EY appoints former KPMG trio

EY has appointed three former KPMG partners to its real estate, hospitality and construction team. Richard White, former head of UK real estate and real estate tax at KPMG, will take over as head of real estate tax at EY. The position was previously held by Russell Gardner who is now EY’s head of real estate, hospitality and construction in the UK and Ireland. Nicola Westbrooke, a REIT expert who was part of the team that devised the introduction of REITs in 2006, and Richard Ross were also appointed as real estate tax partners, continuing the roles they held at KPMG. The three senior partners, who have nearly 75 years of real estate experience between them, resigned from KPMG in October 2015 to join EY and have been on gardening leave since then. Gardner said: “The appointment of Richard, Nicola and Richard underlines EY’s commitment to the real estate sector. Their arrival marks another significant step on the journey of EY’s UK real estate practice and consolidates the progress we have made in the last two years. “I’m hugely excited about the opportunities that lie ahead, having been able to bring on board three partners with such wealth of real estate experience.” To send feedback, e-mail karl.tomusk@egi.co.uk or tweet @ktomusk or @estatesgazette