Jo Ahmed to take over as senior partner at Deloitte as Andy Westbrook era ends

Deloitte has appointed Jo Ahmed as Practice Senior Partner for the North West, as the Big Four firm looks to move to new offices, minus its corporate finance team.

She will head up a combined team of over 1,350 people working with private, public sector and international clients.

Her particular focus will be on driving programmes across the practice on climate and sustainability, in addition to supporting the continued growth of sectors in areas such as digital, cyber, private equity and real estate. This will include developing and strengthening international relationships to unlock new, sustainable opportunities for the region and its communities.

Andy Westbrook

She will take over the role from Andy Westbrook who is stepping down as Practice Senior Partner after six years.

A corporate financier by background and practice, Westbrook’s deals team in Manchester was dramatically axed  in February as the firm made a strategic decision to exit the regional corporate finance market, putting 100 jobs at risk.

As a swansong Westbrook has this week led on the sale of Palatine private equity’s investment in Skelmersdale-based NRG Riverside with a sale to Astatine Investment Partners.

He has led Deloitte in the region through a period of growth in both headcount and revenue, the firm said, but wouldn’t comment on his future.

Lucy Williams, Darryl Cooke, Jo Ahmed and Beth Houghton

Jo Ahmed first joined Deloitte in 2004 as a senior manager and has over 25 years’ experience in advising businesses on managing global workforces. Alongside the new role of Practice Senior Partner, she heads up the firm’s regional Global Mobility practice, advising a vast range of clients on the complex challenges of managing cross-border employment structures.

Her appointment follows the promotion of four new partners across the region’s audit and assurance, tax, and legal teams last June, which took the number of partners across the North West practice to 67.

In the coming months, she will be helping to deliver key projects such as the opening of the new Manchester 100 Embankment office, Deloitte’s latest office to be designed for the future of work and hybrid working.

At a recent TheBusinessDesk.com round table event with Win Academy, Ahmed said: “We’re about to move into our new office in June, in the city centre. And in designing that new office, we invited all members of staff to feed in to the design process. We asked them, how do you want the office to look and feel? What is important to you in an office environment? And how are you going to use the space so that it wasn’t just a shiny new space?”

She is a founding Board member and Deputy Chair of the Manchester India Partnership and serves as Honorary Consul of Japan in Manchester.

She recently travelled to Japan alongside Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as part of a delegation to strengthen regional ties and set out opportunities for future global collaboration in areas such as decarbonisation as well as enhanced academic collaborations between Greater Manchester and Japanese universities.

In her first statement as Practice Senior Partner at Deloitte North West, she said: “I feel incredibly privileged and excited to be taking on the role of Practice Senior Partner for the North West region. I am honoured to be leading such a large and talented team who are passionate about the region’s heritage and capabilities and are ambitious about its future growth.

“During my time with Deloitte, I have witnessed the immense strides the region has made in terms of new development and regeneration. Sustainability is vital to ensuring a future which is both ambitious and viable. My focus will be on continuing to help drive forward this momentum for a sustainable future in the North West and wider society.

“I look forward to further strengthening the region’s global partnerships and connections to unlock innovative and ambitious opportunities to help the region reach its full potential. I’m looking toward to a year of bold progression including our exciting office move and other key projects continuing to carve out Deloitte’s legacy within the region.”

In the statement announcing the changes Deloitte said: “Westbrook has successfully led the North West practice through a substantial period of growth in both headcount and revenue. Westbrook spearheaded a number of new market offerings, and developed local talent through annual promotions at all levels, meaning Deloitte’s North West business is well positioned to continue serving its clients and the wider community.”