PwC’s very own northern powerhouse – interview with Emma Suchland

In her first month as PwC’s new Regional Market Leader for the North, Emma Suchland is wasting no time in outlining her ambitious plans to strengthen the professional services firm’s presence outside of London.

Suchland, who previously led PwC’s private business division, was recruited into the high-profile role due to her extensive regional experience and deep understanding of the Northern economy.

“This is an incredibly exciting opportunity, both for myself and for PwC,” Suchland told TheBusinessDesk.com in an exclusive interview. “The North has always been a heartland for us, and we’re now doubling down on our commitment to the region.”

Cheshire-born Suchland’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment, as the Labour government continues to encourage devolution across the city regions and form growth focused Combined Authorities. She says her strong regional connections make her well-positioned to help PwC take part in this policy drive.

A key part of Suchland’s vision is to leverage PwC’s convening power to bring together government, industry, and academia – fostering collaborative solutions to the North’s most pressing challenges.

“The North is home to an incredibly diverse and dynamic business community, but we know there are still barriers to growth – whether it’s skills gaps, infrastructure deficiencies, or access to capital,” she explained. “By bringing all the key players to the table, we can help identify and implement the right interventions to unlock the region’s full potential.”

Suchland emphasised the importance of this approach, describing her leadership style as “very much collaborative, working together with people and listening.”

“But I’m also quite action-oriented – I listen, make decisions, and then go to implement,” she added.

Another core element of Suchland’s strategy is to establish new “centres of excellence” across the North that can deliver for PwC’s teams, clients, and the region as a whole.

“Where can we get some more centres of excellence in the North that deliver for our team, that deliver for our clients, and deliver nationally as well?” she asked. “That’s really important to me.”

Suchland highlighted PwC’s existing investments in the region, such as a tech hub in Manchester and the firm’s youngest office in Bradford. These are a strong foundation to build upon she insists and points to the firm’s sector-specific expertise in areas like renewable energy and financial services as key strengths.

Before stepping into this new role, she led PwC’s national UK Private Business practice, where she was responsible for the firm’s 650+ strong private business team. However, she’s not a “PwC lifer” having joined as a tax partner in 2016 from BDO.

One area where Suchland is particularly passionate is the role of audit within PwC’s service offering. She pushes back against the notion that audit should be seen as a “loss leader,” emphasising its integral importance to the firm’s multidisciplinary model.

“Our previous managing partner has been really clear, and it’s something I agree with, that actually having a multidisciplinary firm where people can learn and train and develop their craft – the skills that go with that is really important,” Suchland explained.

She argues that the skills required to deliver a high-quality audit have become increasingly complex, making the audit practice a valuable asset rather than a loss leader.

“It’s not necessarily inflationary,” she said on the commitment to invest in qulaity. “I think it’s the complexity that comes these days with delivering an audit and the skills that are needed and the audit market a value being put on it.”

When it comes to the deals market, Suchland was equally adamant that PwC has not abandoned its regional focus, despite withdrawals from the regional corporate finance market, notably Deloitte.

“We are still very much focused on the M&A market regionally,” she said. “We do a lot through a sector lens, and we bring sector specialism. That doesn’t mean we don’t do local deals.”

Suchland pointed to PwC’s dedicated teams focused on primary deals and large multinational transactions, many of which are based outside of London.

“We have not left the regions from an M&A perspective, and we won’t leave the regions from an M&A perspective,” she assured. “We want to be speaking to those clients and those businesses. It’s important to us.”

In describing her leadership approach, Suchland emphasises the importance of collaboration and bringing diverse stakeholders together to drive progress.

“My style is very much collaborative, working together with people and listening,” she explained. “But I’m also quite action-oriented – I listen, make decisions, and then go to implement.”