8th July 2011:

Moving on

BDO has today issued a Press Release confirming that after three years in my role as CEO of BDO International, and over 33 years in total with BDO UK and BDO International, I will be stepping down on 30 September 2011.

I have had a fantastic career and have been privileged to lead BDO UK for 7 years and BDO International for the last 3 years.  I have had some great colleagues, worked with some brilliant people and, in my earlier career, been involved with some terrific clients. There have been many highlights during the last 3 years when I served as CEO of our international network.  We can all feel proud of the growth and development of the network, particularly in China and the emerging markets, enabling BDO to be an increasingly important global accounting network. This is a reflection of the commitment and efforts of my many colleagues from across the globe who work so tirelessly and expertly every day to deliver for our clients and our people. I also take great satisfaction from the important contribution BDO has made to the ongoing debate about the future of the audit profession, in particular in discussions prompted by the European Commission’s Green Paper. I do believe that after many years of talking we are actually going to see some action.

I am grateful to all our BDO Member Firms, and specifically all their partners and staff, for giving me the opportunity to lead our network and to give BDO stronger central leadership and a more coordinated approach to the development of its business, whilst retaining our heritage and our respect for national culture.

I wish my successor, Martin van Roekel, formerly Managing Partner of BDO in the Netherlands and currently a member of my Global Leadership Team, every success. He has been closely involved in all the significant changes in BDO over recent years and is well placed to continue to lead the network’s growth and development when he becomes CEO on 1 October 2011.

As for me, it is time for a change.  I don’t know what I will do but after 33 years in this business, I am looking forward to seeking new opportunities outside the accounting profession.

Of course, I will be here until the end of September – and will continue blogging until then!

 International BDO  0 Comments July 8th, 2011