KPMG Australia has signed an agreement to acquire Certus APAC. The move, which will provide additional Oracle specialist skills to KPMG's digital transformation and cloud services capabilities, comes at a critical time for clients challenged with navigating their organisations through COVID.
Announcing the deal today, KPMG Australia CEO Andrew Yates commented: "The pandemic has forced organisations to re-evaluate how they interact with their customers, staff and suppliers, and determine if their current systems are fit-for-purpose. 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."
Founded in 2014, Certus APAC is an Oracle implementation partner that specialises 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, bringing with him 40 team 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 wide range of applications including ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and HCM (Human Capital Management).
Ian Wood, Managing Partner of Certus APAC said: "Our rapid growth over the past four years has been fuelled by increasing demand for Oracle cloud transformation. This has accelerated significantly during the pandemic, and we have reached 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. The alignment of opportunity and most importantly, culture, makes this the perfect fit for both sides. 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."
Certus APAC will become part of KPMG Australia in late 2021, subject to the successful completion of the acquisition. Commercial terms were not disclosed.
Andrew Yates added: "Ian and his team have an outstanding track record. 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."
Today's announcement builds upon KPMG Australia's strategic 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 firm as the first national head of Salesforce capability.
