Matt Hammond has been appointed regional chairman of PwC in the Midlands, heading up over 2,000 staff in the firm’s Birmingham, Castle Donington and Milton Keynes offices. He takes over from Mark Smith as chairman of PwC’s Midlands practice and senior partner for the Birmingham office. Mark has led the regional practice, which has delivered record results under his leadership, for the last seven years.
Taking up the position in September, Matt Hammond returns to Birmingham from his current role as PwC's regional chairman in the West and Wales region. Prior to his move to the West and Wales in 2013, Matt led PwC’s Deals practice in the Midlands.
On his appointment, Matt Hammond, regional chairman of PwC Midlands, said:
“It is a great privilege to be heading up PwC’s Midlands practice and to lead the future development of the firm in the region. Mark has done an exceptional job over the last seven years and I look forward to working with the teams across the three offices and delivering further growth.
"We have just strengthened the senior team in the Midlands, with eight new partners and 14 new directors, reflecting a major investment to support clients in the regions. With stronger economic growth, regional devolution and an expanding financial services sector, it’s an exciting time for the Midlands.”
Stephanie Hyde, executive board member and head of regions at PwC, said:
“I am delighted that Matt has agreed to lead the Midlands practice. He has successfully led the practice in the West and Wales region for the last two years and brings a wealth of specialist experience in the restructuring environment.
“During his seven years at the helm, Mark Smith has delivered outstanding results, cementing PwC’s leading position in the region. Personally, he has played a pivotal role in the business community, and has delivered on PwC’s mission to do the right thing for our clients, our people and our communities.
“On behalf of the PwC partnership I would like to thank Mark for his leadership, and welcome his continued service as a client service partner in the Midlands practice.”
Mark Smith, PwC partner, said:
“The last seven years have been extremely rewarding, and I’m delighted that the firm has continued to perform very strongly in the region. We have experienced growth in excess of 20% in the last 12 months, which has been achieved across all areas of the business. We have also recruited a significant number of new specialists to provide an even broader range of services to our clients in the Midlands.
“We have won a number of prestigious new audits in the last two years and I’m really looking forward to focusing even more of my time working with some of the leading businesses in the region.
"I am delighted that Matt is returning to the Midlands and am really excited about the opportunity to work with him over the next few years.”
Matt Hammond joined PwC in 1996 and was based in the West region until late 2004. In 2005 he moved to the Midlands where he was promoted to director, and in 2006 was admitted to the partnership. In 2010-13 he led the business recovery services team and latterly the deals team in the Midlands. He has worked with high-profile clients including Manganese Bronze - the manufacturer of the iconic London Black Cab, and The Cube in Birmingham.
Matt has lived in the Midlands for 14 years. Married to Jennie they have two sons, and as a family are keen skiers, football and rugby fans. He also participated in PwC's inaugural Ride the Nation charity event for the PwC Foundation in May 2015, which raised almost £150,000 for good causes around the UK regions.