KPMG makes leadership appointments in Australia and beyond

Professional services firm KPMG has made a number of fresh senior promotions across its Australian and international practices.

Melbourne-based partner Toni Jones has been appointed as corporates industry leader, Nadia Ponsonby as the firm’s new ASPAC head of operational transformation, Ashleigh Moane as COO for clients & markets, and Geri McMahon as global ESG leader for Asset Management.

Meanwhile, James Hunter has departed for London to serve as the new head of investments & growth for KPMG’s international business, while Peter Li has returned to the firm as a partner in its consulting division.

Melbourne-based partner Toni Jones has been appointed to oversee the go-to-market strategy, business development and sales enablement functions for KPMG’s Corporates practice, with a focus on the consumer, retail, industrials, telco and tech sectors. Jones joined KPMG from BDO’s partnership in 2013, having previously spent time at Arthur Andersen Business Consulting in Australia and the United Kingdom.

After recently hitting the one-decade milestone at KPMG in Sydney, Ashleigh Moane will take on the clients & markets chief operations officer role out of Melbourne.

Moane has been with KPMG since 2013, and has steadily worked her way up since, most recently serving as a director of strategy & enablement. Posting to LinkedIn, she said she looked forward to leveraging the growth opportunities that lie ahead.

Based out of Sydney, Nadia Ponsonby has been appointed as head of operational transformation for KPMG’s ASPAC region, the promotion also coinciding with her upcoming one-decade anniversary at the firm.

First joining from Deloitte in 2014, after three and a half years as a director of off-shoring and business operations, Ponsonby said she was now looking forward to collaborating with her peers across the region to enhance the firm’s ways of working.

Having joined KPMG in Sydney as a climate change & sustainability partner less than a year ago – before being appointed as national asset & wealth management practice ESG leader in March – Geri McMahon now steps up to the same role at the global level.

Prior to crossing, McMahon spent half a decade as a partner at Aon in the UK, after originally kick-starting her career as a financial services assurance associate at PwC Australia.

After more than a decade and a half at KPMG in Sydney, including as a member of the national executive team, James Hunter has departed for London as KPMG International’s new head of investments and growth.

A former vice president of consulting at Capgemini, Hunter first joined KPMG in 2007 before going on to hold a number of senior national roles; among them, managing partner for markets & growth and consulting practice leader.

“Over the past 17 years at KPMG Australia I have worked with some exceptionally talented people,” Hunter stated in announcing his departure. “Some of my proudest memories have included helping the transition of new joiners, working in our firm’s disability board, and being a Bird Walton program sponsor which champions gender diversity in leadership. I truly believe KPMG is at its best when we’re working together and collaborating globally.”

In addition to the senior internal promotions, Peter Li has returned to the firm as a strategy & digital transformation partner in Melbourne after spending the five past years as a partner at Deloitte.

A University of Derby graduate, Li originally joined the local firm for a four-year spell following stints at Accenture and Newpoint Consulting in the UK, before then serving as a director for seven and a half years with the Australian branch of Accenture.

Li expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome ‘home’ in a post to LinkedIn; “I am delighted to announce that I have returned to KPMG Australia. I will be joining the team in Powered Customer Platforms to lead the national Microsoft Customer Engagement practice. I am excited to be working with an amazing and talented team across KPMG & Microsoft and look forward to our partnership and collaboration to unlock sustainable growth.”