Melanie Richards CBE

Melanie joined KPMG in 2000 to develop the Debt Advisory practice. Melanie has more than 30 years of banking experience including 15 years with NatWest and 3 years with Hambros’ Fixed Income Group (which was acquired by RBC Dominion Securities in 1998), where she headed the private placement group.

During her career to date she has had extensive experience of bank lending, debt restructuring and capital markets’ instruments.

Married with two children.
Prior to joining KPMG, Melanie was active in the origination and execution of a full range of debt capital markets’ products including syndicated loans, private placements, to both US and European institutional investors, public bond issuance and associated interest rate and currency hedging products.

Since joining KPMG Melanie has been involved in advising a wide range of listed and private companies on substantial fund raisings and restructurings from tens of millions of pounds to several billion. In the last couple of years the team has advised on circa. €60 billion of debt

Melanie joined the KPMG UK Board in 2012 and was appointment Vice Chairman of KPMG UK in October 2014

A founding member of the 30% Club Steering Committee

Received Opportunity Now’s 2013 Champion Award, the gender campaign from Business in the Community, for her contribution to advancing, promoting and embedding a diversity culture within the workplace

Joined the Harvard Women’s Leadership Board in June 2014

Trustee of The Eve Appeal, which funds research into developing effective prediction and detection of gynaecological cancers.

Trustee of Orbis UK, a nonprofit humanitarian organization devoted to blindness prevention and treatment in developing countries.