In Spain, sourcing talent has become more challenging in recent years. What changes would you like to see within the business community to attract the kind of profiles we need?

There’s no question that we have a mismatch between the training our young people ae offered, the skills and competencies we typically find in the market and what companies really need. It’s up to all of us to close that gap.  First and foremost, we need more support for public-private partnerships; it’s essential to bring the world of business to the classroom, to see that students are taught the skills to succeed in a fast-moving business environment. Aspects like professional autonomy, continuous professional development, intellectual curiosity and ambition, leadership and familiarity with technology and digital tools should be a core part of young people’s education. Meanwhile, companies are embracing our role in this collective challenge, by helping the next generation adapt and grow into their full potential.

How do you see the workplace contributing to talent development and the drive for productivity?

If we want to stimulate productivity, creativity and talent, offices are a key part of the equation. Hybrid work patterns, like those we offer at KPMG, have become a vehicle for forging strong, positive relationships between colleagues, and for passing on the benefits of knowledge and experience, which enriches people both personally and professionally. Workspaces have changed as a result, with a greater focus on facilitating collaboration, interaction, learning and discussion. Our experience shows that the workplace upholds the link between individual and firm, and strengthens bonds within teams. This is where the diversity represented in the organisation — of profiles, nationalities, ages and genders — really comes into its own, and where we see all the value it brings.

Looking beyond our own borders, a handful of European countries seem to do especially well when it comes to attracting and retaining talent. According to the 2023 Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI), these include Switzerland, the Netherlands and the Scandinavian states. KPMG has offices in 143 countries. Does the team in Spain take an active interest in what other neighbouring offices are doing? Have you found any significant differences that could be adopted and made to work here in Spain?

As a professional services firm with a presence in 143 countries, we are constantly sharing experience and best practices, both in terms of the work we do and how we manage our teams. Every one of our offices has something to teach us about remote working, volunteering, diversity, training, attracting and retaining talent, etc., and here in Spain we try to share the initiatives and projects we’re proudest of with our community of international colleagues. Some of them have been taken up in other countries — ‘Learning Days’, for example, when we bring more than 500 people together in one venue for a day of cross-disciplinary learning, or ‘Onboarding Days’, which are all about welcoming new starters face to face.

Over the last few years, KPMG has put a lot of work into talent management, introducing the Nodo Talento project, for example. Would you say that workspaces can be a useful tool in this respect? In your opinion, what are the benefits of investing in a healthier office environment? Is the financial outlay worth it?

At KPMG, we believe that offices add a lot of value and make a real difference to our teams’ well-being. As we were saying, the office is a space for exchanging knowledge and ideas, building positive relationships, promoting diversity, acquiring skills and experience and sparking new ideas. We have 19 offices across Spain, all in easily accessible locations with meeting rooms, auditoriums, event spaces, cafeterias and sensory rooms that use technology to promote interaction.  KPMG employees have a range of spaces and tools available to them to support their learning and development, and that also attracts new talent. A good example is our technology hub, One Tech, which offers expert guidance on new technologies and digitalisation.

On the theme of talent management, something else that often comes up is how different generations relate to one another within a team or office. As KPMG has emphasised more than once, multigenerational offices are “the norm in Spanish companies”, highlighting the need to think carefully about how differences are approached. How can workplaces encourage and strengthen that diversity, while still meeting the needs of each specific group? What would you suggest are the keys to managing a diverse talent base?

In a firm of over 6,200 people, diversity in terms of career profiles, ages, nationalities, etc. is not only par for the course — it’s an asset that we actively cultivate and support. Every day, we see how diversity enriches all members of a team, creating synergies and learning opportunities that lead to new ideas and solutions to the challenges that arise in every project. Thinking about age in particular, we have four generations that work together in a balanced and complementary way, each bringing its own strengths to the table. Every generation tends to offer a certain set of skills, although there is always diversity at the individual level as well. Some of our employees are more experienced and more methodical in their work, while others bring an energy and hunger. For a diverse team, the benefits are not just cumulative, but compounded.

Digitalisation and flexibility are the buzz words of the times: two — closely related — “non-negotiables” of the new normality. In your view, how does this square with the workplace as a physical environment? KPMG has been operating in this mode for some time — what has that experience been like? What would you say the main benefits have been, and what’s on the to-do list for the future?

As we were discussing, in light of KPMG’s business model, the type of services we provide and what we believe is in the best interests of our team, we have chosen to adopt a hybrid working model. The idea is to get the best of both worlds: the collaborative ethos and mutual enrichment of an office environment, and the flexibility and deeper focus that remote working serves.

Of course, our offices need to adapt to this new reality by pursuing innovation and providing more support for effective teamwork. In our case, the benefits are clear for all to see: we see it in our talent retention metrics, team performance and the speed with which our projects move forward.

Finally, we’d like to hear your thoughts on the all-important question of sustainability. Companies have a vital role to play in moving towards a more sustainable economy. What is your roadmap for the future, and what are your goals in the short, medium and long term?

As a professional services provider with a business model based on helping clients take advantage of the opportunities around them, tackle challenges and navigate change, we look at sustainability from two angles.

We have a solid roadmap, a coordinated impact plan for the global business, focused on four key areas: good governance, people, planet and prosperity. Among other things, we have pledged to make the climate a factor in decision-making, quantify our carbon emissions, improve our environmental performance and take action on responsible consumption. Our goal is to become a carbon-neutral company by 2030.

This commitment is reflected in how we design our offices, using materials that are sustainable from a lifecycle perspective and avoiding those known to cause problems in the environment.