Britain is using AI, but wants a human boss Tech Brits are rapidly folding AI into everyday life, but remain wary of letting it make decisions on its own, according to new EY research that points to a trust problem at the heart of the UK’s AI push. EY’s AI recent sentiment index found 74 per cent of UK consumers have used AI in the [...]
Forvis Mazars UK CEO: We have what others are trying to buy Prof Services Forvis Mazars UK boss tells Maria Ward-Brennan that the firm’s integrated, global structure is what competitors are now trying to acquire through mergers and investments Forvis Mazars has built an integrated firm from the ground up, something others are now trying to purchase, says its UK chief executive, who added that building integration from scratch [...]
KPMG faces staff uproar as job cuts expose communication breakdown Big Four Big Four audit firm KPMG is facing something of an internal comms meltdown, City AM understands, amid complaints of a lack of communication during a ‘mismanaged’ redundancy round. In late March, it was reported that KPMG UK was set to axe more than 500 staff in the latest redundancy round at the Big Four giant. [...]
Alvarez & Marsal poached FTI heads as firm seeks to challenge Big Four giants May 5, 2026 Management consultancy firm Alvarez & Marsal has poached its second FTI name to join its recently launched reputation advisory practice as it seeks to challenge the Big Four. The newest recruit, senior director Tom Hufton, joins managing director Rob Mindell to lead the practice, City AM can reveal. The firm’s new practice, launched at the [...]
‘Inflection point’: Challenger banks loan growth halved in 2025 May 5, 2026 Challenger banks have reached an “inflection point” after loan growth across the industry halved in the last year, a fresh report has warned. New analysis from Big Four firm EY showed lending growth across UK challenger, specialist and digital banks slowed to 4.5 per cent in 2025, down from 8.9 per cent. This came as [...]
City law firms clamp down on the equity cookie jar April 30, 2026 Law firms are tightening access to equity partnerships to protect profits, increasingly reserving the equity pool for top performers, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. As the Big Four giants dominate the headlines with internal changes, the firms are seeking to regain control of their expanded equity pools amid profitability problems. These giants are looking to mirror what [...]
General counsel ‘evolving from traditional legal gatekeepers’, says KPMG’s legal arm April 29, 2026 General counsel responsibilities are evolving beyond just providing legal oversight as regulations “become more complex and demanding”, according to a new report from the Big four giant KPMG’s Law arm. A whopping 75 per cent of the general counsels surveyed by the firm reported to be “frequently providing advice on issues outside of their legal [...]
Private equity investment fuels major overhaul of Grant Thornton’s associate scheme April 29, 2026 Professional services giant Grant Thornton is launching a “brand new associate programme” for its 2027 cohort of associates, City AM can reveal, as private equity investment from Cinven sets the firm’s ambition for significant growth. The firm voted in favour of an investment from private equity firm Cinven in 2024. Speaking to City AM, Abigail [...]
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 [...]