The man who will run accountants BDO for the next four years is revealed
Paul Eagland was unveiled today as the new managing partner of accountants BDO and he promised to champion the cause of clients and support a new the generation of business advisers.
In contrast with larger competitors, BDO has a client base that is skewed towards medium-sized enterprises and Eagland was keen to make sure that their voices were going to be heard by policymakers.
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"Our clients represent Britain’s economic engine," he said and added they are "frequently overlooked and undervalued by policymakers".
"With so many major policy decisions being made by the government in the months ahead, it’s vital that the voice of the UK economic engine is heard," he said.
Eagland explained one objective of his four-year tenure would be dispel some preconceptions about accountants.
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"The stereotype of the Monty Python ‘bean counter’ no longer exists," said Eagland and revealed that his journey to the top of the firm was far from traditional and an example of the career diversity that he plans to promote.
"Supporting social mobility and ensuring everyone has an equal chance of accessing the profession, based on merit not background, is high on my agenda. I’m proud of my background and some of the personal decisions I have made, including choosing not to go to university, resulted in unexpected boosts to my career," he said.