BrazilKPMG Bahrain to mark 50th anniversary with visit from global chair Bill Thomas
KPMG Global Chairman Bill Thomas will make his first visit to Bahrain next month for the firm’s Middle East & South Asia Partners Conference – which will be hosted by KPMG’s Bahrain office to mark its 50th anniversary.
Taking over the global chair of KPMG late last year following the completion of his predecessor John Veihmeyer’s four-year term, Bill Thomas will for the first time visit Bahrain next month to attend KPMG’s Middle East & South Asia (MESA) Partners Conference, to be held in Bahrain on the 7th and 8th of November. The event will also feature a public reception on the 6th to mark the Bahrain branch of KPMG’s 50th year in business.
The Toronto-based Thomas, who has been with KPMG for nearly thirty years and has previously served as the firm’s CEO for Canada and Chairman of its Americas division, said of the upcoming visit; “I am excited to be traveling to Bahrain in November to celebrate this occasion, and look forward to the chance to meet clients and colleagues in one of the world’s most dynamic economies.”
The KPMG MESA partners’ conference is expected to bring together more than 100 KPMG partners from 20 countries, with the KPMG MESA division including the Big Four firm’s operations in the GCC, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Yemen together with Pakistan, Sri Lanka Bangladesh and the Maldives. Altogether, the region features some 6,500 KPMG professionals and associates working across 30 office locations.
The Bahrain office of KPMG – founded in 1968 by university friends Jassim M. Fakhro and Hussain Kasim as Fakhro Establishment for Accounting and Auditing – was according to the firm, the first national accounting and auditing entity established in the country. Today the branch boasts over 380 professionals and partners (with a concerted effort to develop local talent), led by Managing Partner Jamal Fakhro – who has been a partner since 1982.
“My heartiest congratulations to Jamal Fakhro and the KPMG in Bahrain Partners and their teams on this 50th anniversary milestone,” Thomas said of the milestone. “KPMG in Bahrain has a lot to be proud of, including the fantastic reputation they have established in the region and the trust they have earned of both clients and community members in their marketplace.
Fakhro responded; “I am extremely pleased for our firm to be the host for this year’s MESA Partners’ Conference in conjunction with our celebrations to mark our presence in the Kingdom of Bahrain for half a century... I believe the two-day event will be the ideal platform to discuss innovative approaches to continue to drive growth for our clients, in the light of significant technological advancements and disruption in the marketplace.”
