GUIDING THE FUTURE

From graduate to partner, Natalie Berkett’s journey at KPMG Tauranga is one of mentorship, opportunity and building a career full of challenges and rewards.

WORDS MONIQUE BALVERT-O’CONNOR PHOTOS DEBORAH DE GRAAF

She may have recently become a KPMG partner, yet those early days as a graduate are front of mind for Tauranga’s Natalie Berkett.

It’s 20 years since she attended grad camp with a freshly minted double degree (Bachelor of Commerce and Law) under her belt, and early this year she was back.

In what she describes as “a career journey coming full circle” Natalie was back at this year’s camp for new graduates; there to answer questions, join in activities, connect with the graduates, and share her experience. In short, she was ready to mentor the next generation, as is the KPMG way.

Immediately after grad camp, she was back at work to welcome the four new university graduates who have joined the KPMG Tauranga team. Also welcomed were a similar number of students straight from local colleges, who will be supported to study professional or tertiary qualifications part-time. At KPMG, learning is embedded in day-to-day work, not treated as an add-on - as an “exciting and significant” milestone last year highlighted, when 10 of the KPMG Tauranga team achieved chartered accountant status.

Natalie’s workplace journey reflects not only her firm’s long-term investment in people and its commitment to learning at every stage, but its culture of continuity and belonging.

Natalie recalls the time when, upon farewelling her Otago University days, she had the choice of four impressive graduate programmes.

She’d done her homework, choosing KPMG for its reputation of walking the talk when it came to putting people first. Twenty years on and she says she’s never seriously looked at working anywhere else.

KPMG’s Wellington office is where she cut her teeth and during her six years of tenure there she rose to the position of manager. A promotion to senior manager came with her move to Tauranga and then about seven years later she became a director. Natalie’s promotion to partner marks the latest milestone in her career and reinforces the growth of KPMG’s tax practice.

KPMG and tax have been Natalie’s career constants.

“But it doesn’t feel like I’ve had the same job, as I’ve had lots of opportunities to switch things out. Before children, I took a career break and travelled for four months with my husband; I had a short three-month secondment to KPMG Beijing; had two maternity leave stints; and changed office, so there was lots of variety and opportunity and I never feel as if there isn’t another challenge,” Natalie tells.

There was also the opportunity, had she wanted it, to focus on other areas of the business, given KPMG is a fully integrated firm bringing tax, audit and advisory together to support businesses as they grow and evolve. And given KPMG is a global enterprise, the option of further secondments (to places such as The Netherlands, Germany, Singapore, Australia and the United Kingdom) is also possible.

“You don’t just start at KPMG; you can grow up here and thrive,” says Natalie, who admires the firm’s culture of progression and the fact it is a “long term talent incubator” (to quote a colleague, Tracy Preston-Lett).

Natalie says there’s plenty to keep her with KPMG.

She enjoys the firm’s diverse client base that ranges from start-ups and entrepreneurs through to large, complex organisations - at her workplace the full spectrum of business is supported. All, regardless of size and stage, get to benefit from the KPMG team’s deep understanding of what it takes to scale, adapt and stay resilient.

Irrespective of needs, KPMG has a valuable service to offer, Natalie explains. The KPMG team can be there from a business’ conceptual, right through to celebratory, stage. KPMG can be a constant in terms of audit and compliance, or it can offer a dipping in and out service - being there as a sounding board and advisory service during a business’ life cycle as its strategies unfold.

Natalie values the people at KPMG. There’s a wide skills base of people always willing to give their time and share their wisdom and knowledge. They work hard and have fun as a team, she says. And Natalie says she feels valued too.

She’s happy to report that “people focus” she identified 20 years ago, when entering the work force, was on the mark. The firm’s purpose of “fuelling prosperity for New Zealand, for all New Zealanders” fits well with her value base.

“Take the grad camp, for example,” she says, citing a fresh-to-mind experience.

“Two days of it were held in Auckland, three at Northland’s Te Aroha Marae. We were intentionally connecting with grass roots New Zealand. We were encouraging our people to think about our KPMG ‘prosperity for all’ purpose. We’re here for all New Zealanders and really do focus on our people, in terms of both staff and clients.”

People, capability and confidence are all key words when it comes to KPMG’s role as trusted advisor to many, says Natalie’s co-worker and private enterprise partner Tracy Preston-Lett.

Like Natalie, Tracy’s carved out a long-standing (just shy of 30 years) career at KPMG and thrives on being part of a multi-generational office. There’s much to be gained from having 17-year-olds on board, through to one valued team member in their early seventies.

“We’re a place where people can start early, stay long, and go far. The different life stages and perspectives are seen not as a challenge, but a strength. Consider things like digital confidence, experience, fresh thinking and institutional memory and you can understand howknowledge transfer works both ways.

“We think our workplace reflects the real world. It’s multigenerational, diverse and is home to people constantly learning,” Tracy says.

It’s also a workplace heavily embedded in the local business ecosystem, developing people, supporting growth, and contributing positively to the region. The latter involves strong examples of pro bono professional assistance over the years to organisations such as Waipuna Hospice, ACORN Foundation, and choosing Merivale Primary School as a partner school.

“When we talk about prosperity for New Zealanders, we are talking business and community too,” Tracy says. Speaking as managing partner of the Tauranga office, Tracy says KPMG Tauranga, with its strong local roots and team of almost 100, can indisputably claim to play a key role in its region’s success stories. After all, well-supported people and well-advised businesses are key to regional prosperity.

“I feel really strongly about this region. It has a bright future. You only have to look at the infrastructure, work in progress, changes emerging and possibilities that are coming to life, albeit sometimes slower than people like.

“We are business advisors to a range of clients and get to see their strategic plans and hear their aspirations around what they intend to do or are contemplating. This really fuels optimism around regional growth. I strongly believe we are building a really great city that we can be incredibly proud of, to work and thrive in.”

She enthuses over the big anchor projects that are starting to reach key milestones in Tauranga’s city centre. There’s plenty to get excited about between now and a 10-year horizon.

“Within our KPMG Private Enterprise team, we have a tag line around ‘make possible happen’ and I like that because if you line up how we can work with people to make their possible happen, then that’s an exciting future.”

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Laying down roots

Big on recognising talent, KPMG’s Tauranga office shows off its dynamic team,
working culture and new services.

words Monique Balvert-O’Connor / photos Erin Cave

KPMG Tauranga is building on its already impressive reputation and skills base.

The firm, which is focused on fueling prosperity for its clients and communities, has expanded its Tauranga offering. Services that used to be the realm of large businesses and big cities have arrived here and Tauranga (and Waikato) businesses and organisations are benefitting, thanks to a progressive outlook and a powerhouse of KPMG people.

Services around strategic advisory, deal advisory and taxation have been expanded/enriched in Tauranga. KPMG realised it was time to “put its boots on the ground in Tauranga” and make these services more accessible to Bay of Plenty and Waikato clientele. They have the perfect people on board to do just that.

UNO spoke to KPMG Tauranga partner Tracy Preston-Lett and directors Cushla Parish and Natalie Berkett, associate-director Charmian Mead, and senior manager Michelle Sinclair about the new services they (and their teams) offer, the energy and smarts they bring, and about the many reasons they applaud the KPMG working culture.

Tracy Preston-Lett feels “incredibly lucky” to be trusted with clients’ dreams.

Tracy Preston-Lett feels “incredibly lucky” to be trusted with clients’ dreams, and relishes having a shared-responsibility to help her colleagues be their absolute best.

“I believe in our people and our clients and if there’s any small thing I can do that energises them – be that sharing some words of wisdom, some connection or technical or practical insight, or just being someone to brainstorm with – then I’m up for it.”

As a partner of this Big 4 global accounting firm, Tracy’s come a long way since those leaving-school days when she lacked any real career drive. KPMG creates the same opportunity Tracy embarked on, thanks to its policy of recruiting school leavers – enabling them to learn and earn without necessarily having to leave home.

Tracy worked and studied and earned her degree and promotions while getting valuable experience from a young age.

She’s proud of what she’s achieved within this firm that collaborates nationally, and connects internationally, for the benefit of its clients and advancement of its people. There’s a great diversity of skills and backgrounds to tap into.

She doesn’t have to look far to encounter an impressive skills base – within her office are staff who thrive on using their specialist skills to help businesses find their feet and create long term success. It’s thanks to some of these superstars that the KPMG Tauranga team has been able to up its offerings of late.

Cushla Parish joined KPMG in the consulting division, but 12 months ago, a strategic move was made to create a dedicated audit technology risk team, which she now heads. It’s a national specialist team which Cushla runs from Tauranga.

KPMG Audit Technology Risk director Cushla Parish is one of those who is driving impressive change and is a role model for KPMG’s support for remote working. She joined KPMG in the consulting division, but 12 months ago, a strategic move was made to create a dedicated audit technology risk team, which she now heads. It’s a national specialist team which Cushla runs from Tauranga.

Essentially her team assesses clients’ IT-related controls predominantly focused on access, change management, programme development, automated business process controls and operational controls… all to ensure appropriate measures are in place to mitigate risk.

“The work we do is predominantly to support the audit division across lots of industries. We go into companies, big and small, and look at their internal controls to mitigate any risk around their IT systems and to ensure the integrity and reliability of their systems,” Cushla says.

Another focus area is the provision of governance risk and compliance services, which Cushla delivers through her involvement with the national internal audit consulting team.

Cushla brings to KPMG experience in predominantly the agriculture, manufacturing and local government environments. She has worked in the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia within various industries’ audit teams. Her first job was with another Big 4 firm also within the audit arena and she came to KPMG with previous director experience.

She is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (a globally recognised qualification) and a SAP expert – a highly ranked financial application favoured by big businesses with complex concerns. She left university armed with a Bachelor of Management Studies (honours) degree majoring in information systems and marketing.

KPMG is big on recognising talent and offering leadership opportunities. Cushla is a participant on KPMG’s Leading the Firm programme, that provides additional coaching and opportunities to excel for those identified as having leadership potential.

Natalie Berkett speaks of the growth she’s seen in the KPMG Tauranga tax team numbers over recent years, and an “exciting” focus on building up a Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) tax specialty.

KPMG Tax Division director Natalie Berkett, meanwhile, was nominated by KPMG to attend a full-year New Zealand Leadership course involving self-discovery as well as analysis of issues of national and international significance.

This director thrives on learning opportunities – she has both a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce. She accepted a graduate position with KPMG back in 2006 and has never moved elsewhere! In those early days she enjoyed a three-month secondment to KPMG’s Beijing department and four months off to travel (her job was held).

Natalie speaks of the growth she’s seen in the KPMG Tauranga tax team numbers over recent years, and an “exciting” focus on building up a Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) tax specialty.

“There are a lot of privately-owned businesses in the Bay of Plenty and a lot of the work our team does is focused on issues quite specific to SMEs like land transactions or expanding offshore.

“What I am leading nationally, is a focus on growing and fostering our SME clients faced with complex tax issues. This involves identifying opportunities where we can assist from a tax perspective and providing a team of tax specialists that understand SME issues.”

It’s exciting, she says, that KPMG is consolidating the expertise that we already have into a more coordinated and focused service offering.

Natalie, who has an interest in the export sector in particular, sits on the Export New Zealand BOP executive committee (she’s just stepped down as Chair). She offers her expertise to this group of exporters and service providers who meet to discuss issues facing their sector and the BOP specifically.

“I enjoy this as I get to hear first-hand the issues businesses are facing and it builds up my commercial understanding, which, of course, benefits clients,” she says.

Charmian Mead’s switch from the Wellington to Tauranga office in July this year meant strategic advisory became more available to businesses and organisations.

Charmian Mead also boasts impressive qualifications, with a Bachelor of Science degree, a Bachelor of Laws, and a Master of Bioethics and Health Law.

Her switch from the Wellington to Tauranga office in July this year meant strategic advisory became more available to businesses and organisations using KPMG services.

Charmian joined the KPMG Tauranga team as Private Enterprise Advisory Team associate director. She not only heads the firm’s strategy advisory services in Tauranga, she is part of a national private enterprise advisory team. Her working day involves helping create or design strategies aimed at enabling businesses and organisations to achieve success, whether that be domestically or on the global stage.

“Our team works with a wide range of clients who, fundamentally, we help grow. We help them achieve high performance and growth through a range of advisory services, such as strategy development and implementation, business and operating model design, market insights and validation, and export planning and activation, to name a few.”

Charmian, who initially worked as an intellectual property lawyer, was keen to get involved in broader aspects of business. She recognised that working for a Big 4 would offer the platform and portfolio from which to reach into organisations she wished to work with and this led her to KPMG – initially in Wellington.

“I like to work with ambitious community and organisational leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators and visionaries. These are the people I think are out there who drive meaningful impact for communities and the New Zealand economy,” says this woman who is big on social justice.

“I know it sounds cheesy, but I just like helping people and love seeing them create impact. I see my job as

the opportunity to really amplify that impact through working with others. On my own, I can come up with ideas, but if I work with 10 peoples’ ideas that’s much more exciting!”

Charmian’s arrival in Tauranga also heralded the launch of the KPMG Business School in the region. She is a key member of a team that delivered this initiative in Wellington, and is now making the opportunity available to BOP and Waikato business and community leaders.

“This school was created because we saw there were a lot of business and organisation leaders who lacked strategic capability. We designed a workshop to help with this and give them tools and a framework to take back to their workplace. Business and organisational leaders, who have been identified as having potential, are invited to attend these interactive learning workshops to understand how they can strategically achieve their ambitions.”

Charmian put her hand up to come to Tauranga as she could identify “huge potential” within the region. She sees how business “complexities and challenges” faced by business owners have grown as the city has grown and applauds KPMG for being in step with that.

She’s enjoying becoming part of the community and the region’s business ecosystem. “It is also exciting to be part of an organisation where everyone is super smart. Anytime a client needs help with something, I know I can find someone within KPMG who can assist.”

Nationally, KPMG has about 1,300 staff, including about 90 partners. And then there are the international offices. Charmian believes KPMG’s international status carries great benefit to clients.

“A big thing that attracts clients – from start ups to big global brands, is we can partner with them throughout their entire business journey as we have depth of expertise, scale and a global footprint.”

Michelle Sinclair brings with her, experience as a business owner in the start up and growth phase.

Also relatively new to KPMG is Michelle Sinclair, a Private Enterprise Team senior manager. Before this she worked elsewhere as a senior tax manager, and before that she and her husband spent 18 years working on their own IT-focused business start-ups – she using her strong accounting background. Through that business experience she identified an interest in tax law. Michelle has also been a lecturer at a tertiary level.

When KPMG Tauranga made the decision to build up its business advisory team, Michelle came on board. “I love tax law and love supporting SMEs. I draw on my own valuable experience as a business owner to work alongside other entrepreneurs navigating the business lifecycle, from start up to exit.”

She’s also particularly passionate about women in business.

“I was the Chief Financial Officer of emerging businesses experiencing rapid growth in a fast-moving industry, a wife, I had children and miscarriages, I moved countries without a support network… Women in business have numerous demands on their time and have to juggle a multitude of things, all while driving business performance.”

Michelle appreciates how KPMG acknowledges she is an avid learner and hence she has Friday’s off for study.

Her initial tertiary qualification was a Bachelor of Management Studies majoring in accounting and finance. Years later she tackled a Master of Taxation Studies, passing with first class honours. She is currently pursuing a law degree – learning about general law provides an underlying layer of knowledge that she can apply to her tax law specialty, all to the benefit of her KPMG clients.

Beyond that? “A PhD in tax law could be a big, hairy audacious goal,” she laughs.

Some more of the good

Work flexibility

KPMG is big on enabling staff to work in a way that suits their circumstances. Staff work from home, can work with ease remotely across the country or any office or location, and can take career breaks to chase sporting or travel dreams, knowing their jobs are being held open for them. They can also work part-time knowing this won’t jeopardise their career pathways.

“We have people come and work in our office from other locations, which supports our community and business ecosystem here in the Bay,” Tracy tells.

“We’ve had team members working remotely from Wanaka enjoying that lifestyle while simultaneously keeping their careers on track within the Big 4. We’ve had employees, employed by the Australian firm, working in Tauranga.”

Helping the younger generation

KPMG recruits five students from local schools in the Tauranga office every year. Summer internships and a graduate intake are also on offer.

Community Spirit

KPMG staff are involved in community projects such as buying Christmas presents for everyone at one of Tauranga’s low decile schools and have recently started a workplace giving programme with Acorn Foundation.

It’s but one of many great things fuelled from KPMG’s Tauranga impressive engine room.

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