Chairman’s Statement
Transcript
John Griffith–Jones, Chairman
I think better, is a state of mind and better is a really important principle for KPMG. We all know they’re the big four, they’re all good but we want to stand out better than the others and we believe that we can do that by actually affecting the way we behave day by day.
Let me translate better into a specific example, so this year’s seen the rise or the rapid rise of the green issue up the corporate agenda and in my opinion quite rightly so. So our response, to launch a brand new carbon advisory group where we put dedicated resource right at the cutting edge of essentially the green accounting technology and in that way, we hope, that we will provide a better service to our clients than anybody else in this area.
I think for me the biggest example of us trying to be better, is our merger with our Swiss and German colleagues, and we really believe that as a truly integrated organisation we can provide the sort of level of service to our clients and the sort of opportunities to our people, that as three individual firms we’ve not been able to do before. The career opportunities that we now offer to people whether they join in Switzerland, or in Germany or in the UK are infinitely greater than they used to be.
I think the really exciting thing about KPMG’s commitment to social responsibility is the fact that it’s now firmly in the DNA. And in the same way that we are looking to be better for clients and people, we are looking to do better in corporate and social responsibility. The highlight of the year for me absolutely has been the publication of the results of the half way stage of Every Child a Reader, a project that we got together with other financial institutions and worked with the Government to improve reading capability of disadvantaged children in schools.
Coming next, probably just as important in its way, and in a funny sort of way more relevant to the accounting profession, Every Child Counts, where again the same rules of engagement apply – we’re looking for colleagues to work with and run a similar programme around maths. The most memorable moment for me in 2007 was undoubtedly the day that we signed the merger with the German firm. I know that was a very big moment for KPMG and I am supremely confident that it will also turn out to be a good one.
“We’re constantly striving to provide an even more stimulating environment where people can flourish and achieve more.”