BDO grows its financial services division with new partner

BDO has announced that Chris Bellairs has been appointed as partner within the company’s financial services practice.

The appointment reflects the continued importance the firm places on the financial services sector, as the industry evolves to address greater regulation, more complex competition and increasing customer expectations.

It also closely follows news that Mark Hunt is now leading BDO’s financial services practice, which was announced last month alongside Leigh Wormald’s appointment as financial services partner.

Bellairs has over 16 years' experience as an auditor and adviser across the financial services industry. He joins BDO from PwC, where he led the insurance and investment management internal audit advisory service.

He also acted as senior statutory auditor on a number of external audits in the fund management sector, across traditional asset managers, private equity, and real estate and hedge fund managers. Chris’s industry experience has been gained both in the UK and internationally, and globally he was the sovereign wealth leader for internal audit.

Bellairs also chaired PwC’s UK heads of internal audit for the investment management industry forum. He is an FCA qualified chartered accountant, and is also a member of the institute of internal auditors.

Mark Hunt, head of BDO’s financial services practice, says, “Last month we confirmed our ambitious plans to grow the financial services practice and Chris’s appointment as partner is the next stage in that important process.  His skills and experience across the sector are crucial to our plans to increase market opportunities for the practice, and complement our existing FS offering.”