Affinity with councils a team asset

Mar 25 2009 by Iain Laing, The Journal

BUSINESS advisory firm Deloitte has appointed Jon Ritchie to lead a team of external auditors and develop its local government advisory offering in the North East.

After spending more than 11 years at accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers in Newcastle, as well as undertaking a senior role at a North East council, Jon has joined the firm as director in audit.

Jon will work on a range of projects for public sector clients. This will include major transformation and standalone projects, with a focus on financial management and reporting, governance and performance.

He said: “I am excited to have joined such a dynamic and innovative organisation which prides itself on the quality, value-added services that the firm provides across the board, as well as its sustained commitment to the public sector.

“Although the current market is challenging, as a team we aim to strive for further excellence in order to support the public sector by providing value-added services that position our clients in the best position to cope with the global financial downturn.”

Paul Thomson, partner with Deloitte’s public sector practice in the North, said: “Jon’s broad and diverse expertise in the audit and advisory field, along with his commitment and passion for the public sector, will ensure he is an asset to the team.

“Over the past 18 months, the audit and advisory team has been extremely successful within the marketplace and as a result Deloitte has won over 93% of all new business it has competed for, which is testament to the high quality and value-added services we provide for the public sector.”