About this blog
KPMG’s leadership blog brings you insight, opinion and debate from our senior partners and industry experts. Hosted by KPMG UK Chairman John Griffith-Jones, we’ll be discussing the issues that matter to your business and the trends that could shape your future decision making. Feel free to post your own comments on any of the topics discussed and further the debate.
United Kingdom
Thoughts from the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan: one year on
By Vincent Neate, head of climate change and sustainability at KPMG in the UK
I have many fortunes in my role and the most recent was to be invited into the audience at Unilever’s update on their progress with their Sustainable Living Plan on Tuesday 24 April. The Sustainable Living Plan is Unilever’s commitment to being a different sort of company – one that shifts the global economy onto a more socially and environmentally responsible footing.
Flexible working can help you achieve the right balance
KPMG is proud to have been named in The Times Top 50 Employers for Women List 2012. With flexible working a key issue for some women, Sue Day, associate director in KPMG’s Corporate Finance practice, looks back at her years of working flexibly – when she was a member of the England women’s rugby team.
Quality needs to be at the heart of audit reform
By John Griffith-Jones, UK Chairman of KPMG LLP
When the European Union launched its plans to reform the audit market across 27 countries, the proposals referenced the word ‘quality’ no less than 113 times. Robust audits were held to be the key to re-establishing trust and market confidence following the 2008 financial crisis.
If we want a progressive economy, we cannot afford to ignore the green agenda
By Vincent Neate, Head of Sustainability at KPMG in the UK
We were delighted to welcome Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to KPMG’s offices yesterday where he launched his ‘green growth’ initiative. There were several really interesting aspects to the speech that caught my attention.
The imperative for change in public services is compelling
By Alan Downey, head of KPMG’s UK public sector practice
The government’s open services white paper update is very welcome, as it sends a signal that the government is committed to stepping up the pace of public sector reform.
Budget 2012: A personal (tax) perspective
By Dermot Callinan, UK Head of Private Client
It is the normal post-Budget frenzy for me here at the moment whilst I try to interpret the implications of all the information coming from the Treasury website and the Chancellor’s speech for our clients. I must admit that whilst most of the main points had been trailed, there were some surprises.
Paying a Living Wage should be a requisite in Corporate Responsibility
By Mike Kelly, Head of CSR at KPMG
It’s great to see a strong and diverse range of companies on Business in the Community’s Corporate Responsibility Index, out today. The Index has been going for over ten years now and there is no doubt that it has done a lot of good. It has helped raise awareness of corporate responsibility and has created a benchmark that companies aspire to. It holds them to account each year and challenges them to do more.
Will rising oil prices wreck the recovery?
By Andrew Smith, Chief Economist
The price of oil has hit a new high in sterling terms and, where oil goes, petrol follows. In recent days pump prices have touched record levels – piling more pressure onto already stretched households. The economic recovery has been weak so far – will rising oil prices derail it completely?
Articulating the future: assurance for tomorrow’s world
By Oliver Tant, UK Head of Audit
I was interested to hear last week that the team behind New Scientist have launched a journal, Arc, focussing on what science and science-fiction can tell us about the future. The editor of the first edition, Simon Ings, wrote in his blog: “We wanted to get past sterile ‘visions’ and dream up futures that evoke textures and flavours and passions.” At a time when the professional services industry, in particular the auditing profession, is contemplating an uncertain future, I share Simon Ing’s desire to stimulate an appetising discussion on what lies ahead. Here are some of the issues I’m aiming to look at in more depth in future blog posts:
Investment management moves off life support systems
By Tom Brown, Head of Investment Management
Things are looking up for the investment management industry, or so our recent Business Leaders Survey suggests. Players are moving off the life-support systems that kept them ticking over six months ago, and have now entered a recovery phase.
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