Richard Pughe

Richard is the National Practice Leader for Forensic and Risk Advisory. He has extensive experience in partnership disputes, fraud investigations, commercial claims, matrimonial valuations and affordability reviews, consequential loss evaluations, insurance-related cases, share valuations and professional negligence cases. Within these specialist areas, Richard has experience across a diverse range of industries.

He assists both claimant and defendant solicitors, barristers, banks, insurers, companies and individuals to investigate or quantify claims, delivering clear and defensible valuations and financial analyses. He prepares independent and balanced reports and provides targeted advisory support to parties as required.

Richard has over 34 years of experience in forensic accounting. He has issued determinations for the ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) and for solicitors and served as a single joint expert in numerous cases. He has delivered expert evidence in court on over 40 occasions, as well as before the Court of Conciliation and Arbitration in Geneva.

Recent cases include acting for the vendor of a business in investigating accounting policy changes made by the directors of newco after the sale of the company to newco that jeopardised the terms of an earn-out agreement. He uncovered examples of deliberate changes in accounting policy and over-provisioning. Re-statement of the accounts led to an earn-out payment.

He was instructed by a UK PLC to investigate a suspected minor fraud in the mining sector in Mongolia. Richard visited the London and Ulan Bator officers to investigate, interviewing staff and analysing documents. His evidence demonstrated significant irregularities, including the forgery of key licence documentation. The theft exceeded US $21 million, leading to the subsequent recovery of $14 million.

He acted in a S994 share dispute in relation to a UK and Turkey-based clothing and cosmetics business involved in manufacturing and selling to high street brands, including Primark, Sainsbury’s and Matalan. He prepared a detailed valuation and advised on a settlement throughout the many difficult allegations brought by the minority shareholder.

Prior to joining BTG, Richard led the forensic accounting division at a leading, mid-tier audit, tax and consulting advisory firm.

He is a Qualified Chartered Accountant and a CEDR (Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution) accredited Mediator. He graduated with a Master of Arts degree from the University of Cambridge, MA (Cantab).