Deloitte hikes pay for top boss while headcount shrinks

Big Four giant Deloitte hiked pay for one of its chief executives last year by almost half while overall headcount at the firm fell, in part tied to targeted job cuts. According to the firm s latest pay report, Deloitte s chief executive of EMEA, Richard Houston, saw his pay increase to £7.1m last year, almost fifty per cent more than the £4.9m he was paid in 2025. Houston led Deloitte s UK business for seven years prior to being promoted in June to head his role in the EMEA division, a new entity which oversees Deloitte s operations in more than 80 countries following a restructuring this year which he led. As well as Houston s pay being hiked by almost half, the chief executive was also given a one-off award granted under a long term incentive plan . In the pay report, the Big Four firm said the award had a number of strategic and financial performance metrics , including for his work for the firm s broader operations in Europe. Houston s hiked pay was 93 times