Richard Sexton joined PwC in 1980 from Southampton University with a degree in mathematics and operational research. He qualified as a chartered accountant in 1983 and became a Fellow of the ICAEW in 1994.  He has a track record of successfully combining leading our largest international clients and practice management.

Most recently he has been the group relationship and lead audit partner for Unilever and completed his five years on that assignment after signing the 2010 accounts in late February 2011.  He was responsible for Reuters from 1998 to 2004 having become involved in the assignment on his return from the Far East.

From 1992 to 1996 he was based in Hong Kong as the global lead partner on PwC’s work with the Jardine Matheson Group of companies including its conversion to IFRS and London listing.  During that period he travelled extensively in Asia working with all aspects of the Group including Dairy Farm and Jardine Pacific, its retail businesses, and Hong Kong Land.  He was seconded to New York in 1987 to work primarily on Chase Manhattan Bank. 

Richard has been an assurance and audit practitioner throughout his career and has worked with major clients in a number of industries.  He has extensive experience of public and private transactions and investigations.

In recent years Richard has held various senior management roles within the UK firm including Head of London Assurance from 2002 to 2006 and subsequently Head of Assurance from 2006 to 2011 having been appointed to the UK Executive Board in 2006. 

With effect from 1 July 2011 he has a new UK Executive Board role focussing on reputation and policy across the UK Firm.  He has responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the Firm’s public policy and regulatory activities and assessing and promoting related activities in relation to reputation.  Whilst the most pressing of these at present relates to the future and relevance of the audit itself it is a much wider brief encompassing all aspects of the Firm’s activities.  In addition he has been appointed Deputy Global Assurance Leader with a similar but more regulatory focussed brief.

He has extensive experience of corporate reporting having helped drive the firm’s responses to evolving issues such as Sarbanes Oxley, the review of the Combined Code and IFRS developments.  He has also been involved in research into the functioning and operation of governance regimes including Audit Committees in both the UK and Hong Kong.

Richard is 52 years old and married to Morag.  They have four sons.