Accountancy and business advisory firm BDO LLP has appointed two new Independent Non-Executives (INEs) as the firm continues to raise the bar on quality, trust and governance.
Former business and City journalist, Jeff Randall, and business and HR strategist, Russell King, will join existing INE Simon Figgis in advising BDO’s leadership team. Their appointments become effective as of 1 July 2017.
Combined, the three INEs bring a diversity of experience, character and thinking to BDO’s leadership team, highlighting the firm’s continued focus on its quality, people and reputation in the marketplace.
Jeff Randall, a well-known and respected former journalist, who fronted the Jeff Randall Live show on Sky News as well as senior roles at the BBC, Sunday Times and Daily Telegraph, has been a non-executive director of Babcock International since 2014 and is a director of Sandown Park Racecourse. He is also a visiting fellow at Oxford University’s Business School and an honorary professor at Nottingham University’s School of Economics.
Russell King brings with him a distinctive mix of experience in business strategy, turnaround, HR and people development. He holds non-executive posts at FTSE firms Interserve, Spectris and Aggreko, as well as AIM-listed Hummingbird Resources.
Simon Figgis joined BDO as an INE in 2013. Formerly of KPMG, he combines significant experience in risk management, audit quality and governance. He is also a non-executive at The Army.
Mark Bomer, Senior Partner at BDO, commented: “The world in which we live and work is changing at rapid speed. Developments in technology, regulation and globalisation, combined with an uncertain relationship with the EU and the ever-increasing war on talent, means that many of the boundaries that once governed the way organisations do business are changing or disappearing altogether.
“As a firm we are clear on our business priorities. Our people, our reputation and our track record for quality are all crucial elements to our future success. Our three INEs represent a diverse mix of experience and skill sets that are representative of the talented people we have within our business and the entrepreneurial and ambitious clients we advise every day.”
Following the new appointments, and in line with good corporate governance, Lesley MacDonagh will step down from her non-exec role at BDO following a nine-year term.
Lesley was one of the first-ever INEs to be appointed by an accountancy firm. She joined BDO in 2008, two years before the Financial Reporting Council introduced its first audit governance code making it compulsory for the largest firms to appoint non-execs.
Mark Bomer added: “Lesley has made an outstanding contribution over many years, drawing on her deep understanding of professional services and wider business experience to support and positively challenge the leadership team to think and act differently.
“We thank Lesley for the exceptional advice and guidance she has given us during the last nine years and we are sorry to see her go.”