KPMG appoints new senior partner to lead Aberdeen office

KPMG UK has announced that Paula Holland will take on the leadership of its Aberdeen office, as Martin Findlay retires following 31 years with the professional services firm.

Paula will take up the post of office senior partner from 3 April, leading 125 colleagues in the city. Paula joined KPMG 21 years ago and moved north from Leeds to join the Aberdeen office in 2015, initially as a director, before becoming a partner in 2022. 

Paula will be primarily focused on delivering audit quality but will work closely with a market driven senior leadership team consisting of fellow partner Deborah May (tax), deal advisory directors, Robert Aitken and Robert Logue and tax director Natalie Macfadyen.

The office leadership team also includes audit directors Daniel Crighton and Michelle Smarsh.

Paula takes on the role from Martin Findlay, who joined KPMG on 6 April 1992 as a tax manager. Martin has led the Aberdeen office since 2016 and will leave the firm at the end of April.

Commenting on her appointment, Paula, said: “I am thrilled to be leading the Aberdeen office at an exciting time of change and innovation for the city and I look forward to building on the strong foundations here that Martin and others have built.

“We have a growing office full of talented people with market-leading expertise which I feel privileged to represent. A key priority for me is continuing our commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace, and creating challenging, dynamic careers for all our colleagues.”

Martin said: “It’s been incredibly rewarding to lead the Aberdeen office and work with such a talented group of colleagues and clients in Aberdeen and across the UK, and I wish Paula all the best of luck in the role.    

“I’m proud to have helped set up our new base in Marischal Square in 2020. We’re now seeing the full benefits of it being realised, with colleagues fully embracing hybrid working and using our new space in ways which suit their working patterns.”

James Kergon, office senior partner for Scotland at KPMG UK, said: “Paula is a talented leader and ideally placed to take our Aberdeen office into a new era. We’ve seen significant growth in the local market under Martin’s excellent leadership, including continued support for clients who are navigating their energy transition paths on the journey to net zero.”

“I know the new look senior leadership team will build on that legacy by supporting clients across the north-east at such an important time in the continued recovery of the local economy.”

-ENDS-

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About KPMG UK

KPMG LLP, a UK limited liability partnership, operates from 20 offices across the UK with approximately 17,000 partners and staff. The UK firm recorded a revenue of £2.72 billion in the year ended 30 September 2022.  

KPMG is a global organization of independent professional services firms providing Audit, Legal, Tax and Advisory services. It operates in 143 countries and territories with more than 265,000 partners and employees working in member firms around the world. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such. KPMG International Limited is a private English company limited by guarantee. KPMG International Limited and its related entities do not provide services to clients.