BDO, accountancy and business advisory firm, has promoted two new partners across its tax, audit and advisory teams serving the insurance markets. Thomas To has been promoted in the firm’s tax team and within the advisory team, while Luke Patterson has been named a new partner. To has worked in the tax sector since 2004 and was previously the business team leader for insurance tax with E&Y. During this period he has had secondments to the tax reporting function of two listed multinational insurance groups. He joined Moore Stephens in 2017 as a director to lead and grow the insurance tax business which has continued post the BDO merger in 2019. To has experience in a range of tax issues affecting insurers including merger and acquisition (M&A) deals, Brexit planning and implementation, research and development claims, international tax issues, and consolidation and restructuring. Patterson has over 20 years of experience working within the financial services sector, prior to joining BDO in August 2015 from Hiscox. He has deep technical knowledge in insurance, life, pensions and payment services. Patterson has specialist experience in a wide variety of advisory, Sarbanes Oxley and internal audit engagements, and acts as head of internal audit for a number of his clients. Paul Eagland, managing partner at BDO, says: “2020 was a testing year for businesses and individuals alike. None of us could have predicted that we would be working as a fully remote workforce for almost twelve months as a result of the pandemic.” He continues: “Last spring we put a number of measures in place to help us better weather the storm, including a pause on promotions. As we enter 2021 the country and economy faces ongoing challenges but we are determined to do all we can to invest in our people for the long term, this I am pleased to say, includes the promotion of 20 new partners.” “The process to become a partner is rigorous and challenging. Each one of our newly promoted partners holds the skills and characteristics that will support our aim of helping our clients and people succeed. A huge congratulations to them all,” he adds.
