New beginnings for vastly-experienced professional services leader
One of the East Midlands’ best-known professional services figures is set to start a new chapter in his career next week.
Ian Borley retires on Friday as East Midlands senior partner at KPMG and has revealed his next steps to TheBusinessDesk.com.
“This isn’t exactly the way I’d envisaged leaving KPMG,” said Borley, speaking via Zoom. “Although I suppose we should be thankful coronavirus didn’t happen 10-15 years ago, else absolutely nothing would be getting done now. We’re lucky that we can at least get in touch with people very simply these days. I think this crisis will change the way people do business in the future. My only worry is that all this will come home to roost at some point soon. There are going to be some big bills to be paid.”
Borley is speaking to us as his 35-year career at KPMG comes to an end. Vastly experienced and universally respected throughout the East Midlands, he has set up a new business – Borley Consulting Limited. He says he intends to carry on with his non-executive directorships – including at the National Space Centre in Leicester – and is getting involved with the Leicester Business Festival.
“I’ll be working with private businesses offering consultancy work,” he said. “I’ll be focusing on strategy and financial management typically firms with a turnover between £10m and £100m.
“I’m not going to be trying to tell people how to run their businesses – they know better than me – but if they need help in raising finances or the challenges associated with exiting or scaling up, then I can bring the benefit of my experience.”
The Big 4 accountancy firms has never been under more scrutiny, and although Borley says he agrees that regulations should be in place, he warns that the next generation of professional services talent could be stifled.
He said: “Audit is subject to much more stringent regulation than it’s ever been – and that’s a good thing.
However, the now very descriptive approach to audit work could bring problems for the future as I don’t believe it will allow the next generation of accountancy professionals to truly get a full picture of every aspect of the business they’re working with – and how that business really works.
“Professionals services firms – whether that be the Big 4 or the mid-tier firms – have to ask themselves: who will deliver these skills? They will have to change else there are those who will step in and take their place.”
