KPMG’s Summer Friday half-day rollback signals deeper woes for Big Four giants June 11, 2026 Big Four giant KPMG’s removal of its Friday early finish for employees is affecting branding and souring the mood among staff, who may see this as a signal to reconsider a career at the firm. Time spent working at a Big Four giant was once a prized bauble to list on a CV. But with [...]
IBM’s consulting chief warns AI will ‘implode’ unprepared rivals June 10, 2026 IBM Consulting, under Mohamad Ali, claims to have surged ahead in AI by pioneering a human-plus-digital workforce and transforming its own operations before selling innovative solutions to clients, leaving less-prepared consulting rivals scrambling to keep up, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. IBM’s consulting chief, Mohamad Ali, warns that AI will “implode” unprepared rivals, claiming the group has [...]
Private equity-backed Ryan breaks with billable hour tradition as AI reshapes sector June 9, 2026 Private equity-backed tax specialist Ryan says its value-based pricing is built for the age of AI, unlike competitors that depend on traditional hourly billing. Most of the professional services sector operates under the billable-hour system, in which the specific amount of time spent working on client tasks can be invoiced. But the rise in AI [...]
Kroll chief Jacob Silverman: AI won’t kill ‘mission critical’ advisory work June 9, 2026 Jacob Silverman arrives at Kroll’s vast City office for our interview fresh off a delayed flight from Atlanta, but you’d never know unless the bright-eyed New Yorker hadn’t mentioned it. Between sips of diet coke, the firm’s global chief executive offers City AM an upbeat assessment of AI’s influence on the consultancy sector that seems [...]
Professional services firms’ future hinges on private equity, Kroll chief says June 4, 2026 Private equity has been rewiring the professional services industry over the last few years, and with the sector undergoing enormous disruption from AI, stagnant growth, and a highly competitive market, PE investment is increasingly becoming a lifeline for firms to stay afloat. According to Jacob Silverman, chief executive of advisory and consultancy firm Kroll, private [...]
Staff burnout soars in professional services due to inefficiencies and outdated IT June 3, 2026 More than a quarter of client-facing staff at professional services firms are wasting a large portion of their working week on manual administrative tasks rather than core client work, according to new research by Unit4. The report, commissioned by Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC), on global mid-to-large professional services firms, including those in the UK, revealed [...]
Deloitte UK appoints first chief AI officer in drive for ‘AI-enabled’ services June 1, 2026 Deloitte has appointed its first chief AI officer in the UK in a push to become the country’s leading professional services firm, integrating AI into both client services and internal operations. The Big Four giant said it has selected Hayley McKelvey for the newly-created role where she will be responsible for “accelerating the firm’s progress [...]
Private equity-backed Ryan triumphs in bidding for European tax adviser Svalner Atlas June 1, 2026 Private equity-based US accountancy firm Ryan has reportedly agreed to acquire European tax adviser Svalner Atlas Advisors in a deal reportedly worth $400m. Headquartered in Texas and with a presence in London, Ryan specialises in tax services and has BP and BAT among its clients. The firm was valued at about $7bn earlier this year, [...]
Private equity boom slows down as the deal bar rises for City firms May 29, 2026 Private equity interest in professional services remains, but the era of easy deals is over as most attractive targets have already been acquired, and investors are now more selective, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. The bubble around private equity interest in the professional services industry has started to deflate, as most of the “low-hanging fruit” has already [...]
‘Outdated’ consultancy sector faces a reckoning as AI rips up the old model May 27, 2026 For years, the consultancy sector has relied on a traditional model and profitable formula: retained clients, billing time and upselling clients. Another crucial element has been the blend of ‘senior counsel’ supported by a team of juniors carrying out research and compiling reports. But the rug is being pulled from under this model and a [...]