Why would an organization choose to work with KPMG on tech-enabled transformation?

I believe it is how KPMG approaches tech-enabled business transformation. We take a holistic approach, so it's not looking at just technology but looking at the approach as an end to end solution. Taking all aspects of the client's situation into account such as the industry and network the client is in, which could be at a local, sub-region, or global level, the industry expertise within the sector the client is in, as well as the regulatory aspect. I think KPMG makes the difference to clients by using this holistic approach, as we can speak their language.

Would you say fears like falling behind and becoming obsolete motivate businesses to undertake digital transformation? Could you provide other examples of what may motivate a business to transform?

Yes but not only. This fear is an example of a motto I have seen for a lot of businesses - 'let's disrupt ourselves before being disrupted.

There are many motivations for businesses to digitally transform - one is from a customer experience perspective. Today, customer experience is key to a business. Many businesses are trying to use modern technology to reach a wider range of customers, faster, and to collect as much data as possible about their customers to be able to reach out in a unique, and personalized way. I think this is one of the main reasons why businesses would want to transform digitally.

Another big motivation is to drive internal efficiency. To create efficiency, create faster processes, and save costs internally.

And again, a strong driver is the regulatory aspect. This isn't in every industry, but it is becoming an increasing driver for businesses' digital transformation. For example, the finance industry is extremely focused on the regulatory aspects, reporting, and ensuring all their clients go through the correct process. But now with the increased importance in areas such as ESG, a lot more businesses are seeing the value of the regulatory aspect of digital transformation.

Can you tell us a bit more about business automation and what it can achieve for a client?

Business automation is one pillar of business transformation. Automation really enables efficiency for a client by looking at their existing processes. Looking first at how we can adjust those processes without necessarily digitizing them. For example, if a client has a 20 step process, we look at the overall process and reengineer it to become a 15 or 12 step process. Then we look at digitizing the process, so if there is a lot of manual input or data running through a variety of systems, we try to integrate and automate the flow as much as possible.

And with efficiency usually comes data accuracy. For example, when a repetitive task that is done manually is replaced with a digitally automated process, the level of data accuracy and audit trails increases significantly. In turn, KPMG's business automation process creates a large cost saving for a client.

"Business automation enables efficiency for a client."

Do you see your role changing in the future as new technologies mature?

What I do is match business requests and demands with technology, so my role may not change as technology advances. But I have a lot of teams who specialize in different technology areas whose roles would definitely change as technology advances. The speed of change in technology is impressive, so I think we have to continuously evolve and be on the lookout for new emerging technologies. Especially those that become business as usual, which can sometimes happen in as little as 6 months to a year. My team and I are continuously evolving with these emerging technologies to help make the difference to clients.

What do you enjoy most about working at KPMG Malta and as part of a member firm at KIG?

What I enjoy most is that there is always something different. I have been here for 28 years now, and it has always been a challenging role. I started as a coder and today I work with coders. It's building people and building leaders; it's serving businesses and marrying the two together.

Building teams and building leaders to lead their teams, to understand evolving business needs, and also helping them grow and gain trust with the clients – I think that's amazing.

And then that, as part of KIG - I think the complexity of it all is what I like. KIG brings more people and leaders, with all the benefits, advantages and challenges that come with that. KIG offers a much wider market with broader and different industries to Malta, and we can take what we build in Malta to these different industries to offer solutions - the sky is the limit!