Top accounting firm seeks locals for its office in far-flung province
A big-name accounting firm has chosen to expand its mainland presence by opening an office in a faraway northeastern province.
Since October last year, the long-standing political, economic and cultural centre of Shenyang has been home to the 11th mainland office for KPMG, a global network of professional firms providing audit, tax and advisory services.
The office's remit is to serve KPMG's domestic and multinational clients in the northeast provinces, including Liaoning. Accordingly, it has started operations with a 50-strong team to provide a spectrum of services. Eddie So, the senior partner in the Shenyang branch, said most new staff were locally recruited.
'Although we have transferred a few employees from other mainland offices, such as Qingdao, KPMG has adopted a localisation approach,' Mr So said. 'We believe it would be in the best interests of our clients if we had people with local knowledge.'
John Harrison, the firm's chairman for the mainland and Hong Kong, said the establishment of the office would ensure greater service coverage in the northeast. Shenyang is one of the most vibrant cities in the mainland. By 2006, 50 of the world's top 500 businesses, including Carrefour, BMW and Pepsi Cola, had established businesses in the city.