Head of KPE Access & London Ecosystem Lead

Business Area: Corporate Affairs & Marketing

Contract type: Permanent

Location: UK-wide (with a primary focus on the London ecosystem and national leadership for Access). Minimum 3 days in CSQ or other London location per week.

Reports to: Head of Emerging Giants

Role Overview: Emerging Giants KPMG Private Enterprise is one of the firm’s global strategic priorities. The key focus areas include Family Business, Family Office and Emerging Giants. From early stage funding advice to planning an exit, KPMG Private Enterprise (KPE) teams support privately owned businesses with their growth agendas throughout the UK. Our multidisciplinary KPMG Private Enterprise teams are working across the country to support privately‑owned business to grow and help them to make well‑informed choices to drive value and deliver outstanding results with confidence. KPMG has an established Emerging Giants team nationally and globally. The Emerging Giants practice brings focus to the fastest growing, most ambitious and high‑potential businesses who need a different type of support – different types of services delivered differently, whether that be access to knowledge and insight, access to talent, access to customers and new markets or preparing to access funding and investment.

As a Senior Manager in the Emerging Giants team, you will assume a dual leadership role:

• You will serve as the Head of KPE Access, leading the strategic direction, growth, and end‑to‑end delivery of KPMG’s flagship programme supporting high‑growth founders seeking Series A Funding.
• You will act as a Senior Manager driving regional activity within the London ecosystem, leading key market initiatives, cultivating senior‑level relationships, and ensuring KPMG is the trusted advisor for high‑potential businesses and founders in one of the world's leading startup hubs.

This role demands a proactive, commercially astute, and experienced professional capable of translating strategic objectives into actionable plans, leading complex programme execution, and fostering collaboration across internal and external stakeholders to achieve significant growth targets.

Key Responsibilities:

Part 1: Head of KPE Access

• Strategic Vision & Programme Growth: Set and deliver the vision, strategy, and annual plan for the KPE Access programme, ensuring direct alignment with KPMG’s overarching growth priorities in the scale‑up and Emerging Giants market. Lead and inspire cohort managers to ensure seamless, end‑to‑end programme delivery across multiple annual cohorts (e.g., 3 cohorts annually, supporting up to 15 founders each), maintaining an exceptional founder experience and strong internal coordination across KPMG teams and capabilities (e.g., Acceleris, Tax, Legal, Deal Advisory).
• Drive the growth of the Access brand as a market‑leading platform, strengthening KPMG’s presence and influence with founders, investors, and key ecosystem partners.
• Act as a leading ambassador for KPE Access in the market, building high‑impact relationships with founders, investors, ecosystem partners, government bodies, and industry influencers nationally.
• Lead and inspire a multi‑disciplinary network of internal stakeholders, from partners to junior team members, to deliver the Access programme consistently and at scale.
• Commercial Outcomes & Future Development: Drive origination and commercial outcomes by effectively converting programme engagement into a robust pipeline, qualified leads, and long‑term client relationships for KPMG across various service lines. Develop and explore next stages for the Access programme, including establishing a sustainable alumni network and a commercialisation strategy, creating a scalable model that extends the value of Access beyond the core programme. Own performance measurement, reporting, budget oversight, governance, and risk management for the Access programme, utilising data and insights to continuously improve programme effectiveness and demonstrate ROI.

Part 2: London Ecosystem & Regional Market Leadership

• Strategic Market Development & Client Engagement (London): Lead and champion KPMG’s presence within the London entrepreneurial ecosystem, driving specific market initiatives and collaborating across local and national teams to strategically connect London‑based high‑growth businesses with KPMG's relevant capabilities. Develop and execute robust client acquisition plans specifically for the London market, leading the management and development of strategic target client lists, and driving progress against agreed‑upon regional business development goals. Initiate, develop, and foster influential senior‑level connections with key target clients and prospects in London where KPMG has no existing relationship, building rapport with C‑suite and senior management. Represent KPMG at key external industry events, networking forums, and thought leadership platforms within London, actively identifying strategic opportunities, and ensuring diligent follow‑up. Drive effective CRM management to track engagement and inform future strategic approaches for the region.
• Senior Relationship & Alliance Management (London): Lead and manage strategic alliances with critical aligned organisations and incubators/accelerators within London, driving collaborative initiatives and delivering tangible value to the local entrepreneurial community. Lead the development and deepening of senior‑level relationships with key target businesses within the London entrepreneurial community, working in close collaboration with London‑based Office Senior Partners. This involves guiding strategic account planning, providing expert advisory to businesses on their growth ambitions, and ensuring seamless referral and integration of specialist KPMG support.
• High‑Impact Event Management & Execution (London): Lead the strategic planning and execution of KPMG's high‑impact events specifically for the London ecosystem, including internal thought leadership sessions, targeted business growth workshops, and C‑suite networking opportunities. Ensure events deliver significant ROI, enhance brand perception, and contribute to lead generation within the region. Strategically plan, execute, and evaluate client relationship events in London, ensuring alignment with firm‑wide client relationship management goals and driving measurable returns through deepened client loyalty and the generation of new business opportunities.
• Market Intelligence & Thought Leadership Contribution (London): Contribute significantly to KPMG's thought leadership on the London scale‑up economy and entrepreneurial trends, leveraging deep market expertise to inform KPMG's regional market positioning and service offerings. Lead and conduct proprietary research into London market dynamics, funding landscapes, and ecosystem development, translating strategic insights into actionable regional initiatives.
• Internal Collaboration & Team Development: Champion cross‑functional strategic collaboration within KPMG, leading and mentoring teams to establish best practices, foster knowledge sharing, and drive coordinated client strategies relevant to the London market. Mentor and develop junior and mid‑level talent within the Markets team, fostering a high‑performance culture and contributing to the growth of future leaders.

Candidate Profile:

• Strategic & Programme Leadership: Experience in setting strategic direction and leading complex, multi‑stakeholder programmes from vision through to delivery, with the ability to manage and inspire other team members/cohort managers.
• Market Development & Business Acumen: Demonstrated success in developing markets, building external partnerships, managing senior internal relationships, and translating market engagement into measurable business outcomes and pipeline generation.
• Founder & Ecosystem Expertise: Deep understanding and an extensive network within the entrepreneurial, startup, and scale‑up communities, particularly within the London ecosystem.
• Commercial Drive: Strong ability to identify and convert opportunities, manage budgets, and drive revenue growth for the firm.
• Exceptional Communication & Influence: Highly articulate with superior communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship‑building skills, confident in engaging and influencing C‑suite executives, key partners, and diverse internal teams.
• Proactive & Hands‑on: A self‑starter with a proactive, hands‑on approach, motivated by creating distinctive platforms that support ambitious businesses while driving sustainable growth for KPMG.
• Adaptability & Collaboration: Highly collaborative, confident operating across senior internal and external audiences, thrives in dynamic environments, and adept at fostering continuous innovation.

Success in Role:

• The strategic quality and demonstrable impact of KPE Access programme delivery, including growth in founder and stakeholder engagement, and the development of the Access brand nationally.
• The strength of pipeline and opportunities to firm contribution generated from both KPE Access and London regional market activities.
• The successful creation and implementation of a sustainable Access alumni and commercialisation model.
• Measurable growth in KPMG’s market presence, relationships, and commercial outcomes within the London entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• Effective leadership and development of internal teams and a collaborative network of stakeholders.