ve put in place a robust governance structure to oversee our purpose and strategy; set the tone for ethical and responsible decision-making; and ensure transparency and accountability to external stakeholders and to our people. This includes welcoming leading professionals as Independent Non-Executive board members, to provide advice and recommendations to our Executive team.

Find out more about the UK Oversight Board and the Audit Governance Board.

The UK Oversight Board (UKOB) oversees how we meet our regulatory and legal responsibilities in the UK, including the requirements of the Audit Firm Governance Code.

It operates in conjunction with the NSE Audit & Risk Committee to provide oversight of how we manage and control the material risks facing the UK business and ensure we meet our public interest responsibilities in the UK. The UKOB is also focused on safeguarding the reputation and resilience of the UK business; and on overseeing financial reporting matters.

The UKOB has eight members: three Independent Non-Executive members, who bring significant and varied business and industry experience; three UK partners elected by their peers to represent the views of the partnership more broadly, and who are also NSE Board members; and two partners from the UK Executive.

More information about UKOB and the role it plays in can be found in our Transparency Report.

The members of the UK Oversight Board are:

Independent Non-Executive Members

Jim Coyle

Almira Delibegovic-Broome KC

Further member(s) being recruited

Three UK Elected Partners (who are also Elected NSE Board Members):

Sarah Sturt, Partner (Chair)

James Byles, Partner

Jane Whitlock, Partner

Two UK Executive Partners: UK CEO and Managing Partner

Richard Houston, Senior Partner and Chief Executive

Philip Mills, UK Managing Partner

The Audit Governance Board (AGB) was established on 1 January 2021 as part of the initial phase of our implementation of the principles for operational separation set out by the FRC. It is responsible for providing independent oversight of our UK Audit & Assurance business, with a focus on the policies and procedures for improving audit quality.

The AGB works alongside the UKOB to ensure we meet the requirements of the Audit Firm Governance Code and other regulatory and legal requirements. It ensures our people carrying out audit are focused, above all, on the delivery of high-quality audits in the public interest and provides oversight of the policies and processes for ensuring audit partners’ remuneration reflects their contributions to audit quality.

The majority of the AGB are Independent Audit Non-Executive members, including the chair. In total there are seven members: four Independent Audit Non-Executives, one UK partner who is also an NSE Board member elected by their peers to represent the views of the partnership more broadly and two partners from the UK Executive.

The members of the Audit Governance Board are:

Audit Non-Executive Members:

Jim Coyle

Almira Delibegovic-Broome KC

Shirley Garrood

Further member(s) being recruited

One UK Elected Partner (who is also an Elected NSE Board Member):

Jane Whitlock

Two UK Executive Members (UK Managing Partner and Managing Partner Audit & Assurance):

Philip Mills, UK Managing Partner

Paul Stephenson, Managing Partner Audit & Assurance

Deloitte UK 2023 Annual Review

Find out more