Financial Power List 2018
Following an eventful 2017, many challenges lie ahead for the accounting and finance sector, including key regulations like GDPR, ongoing Brexit negotiations, preparations for Making Tax Digital and technology changes.
The Financial Power List ranks the people we believe will have significant influence on the direction of the industry over the next 12 months. From government, practice and business, these 50 individuals have the power to make an impact in 2018.
Ranking vs 2017
Name
#1
David Davis
Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union
David Davis
About David Davis
#2
Philip Hammond
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Philip Hammond
About Philip Hammond
#3
David Sproul
Senior Partner and Chief Executive, Deloitte
David Sproul
About David Sproul
#4
Elizabeth Truss
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Elizabeth Truss
About Elizabeth Truss
#5
Mel Stride
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Mel Stride
About Mel Stride
#6
Sacha Romanovitch
CEO, Grant Thornton UK
Sacha Romanovitch
About Sacha Romanovitch
#7
Win Bischoff
Chairman, FRC
Win Bischoff
About Win Bischoff
#8
Steve Varley
Chairman, EY
Steve Varley
About Steve Varley
#9
Andrew Harding
Chief Executive, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants
Andrew Harding
About Andrew Harding
#10
Andrew Bonfield
Chair, 100Group, National Grid CFO
Andrew Bonfield
About Andrew Bonfield
#11
Bill Michael
Chairman, KPMG UK
Bill Michael
About Bill Michael
#12
Paul Aplin
Incoming President, ICAEW
Paul Aplin
About Paul Aplin
#13
Kevin Ellis
Chairman, PwC
Kevin Ellis
About Kevin Ellis
#14
Jon Thompson
CEO, HMRC
Jon Thompson
About Jon Thompson
#15
Nicky Morgan
Chair, Treasury Select Committee
Nicky Morgan
About Nicky Morgan
#16
Sarah Albon
Inspector General and Chief executive, the Insolvency Service
Sarah Albon
About Sarah Albon
#17
Sarah Churchman
UK Head of Diversity, Inclusion, and Wellbeing, PwC
Sarah Churchman
About Sarah Churchman
#18
Derek Mackay
Finance Secretary, Scotland
Derek Mackay
About Derek Mackay
#19
Melanie Richards
Deputy Chair, KPMG UK
Melanie Richards
About Melanie Richards
#20
Paul Eagland
Managing Partner, BDO
Paul Eagland
About Paul Eagland
#21
Mark Carney
Governor, Bank of England
Mark Carney
About Mark Carney
#22
Bruce Cartwright
CEO, ICAS
Bruce Cartwright
About Bruce Cartwright
#24
Helen Brand
CEO, ACCA
Helen Brand
About Helen Brand
#25
Paul Morton
Tax Director, Office of Tax Simplification
Paul Morton
About Paul Morton
#26
Meg Hillier
Chair, Public Accounts Committee
Meg Hillier
About Meg Hillier
#27
Laurence Longe
CEO, RSM
Laurence Longe
About Laurence Longe
#29
Anton Colella
CEO, Moore Stephens International
Anton Colella
About Anton Colella
#30
Humphrey Singer
CFO, Marks & Spencer
Humphrey Singer
About Humphrey Singer
#31
Rakesh Shaunak
Group Chairman, MHA MacIntyre Hudson
Rakesh Shaunak
About Rakesh Shaunak
#32
Jean Stephens
CEO, RSM International
Jean Stephens
About Jean Stephens
#33
Phil Verity
UK Senior Partner, Mazars
Phil Verity
About Phil Verity
#34
John McDonnell
Shadow Chancellor
John McDonnell
About John McDonnell
#35
Rob Whiteman
CEO, CIPFA
Rob Whiteman
About Rob Whiteman
#36
Hans Hoogervorst
Chairman, IASB
Hans Hoogervorst
About Hans Hoogervorst
#37
David Cobb
Co-CEO, Smith & Williamson
David Cobb
About David Cobb
#38
Kevin Stopps
Co-CEO, Smith & Williamson
Kevin Stopps
About Kevin Stopps
#39
Stuart Simpson
CFO, Royal Mail
Stuart Simpson
About Stuart Simpson
#40
Michael Izza
CEO, ICAEW
Michael Izza
About Michael Izza
#41
Richard Murphy
Founder, Tax Research UK
Richard Murphy
About Richard Murphy
#42
Brian Palmer
Tax Policy Expert, AAT
Brian Palmer
About Brian Palmer
#43
Bill Dodwell
Tax Partner, Deloitte
Bill Dodwell
About Bill Dodwell
#44
John Cullinane
Tax Policy Director, CIOT
John Cullinane
About John Cullinane
#45
Julie Adams
Managing Partner, Menzies
Julie Adams
About Julie Adams
#46
Pascal Saint-Amans
Director, Centre for Tax Policy and Administration, OECD
Pascal Saint-Amans
About Pascal Saint-Amans
#47
Jonathan Bingham
Partner, KPMG
Jonathan Bingham
About Jonathan Bingham
#48
David Fenn
Managing Partner, Wilkins Kennedy
David Fenn
About David Fenn
#49
Richard Howitt
CEO, IIRC
Richard Howitt
About Richard Howitt
#50
Patrick Mears
Chair of the General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR) Advisory Panel
Patrick Mears
About Patrick Mears
Related Content
One in three large companies hit by VAT investigation
HMRC
One in three large companies hit by VAT investigation
10h
One in three large companies hit by VAT investigat...
HMRC’s post-pandemic leniency has officially ended. As the Treasury targets a £11.4bn VAT gap, new data reveals a 31% surge in investigations into lar...
View
Exit wounds: The succession tax nobody planned for
2026 Predictions
Exit wounds: The succession tax nobody planned for
3d
Exit wounds: The succession tax nobody planned for
Entering the 2026/27 tax year, the "family business handover" has officially become a luxury. From the end of uncapped BPR to the final climb of BADR,...
View
FRS 102, dry powder and the AI pivot: Three forces reshaping UK accounting
Accounting Standards
FRS 102, dry powder and the AI pivot: Three forces reshaping UK accounting
5d
FRS 102, dry powder and the AI pivot: Three forces...
As the "2026 Reporting Cliff" approaches, the UK accounting profession faces a dual crisis of regulatory upheaval and technological displacement. From...
View
The weekly roundup: Audit scrutiny, digital deadlines & dealmaking
FRC
The weekly roundup: Audit scrutiny, digital deadlines & dealmaking
1w
The weekly roundup: Audit scrutiny, digital deadli...
As the 2026/27 tax year kicks into gear, the UK accounting sector faces a perfect storm of regulatory enforcement and structural evolution. From the F...
View
Widening access is key to solving accountancy’s talent shortage
People In Business
Widening access is key to solving accountancy’s talent shortage
2w
Widening access is key to solving accountancy’s ta...
The instinct to streamline entry routes into accountancy is understandable, but misguided. Margaret Laidlaw, Head of Talent & Culture at Forvis Mazars...
View
EY’s agentic AI pivot - A watershed moment for audit quality?
AI in Accounting
EY’s agentic AI pivot - A watershed moment for audit quality?
2w
EY’s agentic AI pivot - A watershed moment for aud...
As EY rolls out an enterprise-scale multi-agent AI framework across 160,000 global engagements, the era of manual audit sampling is under threat. We a...
View
The end of year-end? Why 2026 is rewriting the audit playbook
AI in Accounting
The end of year-end? Why 2026 is rewriting the audit playbook
2w
The end of year-end? Why 2026 is rewriting the aud...
As the 2026 reporting season hits its stride, the "Big Crunch" is being replaced by the "Continuous Close." With the FRC’s new Agentic AI guidance now...
View