The Big Four firm confirmed the appointment was made ‘following a confirmatory vote by the firm’s partners’ where no other partners put their names forward for the top job at Deloitte UK.

Graves will take over this June from Richard Houston, who has been in the top role at Deloitte for the last six years after being elected in June 2019. The early departure of Houston short of his second fou-year term was triggered by a major restructure of Deloitte across the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions.

Following the decision to restructure Deloitte, Houston was recently unanimously voted in by partners from across 16 geographies to take over as head of the newly reorganised business.

Houston will become CEO of Deloitte EMEA from 1 June. The restructure sees the disbandment of the old Deloitte North and South Europe structure.

During Houston’s tenure, Deloitte has expanded significantly in the UK, securing top spot in the Top 75 Firms Survey for several years, with annual revenue of £4.88bn in FY25, down 1% on £4.9bn in FY24, and reported pre-tax profit of £771m, up 13.4% year on year. Like all the Big Four Deloitte has shed jobs in recent years, with total staff count down by 922 in FY25, equivalent to a 3.5% cut in head count.

The incoming Graves is managing partner for Deloitte North and South Europe (NSE) Tax & Legal, and first joined the firm as a graduate in business tax in 2001 before moving into M&A tax and becoming a partner in 2012. He previously led the transactions tax team in the UK and was a member of the UK tax & legal executive before moving to the European job in 2022.

Graves said: ‘When I joined the firm as a graduate 25 years ago, I never imagined I would one day be sending a message to say how incredibly proud I am to have been appointed as the next Deloitte UK CEO. 

‘The firm has given me so much. It’s where I grew up professionally, where I’ve had the pleasure of working with fantastic people and clients, and where I’ve had the opportunity to achieve things that I could never have imagined when I started my career.

‘I think it’s important to remember that none of us arrive at a moment like this alone, and I want to thank everyone who has supported and helped me along the way. 

‘It’s a pivotal time for the UK firm. My focus will be on ensuring we continue to deliver exceptional value to our clients as we help them navigate an unprecedented period of complexity - and, at the same time, reinvent our own firm for the generations to come.’ 

Graves will step into the new role in June, when Houston takes over the EMEA job.

Houston said: ‘I’m delighted that Darren will be our next UK CEO. His experience as a leader, both in the UK and across North and South Europe, gives me every confidence that the UK firm will continue to lead in the market.’

Deloitte will confirm details of a new UK chair and board by the end of April.

Pictured: Darren Graves

Head of Deloitte UK to move to top EMEA job at firm | 24 Feb 2026