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
35 Under 35 2026: Unveiling the Final Wave of Winners
35 under 35
35 Under 35 2026: Unveiling the Final Wave of Winners
4d
35 Under 35 2026: Unveiling the Final Wave of Winn...
The final wave of Accountancy Age’s 35 Under 35 ranking for 2026 is here! Celebrating eight dynamic professionals redefining UK accounting. From becom...
View
35 Under 35 2026: Unveiling the Third Wave of Winners
35 under 35
35 Under 35 2026: Unveiling the Third Wave of Winners
6d
35 Under 35 2026: Unveiling the Third Wave of Winn...
Wave 3 of the Accountancy Age 35 Under 35 for 2026 profiles nine exceptional UK practice leaders driving real transformation across the profession. Fr...
ViewMTD is an opportunity, not a chore
HMRC’s MTD ITSA rollout forces a shift to quarterly filing. Discover how UK accounting firms can eliminate the "shadow tax" and turn compliance into r...
View
35 Under 35 2026: Unveiling the Second Wave of Winners
35 under 35
35 Under 35 2026: Unveiling the Second Wave of Winners
2w
35 Under 35 2026: Unveiling the Second Wave of Win...
The second wave of Accountancy Age’s 35 Under 35 ranking for 2026 is here. It highlights nine exceptional professionals who are redefining UK accounti...
View
Submissions Open for the 2026 Accountancy Age Top 50+50
50+50
Submissions Open for the 2026 Accountancy Age Top 50+50
2w
Submissions Open for the 2026 Accountancy Age Top ...
Submissions are officially open for the 2026 Accountancy Age Top 50+50 Rankings, run in partnership with Intuit QuickBooks. Now in its second decade, ...
View
35 Under 35 2026: Unveiling the First Wave of Winners
35 under 35
35 Under 35 2026: Unveiling the First Wave of Winners
2w
35 Under 35 2026: Unveiling the First Wave of Winn...
The first wave of Accountancy Age’s 35 Under 35 ranking for 2026 is here. Explore how this year’s honourees are reshaping UK accounting, from scaling ...
View
The quiet tech revolution reshaping UK accountancy in 2026
Accounting Software
The quiet tech revolution reshaping UK accountancy in 2026
2w
The quiet tech revolution reshaping UK accountancy...
UK firms are moving past AI hype to embrace automated workflows and cloud infrastructure that slash routine admin, ensure MTD compliance and unlock ad...
View
Why HMRC's first crypto tax data should alarm every accountant
HMRC
Why HMRC's first crypto tax data should alarm every accountant
2w
Why HMRC's first crypto tax data should alarm ever...
With HMRC’s inaugural crypto data revealing £1.38bn in gains and automatic exchange reporting set for 2027 under CARF. UK accountancy firms must urgen...
View
Goodbye quarterly reporting, hello e-invoicing: How UK businesses need to rethink tax compliance
Budget
Goodbye quarterly reporting, hello e-invoicing: How UK businesses need to r...
3w
Goodbye quarterly reporting, hello e-invoicing: Ho...
Hertz Casseus, Senior Regulatory Associate at Thomson Reuters, breaks down why the UK’s 2029 e-invoicing mandate is far more than a minor software pat...
View