UK ‘no longer a serious place’ says Hedge fund boss after losing £200m tax battle July 1, 2026 Hedge fund Bluecrest Capital Management, founded by the UK’s wealthiest financier, said the UK is no longer “a serious contender” as a place to do business after it lost a £200m battle with the tax man, in a ruling that could now leave the wider hedge fund and professional services industries facing a hefty bill. The [...]
EY grad sacked down under for allegedly accessing PM’s bank account June 30, 2026 A junior employee at Big Four accounting giant EY Australia has been sacked over allegations he and another man accessed prime minister Anthony Albanese’s personal bank account. Both men faced court on Tuesday over the breach which, according to the Australian federal police, took place when the EY graduate was on secondment at the Commonwealth [...]
Consulting giants face up to AI-reckoning June 25, 2026 Shares in major consultancy firms have dropped sharply as investors fret over the impact of AI on the industry. Maria Ward-Brennan and Rosie Harris-Davison look at whether the threat is real. A bloodbath is unfolding across the professional services sector as artificial intelligence (AI) hammers the shares of global consulting giants like Accenture, IBM and [...]
Professional services firms the ‘flavour of the month’ for cyberattacks June 19, 2026 Professional services firms, particularly law firms, are the “current flavour of the month” for cyberattacks, driven by the valuable client information the sector guards. Speaking to Morning Wire, Holly Waszak, head of cyber claims advocacy at Marsh, said: “We’re seeing insurers come to us with law firms on their books, and they are trying to [...]
PwC UK chief swipes global role in international shake-up June 19, 2026 The UK boss of PwC has been appointed to head up a larger role in the Big Four firm’s global network as the consultancy looks to centralise decision-making and reshape its international executive structure. Marco Amitrano will take up the new position on 1 July in addition to his current post leading the professional services [...]
From bathroom to courtroom: Lush chief’s squabble set to fizz in £6m trial June 17, 2026 The former chief executive of cosmetics giant Lush is set to face off against the current chief executive in a 19-day trial that spans more than 30 years of the company’s history and may cost over £6m in legal fees. The dispute stems from former chief executive Andrew Gerrie’s 2014 exit from the company, after [...]
Ex-Lush chief’s lawyers hike costs to ensure their AI model isn’t trained by juniors June 16, 2026 Lawyers for the former chief executive of cosmetics giant Lush, Andrew Gerrie, have hiked their fees ahead of a trial this month, partly as they will not allow junior staff to train their AI model, Morning Wire can reveal. A court heard this morning that Gerrie’s legal team from Brown Rudnick have pushed up a [...]
Former KPMG chief joins £10m funding round for AI-powered audit challenger June 16, 2026 A Berlin-based audit AI firm has raised over £10m in a fundraising round, including from Dawn Capital, to expand into the UK market as a solution to the skilled labour shortage in the audit industry. Cortea, founded in 2024 by Valentin Neumann and Philipp Hovelmann, pitches itself as an answer for firms under pressure to [...]
Ditched by clients and Australian government: What is happening down under at KPMG? June 15, 2026 KPMG’s Australian arm has been ditched by the country’s government for audit work until September, following the fallout of allegations that the firm mishandled client information, in the latest nightmare for the Big Four firm down under. The Big Four giant will be unable to bid for any Australian government contracts until September 2026, as [...]
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 [...]