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KPMG Acuity continues its expansion with three new hires

KPMG Acuity, the firm’s new insights and marketing research practice, has appointed WPP’s Nick Deverson as director.

The hires come following KMPG’s acquisition of North Sydney-based Acuity Research and Insights back in June.

Deverson joins the team from WPP research firm AMR Interactive, where he was head of commercial, Sydney.

Deverson said: “Having spent the better part of the last decade working in agencies, I’m looking forward to the fresh approach at KPMG Acuity, focused on delivering research that translates into tangible business results for clients.”

Joining Deverson are Mike Stokes and Alanna Beracochea. Stokes has been hired as manager, joining the firm from Nielsen UK. Beracochea commences as consultant.

Amanda Hicks, founder of Acuity and now partner at KPMG Acuity, said: “Nick [Deverson] is at the top of his game, and brings an exceptional mix of research expertise and research agency management skills to the table. His many years of experience in uncovering insight, and communicating in a language that can shape business strategy, will be invaluable to KPMG Acuity as we embark upon an ambitious growth plan.”

Hicks also said the combined business was gaining traction in the market.

“Businesses are realising that now more than ever before they have to ‘go deep’ in understanding their customer in order to be competitive,” said Hicks. “This is driving an increased demand for trusted, actionable insights that can help fuel business innovation, strategy and ultimately, growth.

“Since joining KPMG we’ve seen significant market interest in our offerings, especially now we can partner with KPMG’s customer experience, analytics, and marketing innovation to provide more comprehensive insights and solutions. We’re having the biggest half-year in Acuity’s history, and all the signals lead us to expect this trend to continue,” she added.

The trio join ex-Google staffer Lisa Bora, who joined the team in July.

Bora: Recently joined KPMG

 

KPMG isn’t the only consultancy which has been focussing its attentions on acquiring creative, marketing and advertising agencies.

In May, award-winning creative agency The Monkeys was acquired by Accenture for $63m. Within the space of a month, The Works was acquired by digital services consultancy RXP Services and PwC took a minority stake in creative agency Thinkerbell.

Last month, Deloitte poached four McCann staffers, who joined Deloitte Digital to launch its new brand creative and media offering.

Ernst and Young is the last of the ‘big four’ to resist expanding in the creative space, with speculation that the ‘fear of missing out’ will eventually prove too difficult to resist.

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