- Dr Fiona Fry is a qualified chartered accountant who has worked at a very senior level in professional services and as a financial services regulator
- She graduated from Aston University with a BSc in managerial and administrative studies in 1981
- Dr Fry is a former partner at KPMG.
A prominent business and finance leader, who graduated from Aston Business School in 1981, has been awarded an honorary degree by Aston University.
Dr Fiona Fry (née Roche) received the honour at a ceremony at Eastside Rooms in Birmingham on 4 April 2022.
After graduation she trained as a chartered accountant at Peat Marwick Mitchell Co and then moved to London to work in corporate recovery with a different firm.
Fiona then took up the opportunity to work in financial services regulation in 1987. Between 1990-1999 she became head of investigations for the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and held to account some of the most powerful organisations in the country, to ensure that where misselling or wrongful advice had been given she was fighting for the investor who had lost out, who could not take on these huge institutions themselves.
Dr Fry has dedicated her career to corporate ethics and accountability – an area of business that is becoming increasingly important in the context of organisations not only doing the right thing technically but also the right thing morally as the sustainability and accountability agenda for business becomes increasingly important.
She is a former partner at KPMG (1999-2021) and has worked with the company on many initiatives and was a leading part of KPMG’s response to the FSA’s ‘Treating Customers Fairly’ initiative. Fiona has been one of the key founders of this work.
Colin Chapman, deputy dean of the College of Business and Social Sciences at Aston Business School, said:
“It is wonderful to see this honour bestowed upon an Aston Business School alumna.
“Fiona has continued to be engaged with the University and helps to support the university’s connections with KPMG in particular but also business and the professions more generally.
“Added to this Fiona speaks regularly about women in leadership and is a keen mentor for young women taking their first steps into industry.
“This is wonderful recognition of her significant contribution to business ethics and women in business.”
- Notes to Editors
About Aston University
Founded in 1895 and a University since 1966, Aston is a long established university led by its three main beneficiaries – students, business and the professions, and our region and society. Aston University is located in Birmingham and at the heart of a vibrant city and the campus houses all the university’s academic, social and accommodation facilities for our students. Saskia Loer Hansen is the interim Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive.
Aston University was named University of the Year 2020 by The Guardian and the University’s full time MBA programme has been ranked in the top 100 in the world in the Economist MBA 2021 ranking. The Aston MBA has been ranked 12th in the UK and 85th in the world.
For media inquiries in relation to this release, contact Sam Cook, Press and Communications Manager, on (+44)74469 10063 or email: s.cook2@aston.ac.uk
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