A member of the firm’s senior leadership team, Meadows will take up the role on 1 May, succeeding Maureen Penfold who retires at the end of April after being managing partner for eight years since January 2016.

Last June, the firm secured a multimillion pound investment from European private equity firm Waterland while keeping its limited liability partnership status.

At the time, the firm said the funds would be used to finance acquisitions across the accounting sector and to strengthen its position in the mid-tier market. The first major acquisition saw a deal in Ireland with the acquisition of Irish firm Moore.

Moore Kingston Smith is the London firm of the global Moore accounting network, which reported UK fee income of £220m for year end 30 April 2023 and has 206 partners and 2,150 staff.

Meadows joined the firm in 1998 as a trainee and was made a partner 10 years later. Highly skilled across multiple disciplines including audit and corporate finance, he has led many of the firm’s largest assignments, as well as advising on growth and exit strategies. He was instrumental in the acquisition of Irish firm Moore, which enhanced the firm’s global presence and ability to support its growing client base with international interests.

Meadows said: ‘It’s an honour and a very exciting time to become managing partner at this point in our 100-year history. I’m grateful for the support of Maureen, my fellow partners and colleagues in this next stage for Moore Kingston Smith.

‘My time here has been full of opportunity, and that’s what I want others to feel and experience when they work with us. It’s important that we continue to nurture an environment that helps our people and all who work with us to achieve their ambitions.

‘I look forward to building on the strong foundations laid by Maureen, fostering our inclusive, supportive workplace as we grow, for our people to enjoy what they do, and to continue delivering quality solutions for our clients.’

Penfold’s retirement follows a 40-year career at the firm, with 30 of those years as a partner. Since becoming managing partner in 2016, she has steered Moore Kingston Smith into a leading challenger firm, overseen its integration into the Moore Global network and guided its people and clients through the pandemic.

Penfold said: ‘I’m delighted and incredibly proud to see Matt elected as managing partner. A natural next step for him and our firm; I’ve seen his career progress over 25 years, and he knows our clients, culture and the principles that set us apart from other firms.

‘Matt is absolutely the right person to take the helm, he’s steered us through some of our most significant milestones, and will successfully and sustainably continue our journey of growth.

‘I look forward to seeing all that Moore Kingston Smith achieves in its next chapter and have every confidence with Matt leading the way.’