KPMG invests £5.5 million in Manchester office

The Manchester wing of KPMG UK is set for a multi-million-pound investment, enhancing its services to businesses and improving working spaces for its staff. As part of the plans, the Big Four firm intends to build a new collaborative hub, while redesigning its existing office in the region.

Jon Holt, Chief Executive of KPMG UK, explained, “Our new Ignition Centre in Manchester will support a huge range of incredible businesses in the region and more widely, bringing together insights, people, and technology to accelerate innovation and help them solve some of their most complex problems.”

According to Holt, the thriving technology ecosystem in and around Manchester represents a hive of activity, which has attracted a strong business community. Additionally, the local education system means that access to talent in the area is high, making it “the perfect location” for KPMG to invest as a firm.

The move comes as KPMG’s Big Four rivals are also investing in the growing economies of England’s North-West. Deloitte hosts 700 dedicated professionals across its Manchester and Liverpool offices, and is expanding into a new Salford locale from 2023. PwC has been in Manchester for 80 years, and employs some 1,300 staff there. And EY is significantly ramping up its operations in Manchester, with reports noting it is aiming to hire 1,200 extra workers in technology, transformation and strategy-focused roles by 2026.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, has long championed the importance of consulting firms in the city’s economy. Speaking on KPMG’s initiative, he noted the investment would “create new jobs in our digital and tech sectors,” as well as delivering “a real vote of confidence in Greater Manchester’s thriving innovation economy.”

KPMG’s Manchester office is home to 1,200 employees, including more than 260 people in technology roles. Ignition North will add to that, as the firm recruits to support its new offering; supporting clients from the start of an idea all the way through to the design, prototyping and development of solutions – from a new 25,000 square foot collaborative hub designed to spark innovation and support digital transformation.

At the same time, the £5.5 million investment will see a major Manchester office redesign, the company is also rethinking the traditional office layout to cater for new and developing ways of working. The space will be repurposed to prioritise meetings, presentations and informal get-togethers between colleagues, clients and the firm’s wider networks.

Warren Middleton, Manchester Office Senior Partner at KPMG UK, stated, “When it comes to the office redesign, we believe it’s important to listen to what people want to see in the space and how they want to use it, so we will be reflecting their thoughts in the changes. Once the work has been completed, the office will feature a range of different workstations, ranging from traditional desks to collaboration tables for teams and informal ‘touch down’ spaces for people who might be in-between meetings.”