Reading: KPMG boosts senior audit team

KPMG Reading has hired a new audit director and senior manager, both previously at EY, to join its Thames Valley office.

Director Shirley Rogan arrives with 12 years’ experience at EY where she was an associate partner in the Thames Valley region, while senior manager Emma Prestwood spent over six years working for the same firm, most recently in Abu Dhabi.

Simon HaydnJones, head of audit for KPMG’s Thames Valley team, commented: “We are committed to bringing talented people into our team as we continue to grow our business in the Thames Valley region, so we are delighted to have Shirley and Emma on-board. As a director, Shirley will bring valuable leadership skills as we continue to recruit for our team, while Emma’s experience overseas brings fantastic insight as our work increasingly becomes more international in nature.”

Both new joiners reported a good start to their new role, with Rogan commenting: “The south market clearly has strong growth opportunities so this, coupled with the fact that audit is undergoing a period of change with new technology offering opportunities to transform the audit process, makes the role an interesting new challenge with great people.”

Prestwood added: “It’s been an interesting first month, meeting the team and doing KPMG’s on-boarding training; everyone has been very helpful answering my questions. I’m now looking forward to sharing my experiences from working in the Middle East and Australia.”

The audit team at KPMG team is continuing to recruit, with further expansion expected when the KPMG office relocates from Theale into 2 Forbury Place in central Reading next autumn. Over the next five years, the office is expecting to create 200 new jobs for the area.