FTSE 250 UK home assistance company HomeServe Membership has appointed former Plumb Center finance chief Alex Johnson as CFO. Johnson has previously held managing director and finance director roles at Bunzl; as plumbing and heating finance director at Wolseley  (Plumb and Parts Center) and executive roles at ING Barings and KPMG.

Deloitte has appointed Jonathan Gray as a partner in its London-based financial services consultancy practice. Specialising in digital solutions for financial services, Gray brings with him over 20 years’ experience working with global companies across retail banking, wealth management, credit cards and insurance in the UK, Europe and US.

 Lesley Williams, group pensions director at Whitbread, is to become the next chair of the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF), the voice of workplace pensions. Williams, who is currently chair of NAPF’s defined contribution council, succeeds Ruston Smith.

Ted Verkade has been named as Geoff Barnes’ successor as CEO and president of Baker Tilly International, the world’s eighth largest accounting and advisory network, Barnes will retire from the role in June 2016, but will remain a member of the board. Verkade has been a partner in the network’s Dutch member, Baker Tilly Berk, for 20 years. Following a long career in the audit practice with a focus on growing the firm’s international client base, he has held several leadership positions within the firm and has been managing director of the firm for the last six years. He currently is the chairman of the firm’s board of directors.

Specialist not-for-profit audit partners Ian Mathieson and Karen Thompson have joined PKF Littlejohn. Mathieson brings 25 years of experience to the firm.  He qualified with Littlejohn Frazer before moving directly into the charity sector. He then joined PKF (UK)’s not for profit team for 14 years, which he headed from 2010 to 2013, fulfilling the same role at BDO after his firm’s merger with BDO. Thompson was also a partner in the not for profit teams of both PKF (UK) and BDO, and has also worked as director of finance at War on Want and latterly as CEO and director of resources at FARM-Africa.

Michael Jones is joining PwC as a partner in its forensics technology services practice.  He was previously a partner in the financial crime analytics and technology business at Deloitte. Jones has over 20 years’ experience in professional services and focuses on anti-money laundering and sanctions work for financial services clients.

PwC has appointed Simon Hunt as its new UK banking and capital markets leader. Kevin Burrowes, who remains the UK firm’s financial services leader, has additionally been appointed as global banking and capital markets leader across the PwC international network. Hunt, who has been with PwC for 18 years, has been the chief operating officer for PwC’s UK financial services practice for the last two years and a member of its financial services leadership team. Burrowes leads PwC’s UK financial services practice and has over 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry with extensive experience of leading and changing finance functions in investment banks. He re-joined PwC in 2009 from Credit Suisse where he was the EMEA head of finance for five years.