In brief: PwC Channel Islands has made two senior leadership appointments, with Leyla Yildirim stepping up to a global role within the PwC network and Ali Cambray taking over as Chief Strategy Officer for the Channel Islands. The changes took effect on 1 October 2026.
A Global Stage for Local Talent
PwC Channel Islands has confirmed the promotion of Leyla Yildirim to Global Clients Leader within the wider PwC network, a role in which she will work alongside PwC’s Global Head of Clients and Industries, supporting the firm’s global premier clients. Channel Eye reports that she will remain based in the Guernsey office, meaning the Channel Islands retains a direct connection to this senior global position.
Yildirim has served as Chief Strategy Officer for the Channel Islands since 2018, and the firm’s growth during her tenure has been considerable. According to Channel Eye, PwC’s Channel Islands business tripled in size across her eight years in that role. That is the kind of track record that tends to get noticed at a global level, and it appears it has.
Nick Vermeulen, Senior Partner at PwC Channel Islands, said the appointments “underscore our dedication to enhancing both global and local capabilities at PwC,” adding that they “showcase our exceptional local talent on a world stage.”
Ali Cambray Steps Up as Strategy Chief
Stepping into the Chief Strategy Officer role is Ali Cambray, who moves across from her position as a Director in PwC’s Advisory practice. Her background is notably broad: Channel Eye reports that she founded the Channel Islands firm’s Sustainability and Economics practice and previously worked at PwC UK. She has advised public, private and financial sector clients across several jurisdictions and emerging markets on business transformation, strategy development and impact assessment, and has contributed to the firm’s research and market positioning in the Channel Islands.
It is a well-rounded profile for a role that, under Yildirim, oversaw a period of substantial expansion. Cambray inherits a larger, more established operation than the one her predecessor took on in 2018, which brings its own set of challenges and opportunities.
Vermeulen described both promotions as “well-deserved” and said they reflect the firm’s “commitment to assembling the best team of specialists to support our clients across the Islands and the wider PwC network.”
What This Means for Jersey’s Finance Industry
PwC is one of the major professional services firms operating across the Channel Islands, and its fortunes are closely tied to the health of Jersey and Guernsey’s financial sectors. The fact that the firm has tripled in size over the past eight years speaks to the continued strength of the islands as a centre for finance, advisory and related services, even as the global regulatory environment has grown more complex.
Yildirim’s elevation to a global client-facing role is a tangible signal that the Channel Islands operation is regarded seriously within the wider PwC network, rather than as a peripheral outpost. For Jersey’s finance industry, that kind of visibility at a global level is worth noting. It reinforces the argument that the islands punch well above their weight in international professional services, and that local talent can and does reach the highest levels of global firms.
Cambray’s background in sustainability and economics is also worth watching. As international clients increasingly demand advice on these areas, having someone with that specialism at the strategic helm of the Channel Islands operation could prove well-timed.
Source: Channel Eye
