PwC strengthens its team across the Middle East

Specialising in assurance, tax, and consulting and deals advisory services, eight of the new partners are based in KSA, one in Qatar, and seven in the UAE, including one new female partner. This brings the total number of female partners up to seven. All appointments have been made through the firm's internal promotion process and recognise the contributions made by these key professionals to support the firm's growth.

Over the past 12 months PwC's Middle East practice has also brought a further 15 partners into its business - 10 of whom came from elsewhere in the PwC network of firms - bringing a wealth of skills and expertise to create value for PwC's increasing and diverse client base across the region.

The new partners in the UAE are: Gavin Steel - Capital Markets Group (Assurance); Manoj Shah - Finance Function Effectiveness (Consulting), Mark Flavell - Hospitality, Leisure and US GAAP/GAAS (Assurance); Matt Alabaster - Strategy (Consulting); Mohamed Aylouche - Consumer and Industrial Product and Middle Market Services (Assurance); Norma Taki (Deals); and Tareq Wehbe - Government (Consulting).

New partners in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are: Ammar Hindash - Strategy (Consulting); Farrukh Faizi (Assurance, Al Khobar); Basem Ibrahim - Financial Services (Assurance); Ibrahim Habib - SOPCA (Assurance); Imad Shahrouri - Operations Services (Consulting); Mohammed Al-Obaidi, (Tax and Zakat); Motaz Saleh - Risk Assurance Services (Assurance); Thaer Banajah, - Finance Function Effectiveness (Consulting).

Tarek Magdy, who provides consulting services to government and public sector clients, has become a partner in PwC Qatar.

"Through our internal admissions process, we rejuvenate our partnership every year with new talent to help deliver value to our clients. Through the expertise of our people, we aim to drive innovation and bring a fresh perspective on our business, taking us closer to our goal of becoming the No.1 professional services firm in the Middle East," said Warwick Hunt, Managing Partner for PwC in the Middle East.

"We are really proud of this year's promotions. The talented and high-performing pool of individuals have demonstrated quality work and the ability to deliver on our brand promise for all of our stakeholders. We are confident that their leadership will help guide the firm into the future and help us achieve our aspiration to succeed and stand out as a leading partner to our clients."

PwC continues to expand its talent pool across the Middle East, with experts based on the ground to meet local needs. It also has a strong presence in KSA, and the new partners will ensure to provide international best practice with a deep understanding of the local clients and culture.

PwC has one of the largest professional service practices in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East region, with 141 partners and 2,500 people.