Deloitte and KPMG challenge PwC’s iron grip on FTSE 100 clients Prof Services For the first time in nearly eight years, three of the Big Four giants, Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, are locked in a dead heat for FTSE 100 client dominance. A boardroom reshuffle has loosened PwC’s iron grip on clients from London’s blue-chip index, forcing a historic three-way tie at the top of the FTSE 100 [...]
Job cuts at Big Four firms fuel worker burnout Prof Services Job cuts at professional services firms are resulting in overworked staff, but the pressures – combined with increased reliance on AI – risk damaging firms’ reputations through mistakes, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. The professional services industry, especially the Big Four giants, has faced its fair share of job cuts, with thousands of roles laid off in [...]
EY coughs up over £100m to settle NMC Health court conflict Big Four Big Four giant EY is understood to have paid over £100m to settle a High Court claim brought by former FTSE 100 company NMC Health that collapsed during a fraud scandal. Both EY and the healthcare provider reached a confidential agreement in February to settle the claims, which were brought four years ago against EY for [...]
Motor finance provider faces administration amid £9bn redress fallout May 5, 2026 Blue Motor Finance is reportedly on the verge of administration after a series of financial setbacks and pressures stemming from the City regulator’s planned £9bn motor finance redress scheme. The independent motor finance provider is said to be facing a redress bill of over £50m, having lent over £1bn to over 120,000 customers – as [...]
Big Four giant EY set to bolster AI recruitment April 28, 2026 Big Four giant EY is moving to hire a new team of senior AI recruits across the UK and Ireland to work directly with clients, in a push to meet “growing demand” to use tech across the board. EY said the new hires, known as ‘forward deployed engineers’, will be working within client teams at [...]
Golden partnership perks? Not anymore, say the Big Four April 27, 2026 As the Big Four giants grapple with profitability challenges, the traditional partnership model is undergoing significant change to prevent the profit pool from being diluted. The traditional dream at professional services firms – joining, working hard and climbing the ladder to partnership within an LLP structure – now looks very different at the Big Four [...]
Big Four giant KPMG downgrades equity partners April 24, 2026 Big Four giant KPMG has begun demoting UK senior equity partners – members who hold a stake in the firm and share its profits – and instead offering them lower status salaried partner roles. KPMG, which last year paid its equity partners on average £800,000 each a year, has reportedly been inviting the partners for [...]
PwC consulting overhaul reveals AI reckoning for the Big Four April 16, 2026 The influx of AI is putting the Big Four’s structures under strain, and cracks are beginning to appear in their consultancy divisions, argues senior reporter Maria Ward-Brennan. The industry is facing a storm of problems, including over-recruitment during the pandemic, low staff attrition rates due to economic issues, and a drop in fees as the [...]
As KPMG looks to cut hundreds of staff, expect more layoffs at the Big Four March 31, 2026 The Big Four giants, after hitting pandemic-era highs, are currently navigating a perfect storm of challenges: a harsher market, a surge in AI investment and a stagnant economy. These pressures are forcing firms to take a pair of shears to their workforces as the industry’s traditional “attrition model” fails to keep pace with reality. Over [...]
EY’s legal provisions balloon 300 per cent as audit battles mount March 27, 2026 Big Four giant EY has reported a surge of over 300 per cent in its legal provisions, as the firm grapples with the fallout of high-profile audit failures and regulatory crackdowns. According to the firm’s latest results on Companies House, EY didn’t just add a small buffer; it added £188m in new claims-related charges in [...]