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KPMG has acquired Sydney-based innovation and consulting agency UDKU, or U Don’t Know Us, for an undisclosed sum. Counseling is aptly named because it helps its clients embrace the unknown.
UDKU has joined KPMG’s Customer, Brand and Marketing Advisory (CBMA) business, bringing with it all 11 employees. The acquisition is the second for the professional services Big Four, after it created its CBPA practice in the middle of last year.
Consulting was born from the desire to start the process of creativity. Jump starts and innovation support are a fundamental factor of UDKU’s business model. “UDKU was founded because certainty in business no longer exists. Change is constant. Embracing the unknown is a core philosophy when businesses face disruption and the need to change quickly,” said creative strategist and partner Colin Jowell.
“Because we work across such a diverse range of categories, we can bring clients unexpected ideas that transform their business. The opportunity to be part of KPMG is simply great for us and allows us to expand our offering of customer experience innovation at this critical time,” continued Jowell.
The acquisition is an example of KPMG’s intention to strengthen its CBMA practice. KPMG’s customer, brand and marketing consultancy was only created a few years ago and was built on the acquisition of Acuity Research & Insights last year. The firm has since appointed former Publicis CEO Andrew Baxteras as a senior adviser.
Over the past year, the CBMA business has grown to more than 100 people. According to KPMG partner in charge of CBMA, Paul Howes, the practice works on projects for some of Australia’s most forward-thinking and forward-thinking organisations. The purchase took place almost exactly one year after the CBMA practice was founded.
“UDKU is like a birthday present for our company. It’s been just over a year since CBMA was founded through our acquisition of Acuity Research and Insights. And it was a huge success. CBMA is delivering great results for clients and enjoying strong double-digit growth.”
“Our solutions solve specific business problems through customer and employee experiences. We provide holistic customer experience solutions with the security of fact-based evidence and the ability to practically go to market,” said Colin Jowell. “And this kind of focused creative thinking has produced major results for clients. Take Airtasker for example. Our successful collaboration with Airtasker helped it transform from a start-up to a household name!” he said.
Gary Wingrove, CEO of KPMG Australia, said: “Over the next five years, almost 90 per cent of companies expect to compete solely on the basis of customer experience. The world according to the customer will define the design, processes and technological changes of organizations. UDKU complements CBMA’s expertise beautifully by deepening our customer experience and digital design capabilities, as well as adding a new dimension to physical design skills.”
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