KPMG expands tech offering with Certus buy

KPMG Australia has signed an agreement to acquire Certus APAC. The move will provide additional Oracle specialist skills to KPMG’s digital transformation and cloud services capabilities, and comes at a critical time for clients struggling to navigate their organisations through COVID-19.

KPMG Australia CEO Andrew Yates noted that the pandemic has forced organisations to re-evaluate how they interact with their customers, staff and suppliers, and to determine if their current systems are fit for purpose. Yates added that remote work and reduced face-to-face contact have changed mobility and virtual accessibility needs, and driven the requirement for more robust human capital management systems to engage with staff.

“Supply chains have become increasingly complex, requiring more sophisticated and flexible systems. Our clients are looking to us to help solve these problems, and Oracle cloud capabilities will add a further dimension to our technology enablement offering,” said Yates.

Founded in 2014, Certus APAC is an Oracle implementation partner specialising in the delivery, training and support of cloud services to clients in industries such as financial services, utilities, retail and the public sector. Certus APAC is a recognised Oracle Platinum Specialised Partner and a training provider to Oracle University.

Founder and Managing Partner Ian Wood will join KPMG as a partner, along with co-founders Richard Atkins, Rebecca Hodgson, Sumit Malhotra and Lee Martin as well as 36 teams members located in Sydney, Melbourne and India. The Certus APAC team will be integrated into KPMG’s technology enablement teams, adding Specialist Oracle cloud capabilities across a range of applications including enterprise resource planning (ERP) and human capital management (HCM).

Wood attributed Certus APAC’s growth over the last four years to increasing demand for Oracle cloud transformation, noting that this has accelerated during the pandemic, causing the company to reach a stage where the resources and support of a large firm was the logical next step. “Joining with KPMG will allow us to continue this growth trajectory and focus on what we do best. Innovation and agility are at the heart of what we do, and KPMG are as passionate as we are about creating measurable value for our clients,” said Wood.

The announcement builds upon KPMG Australia’s plan to expand into technology enablement. In 2015, the firm acquired Microsoft partner Hands-On Systems, followed by Murex software specialist IT Markets in 2016. In 2020, Alex Moreno joined the company as the first national head of Salesforce capability.

Certus APAC will become part of KPMG Australia in late 2021, subject to the completion of the acquisition. Commercial terms have not been disclosed.

“Ian and his team have an outstanding track record,” said Yates. “We are delighted to welcome such a talented bunch of people, and I am excited to see what they can achieve as part of KPMG.”

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Production Perig