KPMG set to integrate its global IT

KPMG is set to roll out a standardised IT system across the world, its European CIO said.

But the plans do not entail the creation of a formal global firm, Bryan Clark said, at least not in the short term.

The firm is just a couple of years away from rolling out systems to standardise business processes across the world.

Clark said that significant investment had been made to ensure a common set of processes worldwide.

The firm does not have ‘short-term goals’ to create a global enterprise, but ‘the KPMG brand represents global consistency’, he said.

‘Ultimately what we’re about is getting a consistent service to our clients… so it’s the art of the possible. Regional consolidation is absolutely the right way to do this,’ said Clark.

KPMG Europe chose Germany’s SAP system over the UK’s incumbent Oracle system to roll out across the business, with the rest of the globe taking on the same processes over the next two years.

Spanish consolidation into the European firm will be more straightforward. ‘The list of jobs is easy to define and, while the Spanish firm is a significant enterprise, it’s not as big as the already merged organisations.’

Spain officially joined KPMG Europe this week to create a 23,000 partner firm across 75 offices with revenues in excess of t4.2bn (£3.3bn) in 2007.

The firm is set to report its numbers in euros, with the UK firm filing its accounts to Companies House.