Graham Gardner named one of the UK’s top 35 accountants aged under 35

Graham Gardner has been named one of the UK’s top accountants by the prestigious industry publication Accountancy Age.

He joins  Accountancy Age’s 35 under 35 2024 ranking. The ranking showcases and highlights the industry’s rising talent – those who are making great contributions to both their firms and fields.

Graham joined Kreston Reeves in January 2024 as an audit quality director to drive innovation and maintain the high audit standards that the firm is recognised for. The Accountancy Age judges in making the award said: “His blend of technical proficiency and audit expertise positions him as a leader in his field, consistently driving improvements and efficiencies in audit practices.”

Graham has throughout his career played a critical role in exploring, developing and implementing new technology to improve the audit landscape. He joined Kreston Reeves from KPMG where he played a pivotal role in the firm’s implementation of AI-empowered audit software and led the design and development of the firm’s internal generative AI virtual assistant.

His commitment to inclusivity led to the creation of tools to support KPMG staff with dyslexia, and he built an automated staff allocation tool, saving administrative staff several hundred hours annually. He has continued to drive innovation in his role at Kreston Reeves. He has developed an automated sampling tool and wrote and implemented a fraud detection methodology for AI in journal entry testing.

On receiving the award, Graham said: “This is a real honour to join this exclusive group of peers. Every single one is exceptional and hugely talented. Technology is shaping the audit landscape and that will accelerate dramatically over the next few years. It is exciting to understand how technology will help us better achieve audit excellence and deliver greater assurances to our clients.”

Michael Cook, Partner and Head of Audit and Financial Reporting at Kreston Reeves said: “The whole firm joins me in passing on our congratulations to Graham. In his time so far at Kreston Reeves Graham has made an outstanding contribution, he is a real asset to the firm and our clients.”