Leading Digital Transformation at KPMG with Trusted AI

AI Luminaries Series-Kelle Fontenot

As the Chief Digital Officer at KPMG, I am responsible for executing the firm's digital strategy and ensuring that we support our business objectives effectively. My team oversees everything from technology to data, focusing on making sure our client service professionals have the tools they need to perform at their best every day. At KPMG, we take great pride in being a trusted advisor, in delivering Audit, Tax, and Advisory services, and standing shoulder to shoulder with our clients as they navigate their own business challenges.

Generative AI: Transforming the Future of KPMG

One of the most exciting yet challenging areas we are focusing on is the integration of generative AI. An integral piece of our AI strategy is our Trusted AI framework, a human-centric, values-led, and trustworthy approach that emphasizes our commitment to using AI responsibly and ethically. Generative AI has the potential to completely reshape how we deliver services. Whether in Audit or Tax, industries steeped in regulation, AI enables us to reimagine product delivery and client engagement in unprecedented, but trusted ways.

While AI has been around for years, the generative aspect is fairly new, and it is evolving so quickly that decisions made a year ago are already outdated. Staying current with technology trends and understanding where vendors are going is one of my biggest challenges as Chief Digital Officer. Yet, this rapid evolution is also what makes this era exciting. AI has the potential to transform our industry in the same way the internet did in the 1990s.

The importance of leadership and shifting the culture at KPMG

One of the challenges we’ve faced is changing KPMG’s process-driven, methodology-based culture. For years, we’ve operated with well-established methodologies in audit, tax, and Advisory services. Now, we are positioned to rethink everything—from where we work to how we use technology and data to deliver services. This cultural transformation is happening not just at KPMG but also among our clients, making it a pivotal moment for every industry.

Our leadership team recognized the need for this shift early on and made significant investments in AI and digital innovation. A dedicated AI and Digital Innovation leadership role was created to provide the visionary perspective to drive change, build new solutions, and disrupt the way we do business. Our leadership team has lately been engaged in conversations about ‘the art of the possible’ with emphasis of making sure that a culture of expectation and engagement is infused from the top and able to ripple through every level of the organization. The firm’s leadership support, coupled with a genuine desire from our people to learn and adopt new tools, has been key to navigating this transformation. We also know that we don’t have all the answers, and that’s okay. After all, when it comes to AI, having a human in the loop is still critical to ensure success.

Partnership with Microsoft: A Catalyst for Digital Transformation

For the past five years, we’ve been on a journey to drive down costs, increase efficiency, and globalize our business. Partnering with Microsoft to adopt tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot and GitHub Copilot expedited the process of redesigning our work to meet these goals. Being early adopters of these technologies has not only benefited us internally but also allowed us to help our clients embrace these changes. As one of the first firms to join the private preview of Microsoft 365 Copilot, we’ve been deliberate and intentional in how we test and adopt these tools. Since then, KMPG has adopted several other Copilot capabilities and continue joining forces with Microsoft throughout the journey.

Adopting AI is unlike any other new technology. Rather than approaching AI in terms of individual use cases, we’ve embraced a full immersion, surrounding our 42,000 people with AI tools and fostering conversations about how they can change the way they work. Through initiatives like "Flight School" for Microsoft 365 Copilot and various learning sessions, we’re making AI as accessible as possible, training our employees to think differently about their jobs, and ensuring that everyone can leverage these tools in ways that make sense for them.

AI and productivity: measuring success

The adoption of AI tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot and GitHub Copilot have transformed productivity at KPMG. Our people are using these tools to work more efficiently, prioritize tasks, and innovate in ways they never could before. While we’re still refining how we measure productivity gains, one of the clearest indicators of success is the way our people feel about their work. AI is not just about speeding up processes; it’s about enabling our employees to find more satisfaction in the work they do. Everybody becomes an innovator; everybody becomes a learner—we’re putting the responsibility and the ability to transform into the hands of every KPMG employee.

We’re already seeing AI provide a competitive advantage by shortening delivery times, improving data analysis, and transforming client relationships. The ability to engage in deeper, more insightful conversations with clients about their own digital transformation journeys is a game-changer.

The future of AI at KPMG: Security and embracing the unknown

While we have fully embraced the challenge of transforming every aspect of our work with AI, we remain laser-focused on security. Protecting our clients' data, the firm’s information, and our employees' privacy is non-negotiable. At times, this commitment to security may appear to slow us down, but it certainly doesn’t stop us from moving forward. We believe that maintaining trust is the cornerstone of our AI strategy, and balancing nimbleness with security is critical to our long-term success.

Looking ahead, I am incredibly excited about the potential for AI to revolutionize how we deliver services to our clients. AI is forcing us to challenge not just how we do our work but what work we should be doing. It’s an exhilarating yet intimidating time because we don’t fully know where this technology will take us.

AI insights for other leaders

To other leaders embarking on the AI journey, I offer this advice: embrace change, don’t be afraid to push boundaries, and challenge your teams to do the same. Support from the highest levels of leadership is essential, but so is a commitment to your core values. Stay true to who you are as an organization while pushing yourself and your people to innovate and grow.

This is a time of major transformation, and those who are willing to learn, adapt, and lead with courage will be the ones who succeed. At KPMG, we’re ready for the future, even if we don’t yet know exactly what it will look like.

Watch the video to learn more. 

Kelle Fontenot oversees more than 1,600 global professionals and is responsible for developing and executing the firm’s digital and data strategy, driving the digcopital transformation roadmap, and influencing the global technology agenda.

Kelle leads a team that ensures the successful implementation and adoption of innovative technology and tools. Kelle and her team led the development of an internal, proprietary ChatGPT tool called KPMG GenAI, which is helping KPMG professionals put the firm in a market-leading position in the adoption and use of generative AI. Their work greatly improves the firm’s digital adoption and enablement and enhances the employee experience.

Kelle was admitted to KPMG’s partnership in 2010 as an Advisory Principal. During her time in Advisory, Kelle successfully delivered large-scale transformation projects for several complex clients by providing key insights, recommendations, and associated change management efforts to executive teams. In late 2023, in recognition of her significant contributions, Kelle was named the firm’s first ever Chief Digital Officer. She was given the responsibility to drive and accelerate the buildout of the firm’s digital capabilities and oversees an organization dedicated to bringing data and technology closer together.