After five years of dedicated service, Steve will be stepping down as Managing Director, having led Rickard Luckin through a period of significant change and transformation since his appointment in 2020.

Steve comments “Although I’m incredibly proud of everything we have achieved together over the past five years, I feel now is the right time to pass the baton to a new Managing Director to lead the firm through the next phase of its development and growth while I take the next step in my career journey outside of Rickard Luckin.

I would like to say a huge and sincere thank you to the Board for the opportunity to lead this fantastic firm over the past five years – it has honestly been the greatest honour of my career to work alongside such a brilliant, committed team.”

Michael Killick , Chair of the Board, responded “On behalf of the Board, I’d like to thank Steve for his significant contribution since joining the firm as Commercial Director in 2018. His leadership as Managing Director over the past five years has been transformative – fostering a culture of continuous feedback and improvement, reshaping our Executive Team structure, and championing employee engagement, which earned national recognition from Best Companies as an “outstanding” place to work. These achievements provide a strong foundation for continued development and growth.”

We are delighted to announce that the Board have appointed Kate Bell to succeed Steve as Managing Director with effect from 1 October 2025.

Since joining Rickard Keen as an ACA Trainee in 1998, Kate qualified as a Chartered Accountant & Chartered Tax Adviser before becoming the firm’s first female Partner in 2006. Over the last five years, Kate has held the role of People Director as an integral member of the Executive Team, combining her client-facing responsibilities with the development and enhancement of the employee experience at RL to create our “Work well, Live well” ethos.

Steve commented “Kate has made such a huge impact in her role as People Director over the past five years, helping transform our employee experience and being the driving force behind several major initiatives that have helped shape our people strategy. It’s exactly this passion, combined with her unique blend of skills and experience that make Kate the perfect choice to lead the firm into its next phase of development and growth as Managing Director.”

Kate’s appointment also marks a major milestone in the firm’s history as well as her own career, as we celebrate 10 years since the merger between Rickard Keen and Bird Luckin. Reflecting on her appointment, Kate commented:

“It is an honour to take up the role of Managing Director of the firm that has literally been part of my whole life. I have vivid memories of when my mum used to drive my brother and I to Nelson Street in Southend to pick up my dad, who was a Tax Partner at Rickard Keen.

10 years on from the merger, I remain deeply proud to be part of Rickard Luckin and everything we stand for. We have an amazing team with bench-strength across all areas, great clients, and shared values that drive us to deliver first-class service as we strive to be the market-leading independent firm in Essex.

I will continue to work passionately for the benefit of our clients and our people as we focus on the impact we can make – together – for our clients, our team and our wider community.”

As well as leading the Executive Team, Kate will continue to work with her existing clients as well as maintaining her specialisms in the legal, charities, not-for-profit and education sectors.