Profit share and a one-time incentive award
Deloitte's UK Pay & Inclusion Report 2026 puts Houston's compensation at 93 times the median pay of its UK employees, up from 65 times a year earlier. His package combined £5.8 million in allocated UK profit share with a £1.3 million long-term incentive plan award from Deloitte NSE.
Houston receives a share of profits as a partner, rather than a salary. Deloitte UK initially paid the incentive award as a fixed profit share, with Deloitte NSE subsequently reimbursing it. The report describes the award as a one-time payment tied to strategic and financial performance measures, including Houston's work across the firm's European operations.
After seven years leading the UK business, Houston took charge of the newly created EMEA division in June. He led the restructuring this year that established the division, which covers Deloitte's operations in more than 80 countries.
Partner payouts also rose more broadly. Financial Times reporting published September 29, 2026, put average pay for Deloitte's UK-based partners at a record £1.13 million last year, a 7% increase, or about £74,000. The firm added 48 equity partners while cutting about 1,000 UK roles, according to that reporting.
For the 2026 financial year, Deloitte's pay report recorded UK revenue of £5.8 billion and Deloitte NSE revenue of £12.2 billion.
Job cuts, promotions and planned hiring
Companies House filings show Deloitte's average UK workforce totaled 15,904 in the financial year ended in May 2026, down from 17,264 in 2025.
In June, Deloitte sought to eliminate nearly 200 UK audit jobs through voluntary departures, part of a wider series of cuts among the large accounting firms. Deloitte attributed the move to low staff turnover in its audit practice.
Explaining the low attrition across audit and assurance, a Deloitte UK spokesperson said, "we have taken the decision to offer voluntary redundancy on enhanced terms to some of our people in the impacted areas. We do not take these decisions lightly and will do everything we can to provide support to those who are considering this option."
Rival KPMG also offered enhanced redundancy packages to UK staff as it sought to reduce staffing and costs, City AM reported in July.
Alongside the reductions, Deloitte promoted about 6,000 people in June 2026, representing approximately 28% of its people. Its pay report described that as a 3% increase over 2025.
Deloitte declined to comment. Last week, the firm announced plans for a specialized regional deals unit in the North of England, with up to 100 new jobs.
