BUILDING accounting firm KPMG’s prominence in the oil and gas industry is one of the key challenges the firm’s new Western Australian chairman, Steve Scudamore (pictured), has set for himself as he takes over from Jamie Lutz.
Mr Scudamore said oil and gas provided a major opportunity for the firm, particularly because most of the industry majors and service companies were in Perth.
He said another opportunity was helping clients to deal with the increasing range of compliance and corporate governance issues they faced.
“It’s key to us that we help our clients in that area,” Mr Scudamore said.
“There are broader corporate governance issues but now there are also some key ones that clients need to take care of as they go in areas such as tax.”
According to the WA Business News List of Professional Service Providers, KPMG is the second largest firm in Perth, ranked by number of accountants.
Mr Scudamore said he wanted to at least keep the firm in that position or move it to the number one spot.
“KPMG tries to keep to that number one or two position in its markets,” he said.
Admittedly, Ernst & Young assumed that position last year through its merger with Andersen. Mr Scudamore has been with KPMG for 30 years, initially joining Peat Marwick Mitchell – the firm that eventually became KPMG – in London.
