Gary Donald, EY Audit Partner, Steps Down As FRC Reviews Shell Audit

Gary Donald, an Ernst & Young (EY) partner who led audits of Shell, has exited the firm days before UK regulators announced an investigation into the work.

Donald left the EY partnership on December 9, 2025, according to a UK registry filing, six days before the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said it was probing EY’s audit of Shell’s 2024 accounts. Shell said in July that the lead auditor on its 2023 and 2024 accounts had exceeded time limits under US and UK rotation rules. The FRC said the probe will examine compliance with independence requirements. EY identified issues during an internal review linked to Donald’s prior involvement before becoming a lead partner. Shell said EY advised that audit opinions for 2023 and 2024 could no longer be relied upon. EY appointed another partner to review the periods and said no changes to the accounts were required. EY said it will cooperate with the FRC.