Press Releases

KPMG in the UK celebrates ‘Best Big Company to Work For’ award

The Sunday Times Best Companies awards are the biggest survey of workplace opinion in the UK, and this year encompassed 868 organisations in total, capturing the views of over 180,000 employees. KPMG topped the ‘Best Big Company’ category for organisations with more than 5,000 employees, beating our Big Four competitors Ernst & Young, who finished in fifth place, and PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte, who finished eleventh and twelfth respectively.

John Griffith-Jones said: “We are extremely proud to have been named Best Big Company to Work For, especially as it is the first time any company has won the award twice. We were determined to win this award again – it remains a priority of the firm to be the best in this area, irrespective of market conditions.”

“The firm has been expanding and developing rapidly in recent years and we are delighted that our people have given us this vote of confidence through their feedback in the awards – I’d like to thank everyone for this. Of course, we recognise that creating a great place to work is a never-completed task – it is something that needs to evolve and develop as we continuously strive to be better.”

Colin Cook said: "It is our people who make KPMG a great place to work. It is their proactivity and energy that actually drives our profitability. Managing people is crucial to the performance of any business - we need to keep on challenging ourselves to improve, and always to look for further innovations in the future."

KPMG was also very proud to win two further awards on the evening – ‘Most Improved’ and ‘Best For Giving Something Back’

KPMG – One of the U.K.’S ‘Best Companies To Work For’

KPMG LLP (U.K.) has been named as one of the country’s ‘best companies to work for’ in a survey published by The Sunday Times. KPMG was ranked third out of 42 in the ‘big companies’ category for organisations with more than 5,000 employees.

The Sunday Times Best Companies Awards are a significant benchmark for employee satisfaction. The rankings are based on an employee survey covering areas which include whether or not staff feel valued, personal development and well-being. The firm’s values and activities underpin the commitment to ensuring KPMG maintains its position as a leading UK employer.

Mike Rake, chairman of KPMG International and senior partner of the UK member firm, commented: "I'm delighted that the ambition and values we have as leaders of KPMG are shared by so many employees in the UK. After all, we are a people business, and our employees are the most valuable asset we have. We want to make KPMG a truly great place to work, and this survey shows that many of our people in the UK believe this is already the case."

The UK firm's goal to be a leading employer is supported by its values and actions:

• Values
  People in the UK firm share KPMG's global values. These define the UK firm's culture, and its commitment to the highest principles of personal and professional conduct.
  
  
• Code of Conduct
  The KPMG Global Code of Conduct provides KPMG people in the UK with a tool for understanding KPMG's standards of ethical conduct and advice on complying with them when responding to the challenges of the global business environment. This demonstrates our commitment to integrity.
  
  
• Setting new standards
  The UK firm's staff development, careers and diversity programs aim to set new standards in the accountancy and professional services sector.
  
  

For more information about the UK member firm's inclusion in the survey please contact Gavin Houlgate, KPMG LLP (U.K.), Corporate Communications: gavin.houlgate@kpmg.co.uk

KPMG listed in FT 50 Best Workplaces survey

KPMG LLP (UK) is the only one of the Big Four firms to be listed in the 50 Best Workplaces Survey published in the Financial Times on Thursday 28 April.

The firm ranks number 24 in the list of UK companies. Among the positive areas cited in the FT are excellent career progression, diversity initiatives and a commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility. The rankings are two-thirds based on responses to an employee survey and one third on a culture audit detailing HR practices,policies and programmes.

John Griffith-Jones, UK CEO, said of the achievement. "This is really fantastic news. It is further evidence that we are making great strides towards creating an environment which truly enables us to develop the very best in our people."

This accolade follows our recent listing as number three in The Sunday Times '10 Best Big Companies to Work For 2005' survey.

KPMG voted 'Auditor of the Year'

KPMG has won the 'Big Four Auditor of the Year' category in the Real Finance/CBI Finance Directors' Excellence Awards.

The Awards acknowledge the professionalism and knowledge in organisations that support the business community. For 'Auditor of the Year', Finance Directors rated companies for quality of service, value for money and improvement through a Satisfaction Survey.

Michael Hughes, Chairman of Audit at KPMG in the UK, accepted the Award on behalf of the firm at the ceremony held at the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane.

Commenting on the Award, Michael Hughes said: "We are delighted with this accolade, especially when it has been given by Financial Directors. For me, it acknowledges the effort that our audit teams continually put into ensuring that the quality of our audit opinion is the best and also the role we have played in restoring trust in the financial reporting process. It is an important step towards our stated aim to becomeAuditor of Choice."

Mike Rake, UK Senior Partner and Chairman of KPMG International, said: "We are delighted and justifiably proud to be named as Auditor of the Year. Audit is a fundamental part of our service offering at KPMG and is an area of the business in which we have invested considerably in training, best practice and client service."

Over the past year KPMG has won over 28 awards which acknowledge excellence in delivery of work, including 'Big Four Firm of the Year' at the Accountancy Age Awards. KPMG also came third in the '10 Best Big Companies To Work For 2005' survey run by The Sunday Times.