Consulting Magazine - September 2016

KPMG is back again after making its Best Firms to Work For debut last year. Being a Best Firm has a huge impact on the firm, employees and clients and validates what firm leadership has known for years, that “we place significant priority on our people and seek to create an innovative and inclusive culture,” says Carl Carande, Vice Chair of Advisory, KPMG. “When employees are engaged and people want to come and work for KPMG, our clients recognize that and acknowledge the work as being top-tier. We provide that level of work because we have the best people producing the best results.”

And those results are one of the big reasons Carande says he is excited and optimistic about the future.

“Business as we know it is changing
fundamentally every day through
new business models and technol-
ogy disruption,” he says. “At KPMG
our people know that we need to
constantly innovate and be creative
to provide the best products and
solutions to our clients. No client
engagement is the same, no business
problem is the same and no business
solution is the same. With all the
growth and diversity of opportunity,
To that end, last month KPMG
held its first internal “Innovation
Challenge” designed to task teams
to come up new ideas or services
that KPMG can implement to in-
crease the depth of its portfolio
of offerings. The best ideas were
brought before a judging panel and
the firm invested $1 million into
the best idea. “It’s projects like this
that show our people how serious
the firm is about bringing new
ideas to the forefront and reward-
ing innovation,” Carande says.

The reason KPMG is so willing to invest in new ideas, Carande says is because business is in a state of constant innovation. “The next disruption is just around the corner and we need to be on our toes to anticipate the next move and help our clients be successful,” Carande says. “This disruptive culture is an opportunity for our employees to think fast and be more agile with our products and services.

It’s also forcing us to become more
creative, strategic thinkers.”
Those types of “strategic
thinkers” are a big differentiator
for the firm. Indeed, ask Carande
what sets KPMG apart and he’ll
say: “Our people, our collaborative
culture, and our breadth of services
and industries served.”

ON THE SURVEY, THE FIRM EXCELLED IN THE AREAS OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND CULTURE. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?

CARANDE: “At KPMG our people are a top priority, and we devote a lot of time and resources to help make sure that our people are well-trained, and that they have the opportunities to advance in their careers. We want them to feel good about coming to work every day, and that’s all part of the unique culture of KPMG. We understand that the marketplace is fast moving and there is increased competition for talent. We want the best at KPMG and we’re going to make sure that we provide the most advanced tools and capabilities to enable our employees to excel at their client engagements and find balance in their personal lives.”