Led by Derek Campbell and his dedicated Darwin team, KPMG has a unique insight into the future prospects of the NT, positioning themselves as key players in supporting businesses and government initiatives.

With a client base that includes businesses eyeing major investments in the Territory, KPMG is ramping up its efforts to meet the anticipated surge in demand for professional services.

Mr Campbell emphasizes their commitment to supporting the growth of the NT by investing in expanding their team by 15 per cent.

This expansion aims to build onthe- ground capabilities in Darwin, complemented by their national and international networks.

“In the last decade the Territory has seen many promising projects on the horizon, but now we appear to be gaining real momentum in some key sectors,” he says.

“Defence is a primary focus, alongside critical minerals, gas and agriculture – all of which is extending opportunities for economic growth and development.

“At KPMG we are also seeing increasing interest from international corporates looking to better understand their opportunity landscape in the NT and engage with us to facilitate feasibility and project planning efforts, often as part of their initial due diligence activities.

“With the evolution of our business, and in particular our Darwin office, traditional labels like “accountants” no longer apply. Our team comprises advisors who tailor solutions based on client needs spanning infrastructure planning, logistics, project and change management, technology enablement and implementation, family business and corporate and government advisory,” Mr Campbell says.

The addition of Dr. Oliver Holm, a specialist in Infrastructure and Major Projects Advisory, is a great example of the diverse expertise KPMG is bringing to the NT.

A geologist by training, Oliver spearheads on-ground infrastructure and mining growth opportunities. Similarly, Sarah Hicks and Ali Malik lead KPMG’s Advisory practice focusing on government and large corporate opportunities.

The rising prominence of Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting underscores KPMG’s role in ensuring clients are abreast of evolving requirements here.

The Audit and Assurance team, led by Matt Ward, is helping clients prepare for the phased approach to mandatory climate reporting requirements and to understand the evolving financial reporting landscape.

Whilst it is seen as a “big end of town” issue at the moment, banks are already working on factoring this into credit risk ratings and businesses are realising that ESG is going to become increasingly important for organisations of all sizes.

Derek Campbell leads the Business and Tax Advisory team, which provides business support from tax services and finance to business restructuring. KPMG specialises in developing a deep understanding of a client’s business, and sometimes the team will even attend regular strategic and operational meetings with a client’s management team.

An example of this approach was seen during the recent brand launch of DCOH (formerly Halikos). Managing Director Shane Dignan emphasised the critical role of forward-looking strategies and robust financial governance in shaping the group’s future, with Derek Campbell and the KPMG team acting as key advisors to their business.

“Shane asked me to speak at their brand launch to our role with DCOH which I must say is extensive across a range of our service lines. The range of work and teams involved gives us a comprehensive view of the business which provides us with the strategic insight to effectively support Shane and his management team in their future growth ambitions.”