Former PwC director crosses back over from industry to join UNW

Newcastle-based independent chartered accountancy and business advisory firm UNW has announced the appointment of former PwC Director Martin Cross as Audit Partner.

An experienced auditor, Martin spent 18 years at PwC, working across the North East and Yorkshire and acting for a wide range of clients, from entrepreneurial privately-owned businesses through to FTSE100 companies.

After achieving a PhD in Petroleum Geochemistry at The University of Manchester, Martin took part in some postdoctoral research, spending time in Paris and Newcastle before joining PwC as an Associate, climbing the ranks to Audit Director and gaining significant experience in the audit of companies in the financial services, technology and manufacturing sectors. He joins UNW after a year in industry as Chief Financial Officer of Gateshead-based behavioural marketing company SaleCycle.

Speaking of his motivations for joining UNW, Martin Cross said: “What really attracted me to UNW is the sheer quality of the firm’s clients and its team. There’s an unwavering commitment to excellent client service coupled with a real emphasis on the development of the team internally, which are both very important factors for me.”

Martin’s arrival at UNW follows the recent recruitment of Chris Wilson as partner and head of corporate finance, as well as the firm’s largest ever intake of young talent across both its graduate and apprenticeship programmes by taking on 20 new trainees in September 2022 alone.

His appointment is another symbol of UNW’s determination to continue to strengthen its audit and assurance offering in the wake of sustained growth and some recent major new client wins, including French-owned video game company Ubisoft, site equipment firm Nixon Hire and offshore and energy group Shepherd Offshore.

Michael Morris, Audit Partner at UNW, said: “Following the arrival of Chris Wilson to our Corporate Finance team in August, Martin is another fabulous addition to our ranks. His impressive credentials and background are a perfect fit for UNW and will help us to continue to deliver robust audits, first-rate advice and exceptional service to our expanding, high-quality client base.

“The demand for our audit services is now greater than ever before and Martin’s considerable experience will also help us maintain our commitment to coaching and development in our growing audit department, ensuring that we retain a market-leading team.”