Manama: The aggregated revenue of KPMG member firms in the Middle East and South Asia (MESA) region grew by 3.7% in local currency terms for the fiscal year ended 30 September 2020, despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. KPMG in the MESA region grew their workforce to over 8,100 professionals with more than 1,900 hires during the year, including 56 new Partners and Directors.
“We have always been committed to working closely with businesses to help them find innovative solutions for their key issues. Last year was no exception, as we continued to support clients and other distressed organizations in their response to the COVID-19 crisis. I am very proud of our people, and how they have stood shoulder to shoulder with all our stakeholders throughout this challenging time. While the health, safety and wellbeing of all our people has been our highest priority, we have stayed focused on delivering excellence and maintaining the highest level of quality, while helping the marketplace and community with our core skills and expertise,” Jamal Fakhro, Managing Partner of KPMG in Bahrain, said, while commenting on this milestone.
KPMG were the recipient of several prestigious accolades in the region which included ‘Best Research and Consultancy’ at the MEA Finance Awards – 2020, winner in the ‘Audit Service Provider’ category at the MENA Insurance Awards – 2020 and the World Tax Recommended Firm – 2020 according to the International Tax Review, reaffirming a strong commitment to providing high quality professional services.
“In these unprecedented times, it is crucial to help clients as they navigate through a turbulent business environment. Our propositions in areas such as digital, cyber, strategy and operations and supply chain are particularly useful as these align with key priorities of many private and public sector organizations. Thereby, helping to tap emerging opportunities and mitigate risks,” said Reyaz Mihular, Chairman of KPMG MESA.
“Above all, the safety of our people, clients and community remains an area of paramount focus for our leadership across the region. Further, new initiatives are being taken with emphasis on environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects aligning to our global focus which also included the launch of KPMG IMPACT earlier in the year,” he added.
At the commencement of the new financial year (FY21), further senior hires were made across the region expanding capabilities in areas such as enterprise solutions, intelligent automation, digital strategy, experience design and data & analytics with a future focus.
The KPMG MESA region has member firm presence in 14 countries and territories, covering 28 office locations. Modern new tech savvy offices opened in Riyadh, Dubai, Muscat, Cairo and Beirut during recent months demonstrate optimism and further growth prospects in the region. The firm also invested in tech-based solutions during the pandemic to ensure that their communications and ongoing engagements with clients and the marketplace remained unhindered, and most businesses in the region transitioned to ‘Work from Home’ or ‘Remote Working’ mode during the pandemic.
KPMG in Bahrain is a member firm of KPMG international. The firm was established in 1968 as the first national accounting and auditing firm, and has grown to be one of the largest professional services firms in the country. The firm provides Audit, Tax and Advisory services to a wide array of clients operating in different sectors, utilizing the in-depth technical and industry experience of its professional staff.
