KPMG has announced the appointment of four new partners, including the promotion of James Black (Audit), Caoimhe McLoughlin (Tax), Gavin Sheehan (Deal Advisory) and the appointment of Colm O’Neill who joins the firm as a consulting partner.
Announcing the new partners, managing partner Seamus Hand said; “I’m delighted to congratulate and welcome our new partners and I look forward to each of them using their unique skills and perspectives to enhance our teams and support our clients.”
“We are delighted to welcome Colm O’Neill to KPMG following various successful roles including CEO of BT in Ireland. Colm has a wealth of experience and insight that will be of huge benefit to our clients.”
Seamus Hand also reinforces KPMG’s continued commitment to developing the extraordinary talent in the firm, evidenced by the achievements of new partners Caoimhe McLaughlin, James Black and Gavin Sheehan.
As the past few months have shown, the accelerating pace of change has triggered a range of business issues. Some are driven by new technology, others reflect the need for experienced support in often complex situations.
Colm O’Neill
It was this type of challenge that appealed to newly appointed partner Colm O’Neill. Most recently he was managing director of BT’s Major Corporate and Public Sector business and prior to that he had run the company’s Irish business.
“Returning to professional practice wasn’t something I had thought about but when I saw what KPMG was doing here it became a very attractive option,” he says.
He believes his private sector experience will help bring fresh perspectives to the firm.
“I come from a different background to most people in the practice having spent most of my career in industry and I’m keen to share that experience and expertise.”
Caoimhe McLoughlin
Meanwhile for new tax partner Caoimhe McLoughlin, her main area of focus has been advising entrepreneurs and large scale privately held family businesses.
She has also gained considerable experience in large capital market transactions.
“I work with family businesses expanding globally and private equity and venture capital groups investing in Irish businesses,” she says.
“It’s very interesting to get the entrepreneur viewpoint and see it from the perspective of private equity or venture capital investor as well. This allows me to bring value to both sides of the transaction.”
James Black
New audit partner James Black has spent the past 14 years with KPMG working mainly in the banking sector of financial services.
Most recently, he has been helping banks navigate through new accounting and regulatory requirements.
“The regulatory landscape is having a significant impact on banks,” he notes. “I have been helping clients work through that both in terms of the operational impact and the reporting aspects.”
Gavin Sheehan
Gavin Sheehan, newly appointed deal advisory partner, returned to KPMG in 2014 from London where he’d been working in transaction services and as group treasury manager for Aviva.
His focus has been on financial due diligence and helping clients to acquire and sell businesses, raise finance from banks and other lenders, raise equity, and manage working capital and their day to day finances.
Obviously some sectors are under pressure says Sheehan but others have been doing quite well.
“We are seeing businesses pivot to take advantage of the opportunities and move into new areas through acquisitions and I’ll be assisting them in their efforts. I will also be helping some other businesses demonstrate their viability and access the funding they need to continue trading.”