The genesis of PKF can be traced back through the names of the founding members of the UK and US accounting firms, whose initials now form the globally recognized name of PKF.
The Founding Partners (L to R: Messrs Rappaport, Forster, Kerr, Eckert, and George) At the Hotel Traymore in Atlantic City. Photo courtesy of the Bettmann Archive.

is for William Henry Pannell. Born in 1843, Pannell worked as an apprentice at London firm Hart, Brothers & Co for seven years before founding his own accounting firm, W.H. Pannell & Co, in 1869.

is for Errol Kerr. An émigré Scot, Kerr co-founded, with British businessman, William Harris, the New York accounting firm of Harris, Allan & Co (later to become Harris, Kerr & Co) in 1911.

is for William J. Forster. Born in New York, Forster worked briefly for Harris, Allan & Co before founding his own firm, W.J. Forster & Co, in New York in 1923. In 1933, his firm merged with Harris, Kerr & Co to become Harris, Kerr, Forster & Co.