KPMG
OUR HERITAGE
KPMG is an audit, tax, and advisory business that has been operating in South Africa for over 100 years. The business started off with a predominate focus on the audit area, but this has grown to help clients in the tax and advisory space. "The profession has transitioned significantly in that time, as have the needs of clients," says Ugen Moodley, managing partner KPMG KwaZulu-Natal. "We have tried to make sure that we've kept pace with that change to ensure that the value that we add to our clients is relevant to the time that we live in."
The profession has changed to really trying to understand the multi-disciplinary needs of client in the audit, tax and advisory space. In addition, the profession goes past understanding the client and shareholder concerns but looks at public interest and how KPMG can serve as a business leader and a guardian of the public interest.
OUR LEADERSHIP
"The values of KPMG are incumbent in all of our leadership teams," says Nashikta Authar Angadh, Partner Technology Advisory. "Our partners live the values. We are transparent, credible, and consistent and I think being part of the team is amazing and is what makes KPMG a unique firm." "From a local perspective, we are not a big group partners, but we are a diverse group, which is one our benefits. We feed off one another and share experiences from the different areas that we come from, which makes us stronger," says Marileen De Wet, Audit partner.
As managing partner, Ugen Moodley has an inclusive leadership style, enjoys nurturing his team and encourages them to focus on the areas that they are good at to provide opportunities to succeed. "I like to stand back and see value that someone brings to the table, they are each professional and a leader in their space and in a specific industry," says Ugen.
OUR EMPLOYEES
KPMG employs people who have experience in public and private sectors and in diverse industries as healthcare, education, manufacturing, IT, mining, petroleum, agriculture, tourism and gaming to name a "The culture of KPMG is client centric, but people focused, we truly care about the people with whom we
work," explains Nashikta.
"When we look for new members of our team, we look for an all-round balanced people. We require a professionals who when dealing with clients will be respected and role models for other staff members. You need to live the KPMG values and work with the other professionals and your clients to deliver the best service."
"You have to be excited and passionate about what you do every day," says Candice Padayachee, Forensic Services partner. "We have to look for people that will fit into our brand," says Ugen. "They have to have technical skills but must also be able to engage with and understand clients and their industries. They must not just stick to a set of rules that they've learned at a campus level."
"We can teach a lot of the skills that we provide services in but what is inherent is in the person; we want strong morals and integrity," says Candice. From a cultural perspective, being in KPMG's new offices in Umhlanga has allowed everyone to see the change that the partners wanted to bring to the culture of the business. "It's an enjoyable experience when you want to get up and come to work every morning," says Candice.
OUR CLIENTS
The culture that clients get from KPMG is a differentiator in the market. "One of the things I hear a lot from our clients is that we are nice people to do business with," says Ugen. KPMG's clients are loyal because they recognise the firm as having specialist individuals that can provide quality services. The connections and relationships that have been developed over the years are strong.
One of the differentiators of KPMG is that the various specialists take the time to really understand their clients and their respective industries. "We are there to listen to clients and listen to what they need. We are not there to sell a standardised service," says Marileen De Wet. "We are a multi-disciplinary team and we get the right people to do each audit." Clients understand that no one person has all the knowledge required and that each can bring value to understanding their business.
OUR SUCCESSES
KPMG has always been transparent, and we hold ourselves accountable, which our clients appreciate. "Although we have had challenges over the last 18 months, we have had a chance to reflect and have taken measures to improve. We can say that we are stronger, better firm than before and we hope that we will be much more successful because of past challenges."
THE FUTURE IMPACT
The belief that South Africa is lagging behind the the world when it becomes to technology is often raised. However, KPMG South Africa plugs into KPMG International. "We are a global firm; we have access to international resources, technology and software, as well as cutting edge products. Whether it be artificial intelligence, crypto currency, or information security, we have specialists and the latest and greatest development," says Nashikta.
KPMG ensures the best solution for its clients. "We in the best from all over the world to bring to our clients. We have revolutionised the way that we audit. You don't chase the fees, you chase the right solution for client," concluded Ugen.
