BDO picks US audit leader for senior partner role
Mid-tier advisory firm BDO’s equity partners have voted to name Iain Henderson as the firm’s next senior partner.
Henderson will take office on 1 October 2026, succeeding Matthew White, who will have completed his maximum of two four-year terms in the senior leadership role.
Unlike the role of managing partner, the senior partner oversees the firm’s governance, with responsibility for ensuring “effective oversight” and partnership culture.
Henderson is a long-standing partner in the firm’s audit department with more than 30 years of experience. He was sector lead for BDO’s US audit team and UK coordinating partner for the US member firm.
Commenting on his new role, he said: “This is a role with a clear purpose – to drive strong governance, ensure robust challenge and oversight, and help maintain a culture where people with the public interest at heart can succeed.”
“BDO is a firm with a long-established focus on ideas, people and trust; strong governance is critical to that,” he added.
Changes to the market in the ‘coming years’
Outgoing senior partner, White, stated, “The coming years will bring continued change in our market, with evolving regulation, advancements in technology and growing expectations around quality and trust.”
The firm was reported in April to be cutting around 6 per cent of its total partner headcount, targeting older partners, who were expected to retire soon, or hires from rivals.
BDO, as reported by City PM, is said to be moving the goalposts for the accountancy sector’s “perception problem” among younger talent by engaging school-level students.
The firm, in partnership with Connectr, launched its new work experience programme last month, targeting students in Years 9, 11, 12, and 13, as these are the years when decisions are being made about next steps after school or college.
The ‘Bridge to BDO’ work experience programme aims to reach 3,000 students by 2029.