KPMG Ignition Tokyo is a promotional facility providing guidance on actions to be taken in achieving digital transformation.

※The names of each facility are as of the publication of this article. Please see “Introduction of KPMG Ignition Tokyo’s Facilities and Functions.”

The terms disruption, innovation, agility and transformation are very common when we talk about today’s business. We can say that these terms reflect the current times. There is often a gap between those who talk about these terms and those who practice them. KPMG Ignition Tokyo was established for KPMG to be on the side of practicing these technological concepts and become a driving force of digital transformation. KPMG Ignition Tokyo has two aims; one is to transform KPMG Japan itself, and the other is to assist our clients’ transformation. When we speak to our clients with regards to their digital journey, we can not only provide expert knowledge but also share our opinions based on what we are also experiencing. This uniqueness and strength make us different in the market.

The activities for establishing KPMG Ignition Tokyo started two years ago, when we decided to go beyond the existing professional and digital transformation industry through developing solid practical capacities, unique skills and tools.

With the aim to acquire new talent and skills, and become a new model as a professional firm, we came up with three elements composed of the Technology Center, Innovation Lab, and Insights Center, and by placing them next to each other, established a facility to achieve our purpose mentioned above. No matter whom we work with, whether it is with our clients or with members of the KPMG practice, what is important for our operation is to collaborate and make creations together to achieve a common goal.

The Technology Center is a R＆D base where members who develop solutions using cutting-edge technologies in KPMG Japan gather together. We designed our office based on the concept of promoting collaboration and intensive work and promote the integration between KPMG business knowledge and talents of young people. Specialists such as data scientists, data engineers, blockchain engineers and architects work closely in KPMG Ignition Tokyo to provide new KPMG services.

The Innovation Lab is a creative discussion space for sparking open innovation, providing stimulation for new ideas for our clients, and promoting discussions on innovative business models using the design thinking methodology. Specifically, discussions in the form of a workshop are held based on domestic and international examples in regard to the discussion points of how business models and organizations/structures/governance/risk management structures/HR/corporate cultures/processes/infrastructure supporting the business models should be in the digital era. Through various brainstorming and dialogue, we draw an overall picture of what is necessary for Japanese entities to realize digital transformation.

The “Insights Center”, a digital showcase located next to the Innovation Lab, brings together the knowledge of both KPMG global and Japan, and provides opportunities to experience what can be achieved in the future when digital transformation is realized. In an environment where collaboration between related parties assisting the eco system is promoted, the center provides a visualization of interactive data which could not be experienced before based on data analytics utilizing benchmark data of clients and industries, and assesses strategic scenarios based on the data in real time.

Specifically, with cutting-edge technologies such as data analytics, AI, blockchain, RPA, and IoT, we share information related to digital transformation and other trial examples （Proof of Concept – PoC） and discuss the best solutions for Japanese clients.

The advancement of technology including blockchain and AI, which has recently attracted considerable attention, has significantly changed the way we obtain, save, send/receive and share data. Furthermore, it has had a huge impact on society and businesses, such as changes in customers, working styles and even in values. As KPMG believes in the necessity of our own transformation, we are committed to responding to social changes including acquiring advisory specialists in cutting-edge technologies and providing training to them, constructing analysis techniques capable of reflecting mass data that can be applied to decision making by management, and developing audit techniques that address the expanding data supply chain.

“KPMG Ignition Tokyo” supports our own transformation through the Technology Center, Innovation Lab and Insights Center introduced above. Through the experience of our own transformation, we provide knowledge to our clients for solving the problems they face in constructing their organizational structure, obtaining digital experts and nurturing them, and achieving digital transformation. We do not simply provide an advisory service regarding technology, but a unique service that incorporates the knowledge of our experts whom we have fostered in our audit, tax and advisory services.

We will post an article discussing current management issues of Japanese entities and their digital transformation, along with the explanation of trends of various technologies including blockchain, data analysis and the audit of virtual currency and KPMG Japan’s response to them.

KPMG Ignition Tokyo