Spear’s Review

A partner of the firm for the past quarter-century, Richard Houston heads up Deloitte’s operations in the UK as its chief executive, also overseeing Deloitte North and South Europe. He connects an umbrella network of more than 75,000 professionals across 30 countries – a group that is integral to the functioning of the continent’s knowledge economy and the smooth running of its financial services. 

Houston previously managed the firm’s north-west Europe consulting service lines before being picked to replace David Sproul – who served two four-year terms as chief executive – in 2019. In late 2022 he was re-elected to stay on as chief executive until 2027. 

Houston has sat on the Big Four firm’s UK executive committee since 2015 and has grown the firm’s consulting practice through a greater emphasis on digital technologies. As CEO, he has had to adapt to the challenges facing all professional services firms: Deloitte announced a number of redundancies and cost-cutting measures in 2024, and reductions in bonuses and promotions into 2025.

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