BDO merges UK and Ireland arms into $1.4bn advisory firm
What's the deal? BDODealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s UK and Ireland practices have merged into a single business, BDO LLPDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, creating one of Europe's largest accountancy and advisory firms. The combined entity has annual revenue of about £1.1bn ($1.4bn), roughly 8,500 staff, and around 500 partners.
Why now? The merger took effect on July 4, 2026, aligned with the start of the firms' new financial year. It adds BDO Ireland's Dublin and Limerick offices to BDO UKDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s 17 existing locations.
The two practices already worked together extensively on cross-border mandates, shared talent programmes, and joint sector projects, so the deal largely formalises a long-standing relationship. Mark Shaw continues as managing partner of the merged firm, with Brian McEnery remaining regional managing partner for Ireland.
What's the endgame? The combined platform gives clients access to a wider network of specialists across audit, tax, deals, consulting, and outsourcing. Irish leadership expects the deal to help double the local business over five years and lift partner numbers from 43 to 70.
The numbers: BDO LLPDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → remains part of BDO International, the global network with revenues of around $11bn, covering 169 countries and employing more than 95,000 people across 870 offices. The firm said it will keep investing in client service, quality, digital tools, and people development.
"Bringing BDO UK and BDO Ireland together is our response to that shift, creating greater scale, capability and investment capacity for the future," Shaw said, pointing to changing client needs and the impact of AI on how advisers work.
The signal: The merger reflects a broader push among mid-market professional-services firms to build cross-border scale for clients operating in both the UK and Ireland. Rather than defensive consolidation, BDO frames the tie-up as a growth play in an increasingly competitive advisory market.
Read more: Bytes EU
Image credit: Harshil.Shah
