KPMG_NEWSLETTER

Edition 8, September 2013

K-Pulse

KPMG internal staff and alumni newsletter for KPMG Bahrain and Qatar

A message from Jamal The wonderful thing about K-Pulse is that it highlights the many special occasions we choose to celebrate as a firm. We celebrate our successes, important milestones, new arrivals and in Advisory in Qatar we even celebrate the end of the month! (i.e. happy hours).

For many of our people, Ramadan is also a time for celebration. It is a time to celebrate shared customs and traditions and to focus on the importance of family and community.

Our people come from many different parts of the world and this diversity enables us to draw on a variety of operational experiences that benefit our clients. It also gives us the opportunity to celebrate each other’s special occasions and in doing so, broaden our cultural understanding and awareness. Within this context, I am delighted that so many of our people were able to participate in KPMG’s Ghabgha and Suhoor evenings and thank the organizers for facilitating such enjoyable occasions.

Despite tough competition we continue to grow our business both in Qatar and Bahrain. A lot of work is going into developing a culture and supporting systems that help build client relationships, identify new business opportunities and enhance our service offering.

I would include in this the tremendous effort going into updating our Customer Relationship Management system and proposals pipeline, in running an active key accounts program and in hosting events and media initiatives that enhance our brand and reputation.

On the people front we continue to grow our capabilities, through recruiting and developing outstanding professionals. At a partner level this includes Management Consulting partner, Nael Nasr, who joined us earlier this year, and more recently our new head of Tax, Craig Richardson.

In Bahrain we have settled in to our new premises in the Fakhro Tower. In Qatar, progress continues on the site of KPMG’s new office building, which will deliver in 2014 a similarly world class facility for our people.

Summing up, our progress on a number of fronts is very satisfying. Thank you for playing your role in our ongoing success.

Yours sincerely

Jamal Fakhro Managing partner

A message from the editor Once again, the firm has hosted and sponsored many events and activities. Highlights of this issue include Jamal Fakhro’s appointment to the global board and the new office move in Bahrain.

In this regard, we would like to congratulate our Bahrain colleagues on moving to their new location last month. Please see page 20 for a photo collage.

As part of the holy month of Ramadan, KPMG in Bahrain hosted a Ghabga night and KPMG in Qatar hosted a Suhoor, so flip to page 23 to see some photos of you at both events. Also, we celebrated the birth of five cute babies! Congratulations to the parents.

Thanks to all the contributors to this issue, HR team, CSR team, Richard, Ramesh, Khalid, Mohamed Owais, Andrea, Huda Ali, Gopal, Mohammad Al Hawaj, Adil Raza, Mayank Bindal and KPMG as a whole in making K-Pulse a success.

If you have any stories which you would like to be captured by K-Pulse, please send them through anytime.

Please take a few moments and read through to see what the firm has been up to the past three months.

Kind regards Marie-Joe Khachan Marketing & Business Development Executive

Table of contents Clients Making news Key wins – celebrating success KPMG in the media Thought leadership People Workshops and trainings KPMG Toastmasters club HR updates Shukran and Landmark awards Images of the office move in Bahrain Keeping in touch with our alumni KPMG in Qatar Suhoor KPMG in Bahrain Ghabga Happy hours initiative KPMG Qatar goes bowling KPMG staff breakfast KPMG welcomes new joiners Happy moments Community KPMG Bahrain organizes a blood drive

03 K-Pulse, September 2013

04 12 13 15 16 18 18 19 20 22 23 24 24 24 25 26 27 28

Clients Making news KPMG’s entrepreneurship conference a huge success More than 50 entrepreneurs and senior executives from leading Bahraini SME’s recently attended a conference on entrepreneurship – hosted by KPMG. Held on the 27 May 2013, at the Intercontinental Regency Hotel, the interactive conference was a resounding success and has given KPMG’s profile in the SME and middle markets space a huge boost.

Opened by Jamal and facilitated by INSEAD associate professor of entrepreneurship, Filipe Santos, the conference included discussions on how to build a sustainable business model, equipping entrepreneurs to analyze their business and identifying growth opportunities.

The conference, supported by Tamkeen and other leading Bahrain organizations, provided participants an opportunity to network and share experiences with peers.

Filipe Santos INSEAD Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship

The conference received excellent feedback from attendees, and was so successful that KPMG is looking to form an ‘Entrepreneur Club’ to provide a platform to interact with entrepreneurs from Bahraini family businesses and other small and medium-sized companies.

KPMG people celebrating the success of the Entrepreneurship Conference

Attendees at KPMG’s Entrepreneurship Conference held on the 27 May 2013, at the Intercontinental Regency hotel K-Pulse, September 2013, 04

KPMG and Tamkeen join forces to enhance local supply chain management skills The benefits of enhanced supply chain management skills were discussed at recent breakfast seminar co-hosted

by Tamkeen and KPMG. The seminar, held at the Crowne Plaza hotel, was opened by KPMG partner, Nael Nasr and included a briefing from, Tamkeen’s Acting VP, Human Capital Development, Amal Kooheji.

More than 50 human resource professionals and chief operating officers from the Bahraini private sector were in attendance.

The purpose of the seminar was to promote the benefits of participating in a Tamkeen-funded supply chain management training program. The training program will be facilitated by KPMG Fakhro and its training associate Bahrain International Retail Development Centre (BIRD). KPMG partner, Nael Nasr said that given Bahrain is a strategic regional hub it’s no surprise that the demand for supply chain expertise is growing.

KPMG hosts successful cloud computing seminars KPMG’s IT Advisory team recently held two very successful cloud computing seminars.

The seminars, which showcased some of KPMG’s IT Advisory global capabilities, were held in Bahrain on 13 May, at the Sheraton hotel, and the following day at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Qatar. They were attended by more than 100 CEOs, CIOs and Heads of IT from leading organizations.

The seminars highlighted the business issues and opportunities of using cloud computing, including security concerns and some key risks to look out for in adoption scenarios.

The seminar in Bahrain included a welcome speech by KPMG in head of Advisory, Narayanan Ramachandran, an introduction by IT Advisory partner Jeroen Menting and a briefing from KPMG global subject matter expert, Mike Chung.

The Qatar seminar followed a similar format but included a briefing from Omar Sherin, CIIP manager at ictQatar.

Omar spoke about the new laws for cloud computing in Qatar.

Mike Chung at KPMG’s Cloud Computing seminar held in Bahrain on 13 May, at the Sheraton hotel

Omar Sherin, Jeroen Menting and Mike Chung at KPMG’s Cloud Computing seminar in Qatar 05 K-Pulse, September 2013

KPMG sponsors 8th World Chambers Congress KPMG was a key sponsor at this year’s World Chambers Congress, held at the Qatar national convention center, on 22-25 April 2013.

The World Chamber Congress brings together chamber leaders from around the world to share, learn and build new networks.

As part of our sponsorship, KPMG partner Rajesh Menon was a keynote speaker during one of the presentation forums. The session focused on business opportunities in the region and how to invest in Qatar and the Middle East.

KPMG was also given an opportunity to host an exhibition stand at the conference, attended by hundreds of local and international business leaders.

KPMG staff welcoming delegates from all over the world and explained KPMG’s local service capabilities.

Rajesh Menon speaking at April’s World Chambers Congress

KPMG’s Marie-Joe Khachan and Iffy Rodrigues with one of the attendees at the World Chambers Congress held in Qatar in April

K-Pulse, September 2013, 06

KPMG sponsors annual internal audit seminar KPMG was well-represented at this year’s Institute of Internal auditors’ national conference held at the College of North Atlantic, Qatar, on 19-20 May 2013.

KPMG partner, Yacoub Hobeika, was one of the conference’s key speakers and discussed the challenges and requirements of an effective internal audit function.

The theme of this year’s conference was ‘The value of an effective internal auditing function’.

Speakers discussed the challenges and requirements of an effective internal audit function, audit as a business partner, working towards organizational success and auditing information technology.

KPMG had a stand at the venue where it distributed thought leadership documents relevant to the conference and interacted with conference delegates.

KPMG partner, Yacoub Hobeika

Attendees at the 3rd annual Institute of Internal auditors’ national conference, held at the College of North Atlantic, Qatar on 19-20 May 2013

07 K-Pulse, September 2013

Left to right: Yacoub Hobeika, Bassam Al Abdulla, MarieJoe Khachan, Sandeep Shetty

KPMG Qatar represented at global lead partners conference KPMG Qatar partners, Gopal Balasubramaniam and Rajesh Menon represented the local firm at this year’s global lead partner’s conference, held in New York on 22-23 May 2013.

The conference, attended by over 250 lead partners from around the world, is the biggest KPMG gathering of its kind and an important catalyst for growth at KPMG’s global accounts.

The theme at this year’s conference was ‘Engaging in new conversations’, emphasizing the importance of client dialogue in building and maintaining relationships.

Participants heard that client conversations should be bold and relevant, in order to make an impact.

The two day conference provided our local partners an opportunity to work and interact with some of the best global leaders in the firm.

Gopal Balasubramaniam with Rajesh Menon and Abdulla Fozan, CEO, KPMG in Saudi Arabia

KPMG Qatar represented at inaugural global energy Asia Pacific conference KPMG Qatar partner, Gopal Balasubramaniam, represented the region at this year’s inaugural global energy conference, Asia Pacific held in Singapore on 22 - 23 May 2013.

The conference, attended by over 300 oil and gas sector professionals from different parts of the world was a great success, lifting the profile of KPMG’s energy credentials.

Attendees heard from industry experts on local and global issues impacting the future of the oil and gas industry, including panel discussions on ‘How energy companies create value and drive economic development’ and ‘Financing and securing future energy growth’.

The conference also included sessions on ‘Performance optimization at National Oil Companies (NOCs) and International Oil Companies (IOCs), operational excellence and shared service centers, containing major capital investment schedules and costs of Mega projects.

The main highlight of the conference was the launch of KPMG’s Global Energy Institute in Asia Pacific, which is an open forum where industry executives could share knowledge, gain insights and access thought leadership about key industry issues and emerging trends.

Gopal Balasubramaniam with Pek Hak Bin, conference chairman and head of energy and natural resources, KPMG in Singapore K-Pulse, September 2013, 08

Senior KPMG transport and aviation leaders touchdown in Qatar KPMG’s global head of transport, Ashley Steel, and global head of aviation, David Williams, visited Qatar on 30 April 2013, meeting key stakeholders from the Qatar transportation and aviation sector.

The visit included meetings with senior Qatar Airways representatives. The meetings provided an opportunity to showcase KPMG’s airline sector credentials and open doors to new business engagements.

The visit did a lot to remind some of our clients the value of the KPMG global network and the resources KPMG’s local office can tap into.

We thank Ashley and David for their visit and look forward to seeing more visits from other KPMG’s global subject matter experts.

Ashley Steel, Gopal Balasubramaniam and David Williams at Qatar Airways office in Qatar

KPMG holds client knowledge sharing program KPMG’s Risk Consulting team recently held a knowledge sharing program with business leaders from Al Ahli Hospital, one of the most prestigious hospitals in Qatar.

The sharing program took place at the Al Ahli premises with eight Al Ahli employees attending, including Al Ahli Hospital deputy CEO, Jamal Hammad.

The training covered the topics, ‘enterprise risk management’, ‘corporate governance’ and ‘financial controls’.

The sessions were conducted by Arjun Neelakantan, director, risk consulting, KPMG in Qatar.

KPMG people with the management team at Al Ahli Hospital, Qatar 09 K-Pulse, September 2013

KPMG conducts forensic course for Gulf International Bank staff in Bahrain KPMG’s Forensic team recently conducted a fraud risk awareness training session for a key Bahrain audit client, Gulf International Bank (GIB).

Attended by GIB employees and management on 4 April 2013 the session was an example of how KPMG adds value to key client relationships.

This session was facilitated by Arindam Ghosh, associate director, Risk Consulting. It was attended by employees from GIB’s internal audit, operational risk, IT application and compliance departments.

Feedback from employees and management was very positive, many expressing their appreciation for KPMG’s effort in supporting their clients and providing them with high quality services and valuable training.

Trainees from Gulf International Bank in Bahrain

Arindam Ghosh, associate director, KPMG in Bahrain, during the training

KPMG throws surprise farewell party for key client Members of KPMG’s audit and advisory team in Bahrain working on an engagement at BNP Paribas, demonstrated a bit of creativity recently in client engagement.

The team showed great initiative in hosting a surprise farewell party for one of BNP Paribas’ staff members, Mrs. Siddiqa Ali. The farewell party was held in the BNP Paribas’ premises on 25 April 2013.

This event was well-received by staff members and on the company as a whole. The client said it was the first time they have come across a team so energetic, friendly and professional.

KPMG team with BNP Paribas’ staff

Jamal joins KPMG global board The profile of KPMG’s Qatar and Bahrain practices received a huge boost recently following the appointment of our very own Jamal Fakhro to the board of KPMG International.

Jamal, who is also chairman of KPMG’s Middle East and South Asia practices, is the first Middle East leader to be appointed to such a senior position with KPMG International.

KPMG Global Chairman, Michael Andrew, said he is delighted with the appointment.

“The Middle East is an increasingly important region to KPMG globally and has some of the fastest growing economies in the world,” said Mr. Andrew.

“Jamal’s leadership skills and market knowledge will be valued assets to our global board as KPMG firms expand their presence in the region and work with clients, not only in the Middle East but in other parts of the world who are interested in investing in the increasing opportunities here.”

Jamal said he was honored by the appointment and that he hoped to draw on this experience for the benefit of KPMG’s local clients.

“I am sure the opportunity to work with some of KPMG’s brightest people will help me identify opportunities to add value to our clients here in Bahrain.”

The Global Board is the principal governance and oversight body of KPMG International. The key responsibilities of the Board include approving the strategy, protecting and enhancing the KPMG brand and approving policies and regulations.

KPMG Global Chariman, Michael Andrew

11 K-Pulse, September 2013

KPMG UK holds trade mission in Qatar KPMG in the UK recently sponsored a trade mission to Qatar, led by Willie Walsh, president, London chamber of commerce and industry. The trade delegation included a number of UK companies, including British Airways, and organized several presentations from 14 – 17 April 2013.

KPMG’s involvement created a number of opportunities for the local firm. In addition to that, the trade mission received significant local media coverage, with numerous mentions of KPMG. KPMG partner Omar Mahmood was invited to provide a key note address at the opening reception held at the British Embassy on 14 April which was attended by more than 150 business leaders. Also, Venkatesh Krishnaswamy, KPMG partner, gave a briefing to the delegates on Tuesday 16 April 2013.

KPMG partners and directors were invited to the reception for networking. As a result of this event, we formed good connections into KPMG’s London office through our logistical support on ground in Doha.

Jamal meets Jordanian Prime Minister Jamal Fakhro visited the Jordanian Prime Minister Dr. Abdulla Al Nassor, and the Finance Minister Dr. Omaya Tokan, on Monday 25 May 2013.

The meeting was a very fruitful one and helped a lot in building sustainable relations not only with the firms in the country but with the investments leader of Jordan.

Jamal Fakhro with Dr. Abdullah Al Nasoor, Prime Minister of Jordan.

Key wins – celebrating success!

Please find below recent strategic wins: Company

Service

Service line

Team

Eskan Bank

CF

T&R

Rajeshkar Dabburi, Venkatesh Krishnaswamy, Bader Fakhro, Sanatkumar Agrawal

Barwa Real Estate Company Q.S.C.

BPS

MC

Rajesh Menon, Tim Bentley, Angshuman Dey

Qatar Petroleum

BPS

MC

Rajesh Menon, Indranil Goswami, Anurag Gupta

Ministry of Finance, Kuwait

ITA

MC

Jeroen Menting, Shahid Safdar

Abdullah Abdulghani & Brothers Company

CF

T&R

Venkatesh Krishnaswamy, Himanshu Bhatla

Tamkeen

BPS

MC

Nael Nasr, Manav Prakash, Fahad Bu Ali, Rajesh Menon

Aspire Logistics

P&C

MC

Rajesh Menon, Kanchan Ghoshal, Alasdair Campbell, Saurabh Mathur, Kunal Agrawal

Qatar Holding Intermediate Industries Company

BPS

MC

Rajesh Menon, Indranil Goswami, Bassam Al Abdulla

Qatar Financial Centre Authority

ITA

MC

Jeroen Menting, Hemant Gupta, Pradeepa Renganathan

Middle East Carbon Dioxide Yateem

CF

T&R

Narayanan Ramachandran, Anshul Deobhakta, Sanatkumar Agrawal

K-Pulse, September 2013, 12

Al Baraka Islamic Bank

BPS

MC

Nael Nasr

Zeon, Mitsui – KPMG Japan

CF

T&R

Venkatesh Krishnaswamy, Himanshu Bhatla

Maersk Oil Qatar

Audit

Audit

Gopal Balasubramaniam, Mohamed Jawath

BMMI

IA

RC

Jeyapriya Partiban, Shankar Krishnan

KPMG in the media KPMG continues to receive excellent media coverage for our thought leadership initiatives. Recent media coverage includes: Title

Newspaper

Date

KPMG launches global centre of excellence

Al Sharq

4/5/2013

Family business get KPMG boost

The Peninsula

4/6/2013

UK Trade Mission to visit Qatar next week

Gulf Times

4/10/2013

Insurance Sector

Al Bilad Newspaper

4/11/2013

KPMG participates in Insurance society seminar

Al Ayam Newspaper

4/11/2013

Jamal Fakhro appointed in Global Board

Al Ayam Newspaper

4/15/2013

Jamal Fakhro appointed in Global Board

Al Wasat Newspaper

4/15/2013

KPMG appoints Qatar’s CEO on global board

Al Sharq

4/16/2013

KPMG Qatar managing partner appointed to parent board

The Peninsula

4/16/2013

KPMG and Tamkeen to organize Entrepreneurship conference

Al Bilad Newspaper

4/18/2013

KPMG celebrates 35 years in Qatar

Sur La Terre

4/29/2013

Jamal’s interview with Al Arab

Al Arab

4/29/2013

KPMG’s first global energy meet a success

Qatar Tribune

5/2/2013

Qatar based KPMG oil and gas head attends Singapore energy conference

Gulf Times

5/6/2013

13 K-Pulse, September 2013

Development of businesses to be probed

GDN

5/7/2013

KPMG hosts Cloud and Security seminar

Al Ayam Newspaper

5/9/2013

KPMG seminar

Gulf Times

5/13/2013

KPMG hosts a seminar on cloud computing

Al Sharq

5/14/2013

KPMG discuss cloud and security

Al Bilad Newspaper

5/14/2013

Cloud service benefits focus of seminar

GDN

5/14/2013

KPMG hold cloud and security session

Daily Tribune

5/14/2013

Seminar on the challenges of cloud computing and security

Al Arab

5/15/2013

KPMG meeting discusses benefits of cloud computing

Qatar Tribune

5/15/2013

Business model is vital for success

GDN

5/28/2013

Entrepreneurship conference on sustainable business

Daily Tribune

5/28/2013

KPMG hosts Entrepreneurship conference

Akhbar Al Khaleej

5/28/2013

KPMG hosts Entrepreneurship conference

Al Ayam Newspaper

5/29/2013

ESKAN Bank appoint group for funding plan

GDN

6/5/2013

KPMG relocates to Fakhro Towers

Al Watan Newspaper

6/11/2013

KPMG relocates to Fakhro Towers

Al Wasat Newspaper

6/11/2013

The fight to protect Qatar’s borders in cyberspace (contribution from Mike Chung, KPMG UK)

The Edge Magazine

6/11/2013

KPMG’s first ever Arab global board member from Qatar

The Edge Magazine

6/21/2013

Jamal’s interview with Al Raya

Al Raya

7/3/2013

KPMG partners with QFBA

Al Arab

20/08/2013

Kawader program, Partnership between QFBA and KPMG

Al Raya

20/08/2013

KPMG, QFBA for Kawader

Qatar Tribune

20/08/2013

KPMG partners with QFBA for Kawader program

The Peninsula

20/08/2013

K-Pulse, September 2013, 14

Thought leadership Markets is pleased to share recent global thought leadership which might be of interest to you. To obtain hardcopies of these publications please feel free to contact Khalid Seyadi in Markets on Tel: +973 17222313.

The cloud takes shape

Industry Insights – a snapshot of the key trends

Evolving Banking Regulation

15 K-Pulse, September 2013

Evolving Investment Management Regulation

Emerging Trends in the Sovereign Wealth Fund Landscape

People Learning and development KPMG Risk Consulting holds its second quarterly training KPMG Risk Consulting in Bahrain held its second quarterly staff training session on 25 May 2013 at the Elite Crystal Hotel, Juffair. The quarterly training sessions are part of risk consulting’s on-going technical training program that focuses on the conduct of internal audit and challenges at various clients and industries.

The training sessions were conducted by senior members of the risk consulting team. The program also included knowledge-sharing sessions, providing the staff members with a platform to share industry and client experiences as well as focus groups which discussed the day-to-day client challenges.

Nearly 20 staff members attended the half-day training session. The second session introduced staff to innovative approach to internal audits in investment banks in areas of corporate governance, asset management and risk management framework; as well as a session on the IDEA Analytics software.

K-Pulse, September 2013, 16

KPMG invests in career development of Bahraini professionals Six Bahraini professionals recently completed their accounting qualifications thanks to a development fund initiated by KPMG Fakhro.

The Jassim Fakhro People Development Fund, which is named after the founder of KPMG’s Bahrain office, Jassim Fakhro, has invested significant resources in the professional education and development of young Bahrainis since its launch in 2001.

Under this fund, any Bahraini undergraduate with strong academic achievements and who is keen to pursue a professional career in accounting or finance can join KPMG and apply for a study grant to complete their CPA and ACCA qualifications.

The students are also provided with training for the first year in the fundamentals of accounting and corporate finance. To date, the fund has sponsored 65 Bahraini students. The Bahraini accounting professionals who recently completed their Certified Public Accountant (CPA) qualifications under this fund are Ebrahim Isa Ahmed, Jaafar Mohammed Jassim, Mohammed Majed Ebrahim Saif, Mahmood Al Alwan, Sayed Mohamed Al Majed and Saeed Radhi.

Bahraini audit professionals benefit from US secondments Two Bahraini professionals recently discussed the value of working overseas, after participating in a KPMG professional development program.

Bahraini nationals, Ali AlMaqabi and Hisham Jamsheer, from KPMG Fakhro, spent 18 months in Dallas and New York as part of the firm’s global mobility program. This program provides young KPMG professionals the opportunity to develop their skills and experience in an international environment.

Jamsheer said working and living in New York City was an invaluable experience. He believes that the exposure to some of the largest financial institutions operating in New York and working firsthand with the best in the business has been one of the most rewarding experiences of his career. Al Maqabi also shared his experience with his colleagues from day one through formal and informal meetings and gatherings.

KPMG has sent several Bahraini employees on secondment to KPMG’s UK and US offices all have since returned to Bahrain to continue their careers.

KPMG MESA organizes leadership and business skills training Senior staff members from KPMG in Bahrain and Qatar participated in a KPMG leadership and skills training course held at the Holiday Inn, Sharjah from 4- 6 June 2013.

Mohamed Jawath and Imran Ayub from Qatar and Mayank Bindal, Harsh Tyagi and Mayank Jain from Bahrain, attended the training.

The key point of discussion was that leadership is much more difficult than one thinks it is. The session included models for motivation, conversation and coaching. It was a very beneficial workshop in terms of learning how to apply leadership skills in the workplace in a balanced way.

Attendees group photo at the training in Sharjah 17 K-Pulse, September 2013

Imran Ayub, manager, Tax with his team during the training in Sharjah

KPMG shines at Bahrain Toastmasters annual conference Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development with around 13,500 clubs in 116 countries. Bahrain has more than 50 Toastmasters clubs helping members improve their communication and leadership skills.

With the same objective, KPMG Toastmasters club was formed in the year 2009. The club progressed well in the initial stages but recently started facing challenges in recruiting new members and conducting meetings on a weekly basis.

The sustainability of the club did not deter two enthusiastic participants, Sumit Dhadda and Trabelsi Wided, who finished third in the Toastmaster Area Contest – 2012.

This year, the contest took place again where the two members, Srilatha Godavarthi and Sumit Dhadda, won the first and third positions in the Area Contest held on 15 March 2013.

The first place winner in the evaluation contest, Srilatha Godavarthi, competed in the next level i.e. the division level, held on 26 April 2013, and won second place.

We take this opportunity to congratulate all the participants and the winners and urge all the staff to come forward and join the toastmaster movement to enrich their skills of public speaking. Further participation and presence from staff will revive the club.

To know more about KPMG Toastmasters club, drop in an email at BH-DL SSAC

Refer a Friend TODAY! Hiring the best talent is critical to achieving our strategy of a High Performance Culture within our practices and having an environment where our people make the difference to our clients, colleagues and communities in today’s complex world.

‘Refer a friend policy’ is a key tool we use to help attract external high performing candidate for our current vacancies. The list of current vacancies includes: Senior Consultants

MC

Qatar

Translator (Arabic-English)

Advisory

Qatar

Senior Associate/Associate

T&R

Qatar/Bahrain

Fresh Bahraini Graduate (Accounting/Finance)

OMB/Audit

Bahrain

Research Analyst/Associate Consultant

MC EDSA

Bahrain

Senior Manager (Insurance)

Audit

Bahrain

The referred can be friends, family, professional contacts or casual acquaintances - it doesn't matter how you know them. What's most important is that they have the qualities and experience to make a valuable contribution to KPMG. Please send suitably qualified CVs to bh-fmkpmghr@kpmg.com with the subject of the email stating the position applied for and the staff name/referrer. Please note that CVs will not be accepted by hand or any other avenue.

As per the KPMG referral policy, if the candidate commences employment with KPMG and successfully completes the probation period, the employee who referred the candidate will be eligible for a referral reward.

K-Pulse, September 2013, 18

Shukran & Landmark Awards This past quarter, KPMG had a joint celebration for Shukran award winners and the Landmark achievers.

Congratulations to our Shukran award winners:

Bahrain Mustafa Hasan Satheesh Sukumaran Gangadhar Rao Hessa Al Salaiti Naval Kaur Sumit Pandey Sayed Mohammed Al Majed Sawsan Dohrab Rajsekhar Dabburi Uttam Bhandari Sara Sabt Deena Habib Noor Al Baqqali

IT IT IT Cform OMB OMB Audit MC TR TR Audit MC MC

Qatar Priyanaka Jaiswal Thanuja Jaliyagodage Vishwanath Nemani Rukshan Hettiarachchi Paul El Boustani Gaurav Bhatia Altamash Nadkar

Tax Tax MC Audit TR MC Audit

Landmark occasions are celebrated where employees are recognized and receive an award for reaching a milestone. Congratulations!

Bahrain Ashish Saxena Mai Khalaf

5 years 5 years

Qatar Lamia El Shoura Vinay Mohan

19 K-Pulse, September 2013

5 years 5 years

Images of the office move in Bahrain Some memories of the old office

Fakhro Tower - our new location in Bahrain

KPMG alumni Keeping in touch with KPMG alumni, Mohamed Ihshan Abdeen What was your role in KPMG? “I joined as a senior executive in 2007 and left KPMG as an assistant manager in 2012.”

How did KPMG affect your career?

“Working for KPMG transformed me into a complete finance professional. I learnt quite a lot both in terms of technical knowledge as well as soft skills, especially dealing with people.”

What did you like most about KPMG? “During the time I was working for KPMG, it had a sense of belongingness associated to it. Everyone in office felt as if we are a part of one big family.”

Why did you leave?

“I had worked for KPMG for almost five years and I needed a change.”

Favorite partners?

“Gopal Balasubramaniam.”

What is your current location and job?

“I work as a senior analyst in the financial planning department for Maersk Oil Qatar AS.”

How is your social life in Qatar?

“I am very active in terms of hanging out with friends, mostly my former KPMG colleagues.”

Any tips you want to share with KPMG staff?

“Always make sure that you maintain a good work-life balance, be organized and always try to stick to office timings. Although it might be difficult sometimes, but try to find out how you can eliminate that “extra one hour” in office.”

Lastly, can you share a funny story?

“One of my former colleagues used to be a very good imitator and he used to imitate everyone in the office.

Once we were having some fun in the pantry and ended up imitating a fake conversation between Gopal and Khalid Ghazi .The only problem was we did not know that Gopal was standing right behind us and listening to us all the while. Thank God Gopal knows how to take a good joke.”

K-Pulse, September 2013, 22

Social news KPMG in Qatar organizes Suhoor for its staff KPMG’s SOCCOM team hosted a Suhoor evening at the Al Sharq hotel in Qatar on 27 July 2013 as part of the holy month of Ramadan.

Most of the staff attended the event along with their families.

The event included an international buffet and a singing band as live entertainment.

It was fun to get to know each other outside the office! Thank you SOCCOM team for organizing the Suhoor.

KPMG in Bahrain organizes Ghabga for its staff KPMG staff had a fun night at the Ramadan Ghabgha event which was held at the ‘Elements’ tent at the Regency Intercontinental Hotel – Bahrain on July 20th 2013.

With more than 200 staff attending, the place was buzzing, with the highlight of the evening being a show held by the ‘Egyptian Folklore dancers’ who performed some traditional Egyptian dances. The speed at which they were spinning around the tent was amazing.

Staff were treated to a sumptuous buffet which included all the Ramadan favorites as well as a “raffle” with a difference. Everyone was a winner, with each and every staff member in attendance leaving the event with a gift.

23 K-Pulse, September 2013

Happy hours initiative continues in Qatar Every last Thursday of a month, the advisory team in Qatar celebrates its happy hour. As a monthly custom, the secretaries order food and facilitate the event.

Firstly, they welcome new joiners to the company and each joiner would say a few words to the attendees.

Then, they celebrate the birthdays which happen to be in that month.

They then cut the cakes and share some food ordered after a long month of work, while playing some games such as charades and guess who.

This initiative has been successful, as it has helped improve the communication and the bonding of members of a team, because they not only come together on a project to be presented but in an informal way to get to know each other better.

KPMG Qatar goes bowling KPMG Qatar’s annual bowling tournament was held on 18 May 2013 at the Qatar Bowling Center in Doha. It was great to see most of the staff with their families.

The bowling tournament is the most sellout event in KPMG’s calendar of events for staff and their families and this year’s bowling competition was no different.

This year there were 16 teams playing and each consisted of four players. Of all the 16 teams who competed, ‘Pin Pushers’ got to be the winners of this year’s tournament. Team Pin Pushers included Syed Anas Ali, Nasir Khan, Deepak Jagtap and Natasha Vaz. Congratulations to the winners, to the runner ups and to all individual prize winners!

We thank the SOCCOM team for organizing such an event and we look forward for next year’s bowling tournament with hopefully even more teams participating!

Bowling tournament winners: Natasha Vaz, Nasir Khan, Deepak Jagtap and Syed Anas Ali K-Pulse, September 2013, 24

KPMG staff at the bowling tournament

KPMG in Bahrain organizes a breakfast for its staff KPMG in Bahrain’s audit team successfully organized a breakfast gathering on 22 August 22, which 80 staff members and partners attended.

The menu comprised homemade and traditional dishes as well as local and international cuisine dishes. Some of the dishes were prepared by the staff themselves and really tasted good.

Such gatherings and events add a lot of motivation and excitement to our work environment at KPMG. They improve staff bonding which will reflect positively on the teamwork spirit at KPMG.

25 K-Pulse, September 2013

Victoria Sharon Rebello, assistant manager, administration and Lamia El Shoura, executive, HR at the tournament

KPMG welcome new joiners Bahrain

Tibor Siska Senior Manager, Audit

Zainab Al Durazi Research Analyst, MC EDSA Tamkeen

Saeed Al Khenaizi Research Analyst, MC EDSA Tamkeen

Noor Bardestani Secretary, MC

Anish Mehta Manager, MC

Adnan Maqsood Senior Executive, OMB

Shakib Duste Assistant Manager, Audit

Duncan Mackay Director, MC

Shankar Hariharan Consultant, IT Advisory

Ehab Soliman Manager, Audit

Nader Riachy Deputy Manager, Audit

Khrizena Aya Secretary, Audit

Rahul Singh Senior Associate, Risk Consulting

Pranav Kulkarni Associate Consultant, MC

Qatar

Johnson Chiramel Consultant, MC K-Pulse, September 2013, 26

Happy Moments

Congratulations to Richard Kohinga on his new daughter Abbey Joy!

Congratulations to Omar Mahmood on his new daughter Faiza!

Congratulations to Waleed Trh on his new daughter Jana!

Congratulations to Anish Koshy on his new son Kris Jeremiah!

Congratulations to Mohd Jalal Fairooz on his new son Ali!

Congratulations to our newly weds Syed Muhammad Ali and Vijitha Warnasiri!

27 K-Pulse, September 2013

Community KPMG in Bahrain organizes a drive on Labor Day KPMG’s risk consulting department in Bahrain organized a philanthropic-drive on Labor Day. The corporate citizenship initiative was dedicated to celebrate the spirit of Labor Day and show gratitude to the hard working people of our society.

The department distributed boxes and bags with food, clothing, calling cards and cash around the office, in Manama. They managed to contribute to nearly 25 office boys, security guards and laborers, around Manama.

It was priceless to see them smile and it’s always worth the effort to help those in need!

K-Pulse, September 2013, 28

kpmg.com.bh

For further information Contact Marie-Joe Khachan Executive Markets KPMG in Qatar PO Box 4473 Tel: +974 4457 6430 mkhachan@kpmg.com

©2013 KPMG Fakhro, a Bahrain partnership registered with Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOIC), Kingdom of Bahrain and a member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”), a Swiss entity. All rights reserved. ©2013 KPMG, Qatar, registered with Ministry of Business and Trade, State of Qatar and a member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”), a Swiss entity. All rights reserved.

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