Former PwC and EY executives have joined forces to create Unity Advisory, with some experts saying it could challenge the Big 4 in time.
Unity Advisory, backed by private equity firm Warburg Pincus, says it will be more agile and have innovative pricing models.
A June launch is planned for the firm, and ex- EY UK chair, Steve Varley, is the firm’s new chair, with the former PwC COO Marissa Thomas set to become the CEO.
Interestingly, Unity Advisory will not offer audit services, instead focusing on tax, accounting, and M&A services.
Varley told the Financial Times that CFOs are open to a new proposition. He explained: “The Big 4 are a classy bunch of service providers, by people are looking for a proposition that is super client-centric, has really low administrative costs, is AI-led rather than based on legacy infrastructure and, crucially, has no conflicts.”
