Ex-KPMG audit partner Simon Figgis is joining BDO as an independent non-executive (INE) to advise the leadership team on the development of the business and governance procedures.

Figgis will work alongside BDO's existing INE, Lesley MacDonagh, who is former managing partner of law firm, Lovells, and has been a non-executive director at the firm since 2008.

Simon Michaels, BDO managing partner, said: 'We continue to raise the bar on quality, build on our merger to lead the mid market and maximise opportunities from the Competition Commission investigation. Simon has much to offer to support our efforts in these areas.'

Figgis joined KPMG (then Peat Marwick) in 1977 and retired from the firm earlier this year after a career spanning audit, corporate finance, transaction services and litigation support advice. His final position was head of audit quality and risk management, overseeing quality in 19 countries across Europe and the Middle East.

Figgis said: 'The accountancy industry has shifted considerably in the last five years. BDO has a real opportunity in a world of tendering, international focus, quality and the continuing requirements to deliver exceptional client service. My varied experience, which marries audit quality, risk management, sector focus and advisory understanding, fits well with BDO's ambitions and its continuing focus on quality.'

BDO's former INE, Lord David Currie, is now chair of the new regulatory body, the Competition and Markets Authority, formerly the Office of Fair Trading, which came into being on 1 October and is due to become fully operational by April 2014.