Deloitte confirms tax head to replace Richard Houston
Big Four giant Deloitte has selected Darren Graves to succeed Richard Houston, who is stepping up to lead the newly created Deloitte EMEA unit.
Graves will be the next senior partner and chief executive from June, after winning a confirmatory vote by the firm’s partners.
However, according to media reports, he was put forward as the sole candidate for the firm’s partners to vote on.
He joined Deloitte as a graduate in 2001 before moving into M&A tax, where he became a partner in 2012. He has previously served in senior leadership roles, including leading the UK transactions tax team and managing partner of tax and legal.
Deloitte to appoint new chair and board
Commenting on his new role, Graves has said: “I am incredibly proud to become CEO of Deloitte UK at such a pivotal time.”
“My focus will be twofold: to ensure we continue delivering exceptional value to our clients by helping them navigate a period of complexity and seize new opportunities; and to reinvent our firm for the next generation,” he added.
Deloitte will also be appointing a new UK chair and board next month.
This move comes as Houston will take over as chief executive of its $20bn EMEA unit, revealed last month, as the firm aims to keep pace with rapid tech change.
The new unit, also set to launch in June, will bring together 16 participating Deloitte firms in the region to collaborate, but each will remain responsible for services in its own local market.
These firms’ footprint spans more than 80 countries, are led by 6,000 partners, employ 132,000 professionals, and generate revenues of €20bn (£17.4bn).
Houston added: “I’m delighted that Darren will be our next UK CEO…. I’m looking forward to working with him and seeing the impact of the UK firm in Deloitte EMEA in the years ahead.”
Deloitte underwent a leadership overhaul in 2022 to nurture younger executives to succeed Houston, which included Cindy Chan as managing partner of risk advisory, Rob Cullen as managing partner of consulting, and Philip Mills as UK managing partner.