"Remember that technology transformation is a journey"

Meet Tanja Anakijoski, Technology Transformation Lead at KPMG's Gothenburg office. She leads the Technology Transformation team with a clear focus on growing and investing in the skills and capabilities of our people, as this is how we stay competitive in the market. These are her thoughts on technology transformation and how to make the journey successful.

What does technology transformation mean to you?

Tanja: Technology transformation means that we need to make a strategic and holistic effort to transform the technology aspects, processes, and systems in order to achieve specific business objectives. This involves a deliberate and multi-faceted approach aimed at leveraging technology for a variety of purposes, including gaining competitive advantage, driving innovation, improving operational efficiency and enhancing the overall customer experience.

Where do you feel you make the difference in your role?

Tanja: I see two things: As a leader I see the need to build strong and collaborative teams, technology transformation depends on it. Since we depend on the skills, knowledge and experiences of all the great people we have within KPMG, we need to foster a culture of continuous learning and promoting cross-functional collaboration. This promotes individual and team development and it strengthens our client focus. We should not forget that we are in a people business and ensuring team well-being and morale is close to my heart and a key success factor.

In my role as project manager as well as customer success manager, I always focus on customer-centricity. Transformation projects are often long commitments that provides us a long-term relationship with our clients. I believe that this is central, since satisfied customers are more likely to become proponents and advocate for our brand. While technology itself really is rather straight forward, the change that the transformation will bring is more challenging. This is where I come in together with my team: we have the experience and knowledge of both digital and business; our job is to bring it all together.

"I believe organizations should prioritize efforts that improve customer centricity, digital capabilities, innovation, agility and compliance."

Why would an organization choose to work with KPMG on tech-enabled transformation?

Tanja: KPMG is one of the "Big Four" professional services firms known for its expertise in providing a wide range of services, including technology consulting and transformation. Organizations often choose to work with KPMG on tech-enabled transformation due to the firm's extensive expertise, global reach, technology partnerships, and comprehensive approach to addressing both technical and strategic aspects of transformation. KPMG's capabilities can help organizations successfully navigate the complexities of modernizing their operations and leveraging technology for growth and efficiency.

What difference does KPMG make for the individual, businesses, and our society?

Tanja: I believe that KPMG plays a significant role in making a difference for individuals, businesses, and society through our wide range of services and activities.

From an individual perspective, I would say that KPMG offers career opportunities to a wide range of people. These opportunities allow individuals to develop their skills, gain valuable experience and progress their careers. KPMG also promotes diversity and inclusion in the workplace: it is very important for me and others to work in an environment where people from different backgrounds can thrive.

From a business perspective KPMG offers a wide range of consulting and advisory, audit and assurance, tax, and risk management services. Combining all these areas and skills is where we make the difference and can offer our clients a cross-functional team working side by side with each other and our clients to solve problems. Businesses can leverage these services to enhance their performance, competitiveness, and growth prospects.

Finally, KPMG is deeply committed to identifying what we can and should do to meet our responsibility to help shape a better future by doing what we do best - solving problems to create lasting, meaningful change. Our commitment is documented in our Impact Plan, which is our roadmap for getting there.

KPMG plays a multifaceted role in creating value for a wide range of stakeholders. For example, we have partnered with Mentor Sweden to contribute to their work in empowering young people and strengthening their belief in the future.

What advice would you offer clients or colleagues embarking on a new tech transformation project?

Tanja: There's a lot of advice I could give, but if I had to pick one, it would be to remember that technology transformation is a journey and it's important to stay committed to the long-term success of the project.

Regarding transformation, what do you believe organizations should prioritize and emphasize more, and where should they consider reducing their efforts?

Tanja: I believe organizations should prioritize efforts that improve customer centricity, digital capabilities, innovation, agility and compliance. At the same time, they should consider reducing efforts in areas that are low impact, overly complex, or no longer aligned with strategic objectives.

The key is to maintain a balanced and strategic approach to resource allocation throughout the transformation journey. They should also regularly review and adjust priorities to adapt to changing market conditions and organizational needs.