KPMG said it has been working with clients to understand the implications of the UK’s relationship with the EU for a number of years, while its referendum response team was led by Melanie Richards, the firm’s vice chair.

Richards will continue to provide strategic counsel to Briggs and will continue to sit on the firm’s Brexit response panel, which comprises senior partners and experts in tax, economics, audit, immigration and financial regulation amongst others.

Simon Collins, KPMG UK chairman, said: ‘Friday 24 June represents a pivotal moment in UK business history; Brexit will dominate the business agenda for some time.
‘Karen has built a strong reputation in the market for working on large-scale complex, international regulatory issues, involving complex legal negotiations, for some of our most high-profile clients so is well placed to work with organisations at home and abroad as they adapt to the post-Brexit world.’

Briggs, who was previously KPMG’s head of solutions, said the firm has been advising clients to consider ‘the next two weeks, two months and two years to assess the path ahead’.

‘Our dialogue with clients shows that they need expert support on mitigating the risks and taking advantage of the opportunities that arise from a Brexit. To ensure we can deliver both the Brexit-related services our clients are demanding, on top of business as usual, I plan to build a dedicated team,’ she said.

It has been reported that the government’s professional and business services council, which includes the Big Four, has been asked to provide staff to assist Civil Service officials in their negotiations with the EU authorities over Brexit.