- published: 10 Aug 2012
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- author: KPMGinSingapore
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Amstelveen
Amstelveen (help·info) is a suburban municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is part of the metropolitan area of Amsterdam. The municipality of Amstelveen consists of the following villages and/or districts: Amstelveen, Bovenkerk, Westwijk, Bankras-Kostverloren, Groenelaan, Waardhuizen, Randwijk, Elsrijk, Keizer Karelpark, Nes aan de Amstel, Ouderkerk aan de Amstel (partly). The name Amstelveen comes from 'Amstel', a local river, and 'veen', meaning fen, peat, or moor.
KLM has its headquarters in Amstelveen. In addition Amstelveen has the international headquarters of one of the Big Four auditors, KPMG.[citation needed]
During the French occupation between 1810 and 1814, it was the capital of a canton in the French department Zuyderzée, and until 1964 the municipality of Amstelveen was called Nieuwer-Amstel. It is 'technically a large dorp (village), because it was never walled. The symbol adopted for Amstelveen was based on the Amsterdam symbol of three crosses, with one additional cross for distinction. The Thijssepark (in full the Dr Jac. P. Thijssepark), was the first heempark in the Netherlands and is one of sixteen heemparks or heemgroen in Amstelveen. Designed by landscape architect C.P.Broerse; following the ideas of the great Dutch naturalist and conservationist Jac. P. Thijsse, it was developed between 1940 and 1972 and covers an area of 5 hectares, and is situated just south of the Amsterdamse Bos. Amstelveen was chosen as an unlikely host of a match in the 1999 Cricket World Cup, for which the Netherlands had not qualified. South Africa played Kenya in the match. Former Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende started his political career as member of the council for Amstelveen. As a result of the vicinity of Schiphol (Amsterdam Airport), and its links to Amsterdam, Amstelveen has grown and become a cosmopolitan mix of many cultures living in Amstelveen.
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Amsterdam
Amsterdam (English /ˈæmstərdæm/; Dutch: [ˌɑmstərˈdɑm] (
listen)) is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The city's status as the capital of the nation is governed by the constitution. Amsterdam has a population of 790,654 within city limits, an urban population of 1,209,419 and a metropolitan population of 2,289,762. The city is located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country. It comprises the northern part of the Randstad, one of the larger conurbations in Europe, with a population of approximately 7 million.
Amsterdam's name is derived from Amstelredamme, indicative of the city's origin: a dam in the river Amstel. Settled as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age, a result of its innovative developments in trade. During that time, the city was the leading center for finance and diamonds. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded, and many new neighborhoods and suburbs were formed. The 17th-century canals of Amsterdam (in Dutch: 'Grachtengordel'), located in the heart of Amsterdam, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2010.
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Armenia
Armenia
i/ɑrˈmiːniə/ (Armenian: Հայաստան Hayastan [hɑjɑsˈtɑn]), officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն, Hayastani Hanrapetut’yun, [hɑjɑstɑˈni hɑnɾɑpɛtuˈtʰjun]), is a landlocked, mountainous country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, the de facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the south.
A former republic of the Soviet Union, Armenia is a unitary, multiparty, democratic nation-state with an ancient and historic cultural heritage. The Kingdom of Armenia became the first state in the world to adopt Christianity as its religion, in the early years of the 4th century (the traditional date is 301 AD). The modern Republic of Armenia recognizes the Armenian Apostolic Church, the world's oldest national church, as the country's primary religious establishment. Armenians have their own unique alphabet invented by Mesrob Mashtots in 406 AD.
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Australia
Australia ( /əˈstreɪljə/), officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent as well as the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area. Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north; the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east.
For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who belonged to one or more of roughly 250 language groups. After discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain in 1770 and settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing Crown Colonies were established.
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Beijing
Beijing ( /beɪˈdʒɪŋ/; Chinese: 北京; pinyin: Běijīng, [peɪ˨˩ t͡ɕiŋ˥]), formerly romanized as Peking ( /piːˈkɪŋ/ or /peɪˈkɪŋ/), is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The metropolis, located in northern China, is governed as a direct-controlled municipality under the national government, with 14 urban and suburban districts and two rural counties. Beijing Municipality is surrounded by Hebei Province with the exception of neighboring Tianjin Municipality to the southeast.
Beijing is China's second largest city by urban population after Shanghai and is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's largest state-owned companies. Beijing is a major transportation hub in the national highway, expressway, railway and high-speed rail network. Beijing's Capital International Airport is the second busiest in the world by passenger traffic.
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Belarus
Belarus (i/bɛləˈruːs/ bel-ə-ROOSS; Belarusian: Беларусь, Russian pronunciation: [bʲɛlaˈrusʲ] Russian: Беларусь, Белоруссия, Belarus', Belorussiya), officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno (Hrodna), Gomel (Homiel), Mogilev (Mahilyow) and Vitebsk (Vitsebsk). Over forty percent of its 207,600 square kilometres (80,200 sq mi) is forested, and its strongest economic sectors are agriculture and manufacturing.
Until the 20th century, the lands of modern-day Belarus belonged to several countries, including the Principality of Polotsk, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire. In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, Belarus became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union and was renamed as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR). The borders of Belarus took their modern shape in 1939 when some lands of the Second Polish Republic were incorporated into it after the Soviet invasion of Poland. The nation and its territory were devastated in World War II, during which Belarus lost about a third of its population and more than half of its economic resources. The republic was redeveloped in the post-war years. In 1945 the Belorussian SSR became a founding member of the United Nations, along with the Soviet Union and the Ukrainian SSR.
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Belgium
Belgium (i/ˈbɛldʒəm/ BEL-jəm), officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO. Belgium covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres (11,787 sq mi), and it has a population of about 11 million people. Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Latin Europe, Belgium is home to two main linguistic groups, the Dutch-speakers, mostly Flemish (about 60%), and the French-speakers, mostly Walloons (about 40%), plus a small group of German-speakers. Belgium's two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia. The Brussels-Capital Region, officially bilingual, is a mostly French-speaking enclave within the Flemish Region. A German-speaking Community exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in the political history and a complex system of government.
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British Columbia
British Columbiai/ˌbrɪtɪʃ kəˈlʌmbiə/ (B.C. or BC) (French: la Colombie-Britannique, C.-B.) is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ("Splendour without Diminishment"). Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858. In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.
As well as being the westernmost province of Western Canada, British Columbia is also a component of the Pacific Northwest, along with the US states of Oregon and Washington. The province has strong cultural and personal ties to the Prairie Provinces and Ontario as well as to the West Coast of the United States and to Alaska and the Yukon.
The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada. The largest city is Vancouver, the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada, the largest in Western Canada, and the second largest in the Pacific Northwest. In 2009, British Columbia had an estimated population of 4,419,974 (about two and a half million of whom were in Greater Vancouver). The province is currently governed by the BC Liberal Party, led by Premier Christy Clark, who became leader as a result of the party election on February 26, 2011.
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British Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories. It is located in Westminster, London. Parliament alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all other political bodies in the UK and its territories. At its head is the Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II.
The parliament is bicameral, with an upper house, the House of Lords, and a lower house, the House of Commons. The Queen is the third component of the legislature. The House of Lords includes two different types of members: the Lords Spiritual (the senior bishops of the Church of England) and the Lords Temporal (members of the Peerage) whose members are not elected by the population at large, but are appointed by the Sovereign on advice of the Prime Minister. Prior to the opening of the Supreme Court in October 2009 the House of Lords also performed a judicial role through the Law Lords.
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CIS
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS; Russian: Содружество Независимых Государств, СНГ, tr. Sodruzhestvo Nezavisimykh Gosudarstv, SNG) is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union.
The CIS is a loose association of states and in no way comparable to a federation, confederation or supranational union such as the European Union. It is more comparable to the Commonwealth of Nations. Although the CIS has few supranational powers, it is aimed at being more than a purely symbolic organization, nominally possessing coordinating powers in the realm of trade, finance, lawmaking, and security. It has also promoted cooperation on cross-border crime prevention. Some of the members of the CIS have established the Eurasian Economic Community with the aim of creating a full-fledged common market.
The organization was founded on 8 December 1991 by the Republic of Belarus, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine, when the leaders of the three countries met in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Natural Reserve, about 50 km (30 miles) north of Brest in Belarus and signed a Creation Agreement (Russian: Соглашение, Soglasheniye) on the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the creation of CIS as a successor entity to the USSR. At the same time they announced that the new alliance would be open to all republics of the former Soviet Union, as well as other nations sharing the same goals. The CIS charter stated that all the members were sovereign and independent nations and thereby effectively abolished the Soviet Union.
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Del Mar, California
Del Mar is an affluent beach town in San Diego County, California. The population was 4,161 at the 2010 census, down from 4,389 at the 2000 census. The Del Mar Horse Races are hosted on the Del Mar Racetrack every summer. Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "by the sea", because it is located on the Pacific Ocean. Colonel Jacob Taylor purchased 338 acres (1.37 km2) from Enoch Talbert in 1885, with visions of building a seaside resort for the rich and famous. The United States Navy operated a Naval Auxiliary Air Facility for blimps at Del Mar during World War II.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km2). 1.7 square miles (4.4 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (3.94%) is water. At the southern edge of Del Mar is the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon.
Del Mar's climate is considered sub-tropical with warm dry summers and milder winters, and is considered one of the most desirable in the United States . Del Mar rarely gets above 85 °F (29 °C) and rarely below 60 degrees.
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Detroit
Detroit ( /diˈtrɔɪt/) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan, and the seat of Wayne County. It is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people, and serves as a major port on the Detroit River connecting the Great Lakes system to the Saint Lawrence Seaway. It was founded on July 24, 1701, by the French explorer, adventurer, and nobleman Antoine de la Mothe, sieur de Cadillac.
In 2010, the city had a population of 713,777 and ranked as the 18th most populous city in the United States. The name Detroit sometimes refers to the Metro Detroit area with a population of 4,296,250 for the six-county Metropolitan Statistical Area, the United States' eleventh-largest, and a population of 5,218,852 for the nine-county Combined Statistical Area as of the 2010 Census. The Detroit–Windsor area, a critical commercial link straddling the Canada–U.S. border, has a total population of about 5,700,000.
Known as the world's traditional automotive center, "Detroit" is a metonym for the American automobile industry and an important source of popular music legacies celebrated by the city's two familiar nicknames, the Motor City and Motown. Other nicknames arose in the 20th century, including City of Champions beginning in the 1930s for its successes in individual and team sport,The D, D-Town, Hockeytown (a trademark owned by the city's NHL club, the Red Wings), Rock City (after the Kiss song "Detroit Rock City"), and The 313 (its telephone area code) Detroit became known as the "great arsenal of democracy" for its support of the U.S. role among the Allied powers during World War II.
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Frankfurt Airport
Frankfurt am Main Airport (IATA: FRA, ICAO: EDDF), or simply Frankfurt Airport, known in German as Flughafen Frankfurt am Main or Rhein-Main-Flughafen, is a major international airport located in Frankfurt, Germany, 12 km (7.5 mi) southwest of the city centre.
Run by transport company Fraport, Frankfurt Airport is by far the busiest airport by passenger traffic in Germany, the third busiest in Europe (after London Heathrow Airport and Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport) and the ninth busiest worldwide in 2011. Passenger traffic at Frankfurt Airport in 2011 was 56.4 million. As of winter 2011/2012, Frankfurt Airport serves the most international destinations in the world, serving 275 destinations in 111 countries and is the busiest airport in Europe by cargo traffic. The southern side of the airport ground was home to the Rhein-Main Air Base, which was a major air base for the United States from 1947 until 2005, when the air base was closed and the property was acquired by Fraport.
The airport is centrally located in the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region, Germany's second-largest metropolitan region, which itself has a central location in the densely populated region of the west-central European megalopolis. Thereby, along with a strong rail and motorway connection, the airport serves as a major transportation hub to the greater region, less than two hours by ground to Cologne, the Ruhr Area, and Stuttgart.
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Fuzhou
Fuzhou (Chinese: 福 州; pinyin: Fúzhōu, [fǔtʂóʊ] ( listen); Fuzhou dialect: Hók-ciŭ) is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute the Mindong (闽东, lit. East of Fujian) linguistic and cultural area.
Fuzhou's core counties lie on the north (or left) bank of the estuary of Fujian's largest river, the Min River. All along its northern border lies Ningde, and Ningde's Gutian County lies upriver. Fuzhou's counties south of the Min border on Putian, Quanzhou, Sanming and Nanping municipalities. Its population is 7,115,370 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 4,408,076 inhabitants are urban standing around 61.95%, while rural population is at 2,707,294 standing around 38.05%.
In older publications, the name "Fuzhou" was variously romanized as Foochow, Fuchow, Fuh-chau, Fuh-Chow, Hock Chew or Hokchew.
The Yuanhe Maps and Records of Prefectures and Counties, a Chinese geographical treatise published in the 9th century AD, says that Fuzhou's name came from "Mt. Fu", a mountain located northwest of the city. The mountain's name was then combined with -zhou, meaning "settlement" or "prefecture", in a manner similar to many other Chinese cities. During the Warring States Period, the Han Chinese referred to the Fuzhou area as Ye (Chinese: 冶), though they did not conquer the area until the Qin Dynasty. The city's name was changed numerous times between the 3rd and 9th centuries AD before finally settling on Fuzhou in 948.
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Georgia (country)
Georgiai/ˈdʒɔrdʒə/ (Georgian: საქართველო Sakartvelo, IPA: [sɑkʰɑrtʰvɛlɔ] ( listen)) is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi. Georgia covers a territory of 69,700 km² and its population is almost 4.7 million. Georgia is a unitary, semi-presidential republic, with the government elected through a representative democracy.
During the classical era independent kingdoms became established in what is now Georgia. The kingdoms of Colchis and Iberia adopted Christianity in the early 4th century. A unified Georgia reached the peak of its political and economic strength during the reign of King David IV and Queen Tamar in the 11th–12th centuries. At the beginning of the 19th century, Georgia was annexed by the Russian Empire. After a brief period of independence following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Georgia was occupied by Soviet Russia in 1921, becoming the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic and part of the Soviet Union. After independence in 1991, post-communist Georgia suffered from civil unrest and economic crisis for most of the 1990s. This lasted until the Rose Revolution of 2003, after which the new government introduced democratic and economic reforms.
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Germany
Germany (i/ˈdʒɜrməni/), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant] ( listen)), is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state and the largest economy in the European Union. It is one of the major political powers of the European continent and a technological leader in many fields.
A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, was documented before AD 100. During the Migration Period, the Germanic tribes expanded southward, and established successor kingdoms throughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation while southern and western parts remained dominated by Roman Catholic denominations, with the two factions clashing in the Thirty Years' War, marking the beginning of the Catholic–Protestant divide that has characterized German society ever since. Occupied during the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of Pan-Germanism inside the German Confederation resulted in the unification of most of the German states into the German Empire in 1871 which was Prussian dominated. After the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and the subsequent military surrender in World War I, the Empire was replaced by the Weimar Republic in 1918, and partitioned in the Treaty of Versailles. Amidst the Great Depression, the Third Reich was proclaimed in 1933. The latter period was marked by Fascism and World War II. After 1945, Germany was divided by allied occupation, and evolved into two states, East Germany and West Germany. In 1990 Germany was reunified.
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Glasgow
Coordinates: 55°51′29″N 4°15′32″W / 55.858°N 4.259°W / 55.858; -4.259
Glasgow (i/ˈɡlɑːzɡəʊ/, locally /ˈɡlazɡo/, GLAZ-goh; Scots: Glesga listen (help·info); Scottish Gaelic: Glaschu ([ˈkɫ̪as̪əxu] listen (help·info))) is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's West Central Lowlands.
Glasgow grew from a small rural settlement on the River Clyde to become one of the largest seaports in Britain. Expanding from the medieval bishopric of Glasgow and the later establishment of the University of Glasgow in the 15th century, it became a major centre of the Scottish Enlightenment in the 18th century. From the 18th century the city also grew as one of Britain's main hubs of transatlantic trade with British North America and the British West Indies. With the Industrial Revolution, the city and surrounding region shifted to become one of the world's pre-eminent centres of heavy engineering, most notably in shipbuilding and marine engineering industry, which produced many innovative and famous vessels. Glasgow was known as the "Second City of the British Empire" for much of the Victorian era and Edwardian period. Today it is one of Europe's top ten financial centres and is home to many of Scotland's leading businesses. Glasgow is also ranked as the 57th most liveable city in the world.
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Guangzhou
Guangzhou (Chinese: 广州; Mandarin pronunciation: [kwɑ̀ŋʈʂóʊ̯]), known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about 120 km (75 mi) north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port. One of the five National Central Cities, it holds sub-provincial administrative status.
Guangzhou is the third largest city in China and southern China's largest city. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 12.78 million. Some estimates place the population of the entire Pearl River Delta Mega City built up area as high as 40 million including Shenzhen (10.36 million), Dongguan (8.22 million) and most parts of Foshan (7.19 million), Jiangmen (4.45 million), Zhongshan (3.12 million) and a small part of Huizhou adjoining Dongguan and Shenzhen, with an area of about 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 sq mi) (about the size of US state of New Jersey). In 2008 Guangzhou was identified as a Beta World City by the global city index produced by GaWC.
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Kamloops
Kamloops is a city in south central British Columbia, at the confluence of the two branches of the Thompson River and near Kamloops Lake. It is the largest community in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and the location of the regional district's offices. The surrounding region is more commonly referred to as the Thompson Country. It is ranked 37th on the list of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in Canada and represents the 44th largest census agglomeration nationwide, with 85,678 residents in 2011.
The Kamloops area was not exclusively inhabited by the Secwepemc (Shuswap) nation (part of the Interior Salish language group) prior to the arrival of European settlers. The Cree-Saulteaux band led by Chief Yawassannay had migrated to this region in the early 15th century. The Yawassanay band's Kamloops settlement was the largest of their three tribal areas. The first European explorers arrived in 1811, in the person of David Stuart, sent out from Fort Astoria, then still a Pacific Fur Company post, and who spent a winter there with the Secwepemc people, with Alexander Ross establishing a post there in May 1812 - "Fort Cumcloups".
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Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan (i/ˌkɑːzəkˈstɑːn/ or /ˌkæzəkˈstæn/) (Kazakh: Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, pronounced [qɑzɑqstɑ́n]; Russian: Казахстан [kəzɐxˈstan]), officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Europe. The ninth largest country in the world by land area, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of 2,727,300 square kilometres (1,053,000 sq mi) is larger than Western Europe. It is neighbored clockwise from the north by Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and also borders on a significant part of the Caspian Sea. Although Kazakhstan does not share a border with Mongolia, its most easterly point is only 38 kilometres (24 mi) from Mongolia's western tip. The terrain of Kazakhstan ranges from flatlands, steppes, taigas, rock-canyons, hills, deltas, and snow-capped mountains to deserts. With 16.6 million people (2011 estimate) Kazakhstan has the 62nd largest population in the world, though its population density is less than 6 people per square kilometre (15 per sq. mi.). The capital was moved in 1998 from Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, to Astana.
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Leeds
Coordinates: 53°47′59″N 1°32′57″W / 53.79972°N 1.54917°W / 53.79972; -1.54917 Leeds (i/ˈliːdz/) is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 (2011 est.), making it the 24th-most populous city in the European Union
Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial heart of the West Yorkshire Urban Area, which at the 2001 census had a population of 1.5 million, and the Leeds-Bradford Metropolitan Area, of which Leeds is the integral part, had a population of around 2.3 million, making it the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom. In addition, the Leeds city region, an economic area with Leeds at its core, had a population of 2.9 million. Leeds is the UK's largest centre for business, legal, and financial services outside London, and its office market is the best in Europe for value. Leeds is considered a Gamma World City, alongside cities such as Phoenix, St. Petersburg and Valencia.
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Lernout & Hauspie
Coordinates: 50°52′09″N 2°53′34″E / 50.86918°N 2.89281°E / 50.86918; 2.89281
Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products, or L&H, was a leading Belgium-based speech recognition technology company, founded by Jo Lernout and Pol Hauspie, that went bankrupt in 2001. The company was based in Ypres, Flanders, in what was then called the Flanders Language Valley (mimicking the Silicon Valley).
Lernout & Hauspie was founded in 1987 by Jo Lernout and Pol Hauspie. After a difficult start, it quickly grew, and, in 1995, it went public on the NASDAQ (LHSP), and was also quoted on the now-defunct Brussels-based EASDAQ exchange. Its headquarters were in Ieper, Belgium, and in Burlington, Massachusetts. At its peak, Lernout & Hauspie had a market capitalization of almost US$10 billion.
Flanders played an important role in investing in the company and the surrounding Flanders Language Valley. Lernout & Hauspie quickly became Flanders' pride.
It acquired a number of its smaller competitors, including text-to-speech developer Berkeley Speech Technologies, in 1996. During March-April 2000 Lernout & Hauspie acquired Dictaphone for nearly US$1 billion, then acquired Dragon Systems shortly thereafter. Lernout & Hauspie provided the voice recognition technology needed to propel Dictaphone's voice recognition enhanced transcription system (started by a company called Articulate Systems and sold and supported by a company called The MRC Group - later Fonix before becoming part of L&H).
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Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein, officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (i/ˈlɪktənstaɪn/ LIK-tən-styn; German: Fürstentum Liechtenstein, German pronunciation: [ˈfʏʁstn̩tuːm ˈlɪçtn̩ʃtaɪn]) is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over 160 square kilometres (62 sq mi), and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan. Liechtenstein has the highest gross domestic product per person in the world when adjusted by purchasing power parity, and has the world's lowest external debt. Liechtenstein also has the second lowest unemployment rate in the world at 1.5% (Monaco is first).
Liechtenstein is the smallest yet the richest (by measure of GDP per capita) German-speaking country in the world and the only country to lie entirely within the Alps. It is known as a principality as it is a constitutional monarchy headed by a prince. Liechtenstein is divided into 11 municipalities. Much of its terrain is mountainous, making it a winter sports destination. Many cultivated fields and small farms characterize its landscape both in the south (Oberland, upper land) and in the north (Unterland, lower land). The country has a strong financial sector located in the capital, Vaduz, and has been identified as a tax haven. It is a member of the European Free Trade Association and part of the European Economic Area, the Schengen Area but not of the European Union.
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London
Londoni/ˈlʌndən/ is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who named it Londinium. London's ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its square-mile mediaeval boundaries. Since at least the 19th century, the name London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core. The bulk of this conurbation forms the London region and the Greater London administrative area, governed by the elected Mayor of London and the London Assembly.
London is a leading global city, with strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence. It is the world's leading financial centre alongside New York City and has the fifth-largest city GDP in the world (and the largest in Europe). London has been described as a world cultural capital. It was the world's most visited city during 2011 and London Heathrow is the world's busiest airport by number of international passengers. London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe. In 2012 London will become the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games three times.
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Luxembourg
Luxembourg (i/ˈlʌksəmbɜrɡ/ LUKS-əm-burg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Luxembourgish: Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg, French: Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, German: Großherzogtum Luxemburg, Dutch: Groothertogdom Luxemburg), is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland ("good country") in the south. Luxembourg has a population of over half a million people in an area of approximately 2,586 square kilometres (998 sq mi). A representative democracy with a constitutional monarch, it is ruled by a grand duke. It is now the world's only remaining sovereign grand duchy. The country has a highly developed economy, with the world's highest GDP (nominal) per capita according to the IMF. Its historic and strategic importance dates back to its founding as a Roman era fortress site and Frankish count's castle site in the Early Middle Ages. It was an important bastion along the Spanish Road when Spain was the principal European power influencing the whole western hemisphere and beyond in the 16th–17th centuries.
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Macau SAR
Coordinates: 22°10′N 113°33′E / 22.167°N 113.55°E / 22.167; 113.55
Macau (Chinese: 澳門), also spelled Macao ( /məˈkaʊ/), is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong. Macau lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta across from Hong-Kong which is to the east, bordering Guangdong province to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east and south.
The territory's economy is heavily dependent on gambling and tourism, but also includes manufacturing.
Macau is a former Portuguese colony, and is both the first and last European colony in China. Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 16th century and subsequently administered the region until the handover on 20 December 1999. The Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Macau stipulate that Macau operates with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049, fifty years after the transfer. Macau was first lent by the Chinese empire as a trading port in the 16th century, and had to administer the city under Chinese authority and sovereignty. In 1887, Macau became a colony of the Portuguese empire and its sovereignty transferred to the Portuguese.
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Montreal
Montreal (
i/ˌmʌntriːˈɒl/;French: Montréal; pronounced [mɔ̃ʁeal] (
listen)) is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the fifteenth largest in North America. Originally called Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", the city takes its present name from Mount Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, or Mont Réal as it was spelled in Middle French (Mont Royal in present French). The city is located on the Island of Montreal, which took its name from the same source as the city, and a few much smaller peripheral islands, the largest of which is Île Bizard.
As of May 10, 2011, Statistics Canada identifies Montreal's Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) (land area 4,259 square kilometres (1,644 sq mi)) as Canada's second most populous with an estimated metropolitan area population of 3,824,221 and a population of 1,886,481 in the urban agglomeration of Montreal, which includes all of the municipalities on the Island of Montreal. The city of Montreal proper had a population of 1,649,519.
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Nanjing
Nanjing (Chinese: 南京; pinyin: Nánjīng; Wade–Giles: Nan-ching) is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions. Its present name means "Southern Capital" and was widely romanized as Nankin and Nanking until the Pinyin language reform, after which Nanjing was gradually adopted as the standard spelling of the city's name in most languages that use the Roman alphabet.
Located in the lower Yangtze River drainage basin and Yangtze River Delta economic zone, Nanjing has long been one of China's most important cities. It is recognized as one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. It was the capital of Sun Quan's Wu during the Three Kingdoms Period and the capital of the Republic of China prior to its flight to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War. Nanjing is also one of the fifteen sub-provincial cities in the People's Republic of China's administrative structure, enjoying jurisdictional and economic autonomy only slightly less than that of a province. Nanjing has long been a national center of education, research, transport networks, and tourism. The city will host the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics.
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Netherlands
The Netherlands (i/ˈnɛðərləndz/; Dutch: Nederland [ˈneːdə(r)lɑnt] or [ˈneɪ̯də(r)lɑnt] ( listen); West Frisian: Nederlân; Papiamento: Hulanda) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with some islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders with Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. It is a parliamentary democracy organised as a unitary state. The country capital is Amsterdam and the seat of government is The Hague. The Netherlands in its entirety is often referred to as Holland, although North and South Holland are actually only two of its twelve provinces (a case of pars pro toto; see terminology of "the Netherlands").
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New York
New York (/njuː ˈjɔrk/; locally IPA: [nɪu ˈjɔək] or [nuː ˈjɔɹk] ( listen)) is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. New York is the 27th most extensive, the 3rd most populous, and the 7th most densely populated of the 50 United States. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east. The state has a maritime border with Rhode Island east of Long Island, as well as an international border with the Canadian provinces of Ontario to the west and north, and Quebec to the north. The state of New York is often referred to as New York State to distinguish it from New York City.
New York City, with a population of over 8.1 million, is the most populous city in the United States. Alone, it makes up over 40 percent of the population of New York state. It is known for its status as a center for finance and culture and for its status as the largest gateway for immigration to the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, New York City is also a destination of choice for many foreign visitors. Both the state and city were named for the 17th century Duke of York, James Stuart, future James II and VII of England and Scotland.
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Norway
Norwayi/ˈnɔrweɪ/ (Norwegian: Norge (Bokmål) or Noreg (Nynorsk)), officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and the subantarctic Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of 385,252 square kilometres (148,747 sq mi) and a population of about 5 million. It is the second least densely populated country in Europe. The majority of the country shares a border to the east with Sweden; its northernmost region is bordered by Finland to the south and Russia to the east; in its south Norway borders the Skagerrak Strait across from Denmark. The capital city of Norway is Oslo. Norway's extensive coastline, facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea, is home to its famous fjords.
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PwC
PricewaterhouseCoopers (trading as PwC) is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm and the largest of the "Big Four" accountancy firms measured by 2011 revenues.
PwC has offices in 771 cities across 158 countries and employs over 169,000 people. It had total revenues of $29.2 billion in FY 2011, of which $14.14 billion was generated by its Assurance practice, $7.63 billion by its Tax practice and $7.46 billion by its Advisory practice.
The firm was formed in 1998 by a merger between Coopers & Lybrand and Price Waterhouse. The trading name was shortened to PwC in September 2010 as part of a major rebranding exercise.
As of 2010[update] PwC was the seventh-largest privately owned organization in the United States.
The PricewaterhouseCoopers name was formed by the combination of the names of Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand, following their merger in 1998. On 20 September 2010, PricewaterhouseCoopers rebranded as PwC, although the legal name of the firm remained PricewaterhouseCoopers.
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Qingdao
Qingdao (help·info) (Chinese: 青岛; pinyin: Qīngdǎo; Mandarin pronunciation: [tɕʰíŋtɑ̀ʊ̯]; German: Tsingtau) also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million (2010 census) in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.
It borders Yantai to the northeast, Weifang to the west and Rizhao to the southwest. The character 青 (qīng) in Chinese means "green" or "lush", while the character 岛 (dǎo) means "island". Qingdao is administered at the sub-provincial level.
Lying across the Shandong Peninsula while looking out to the Yellow Sea, Qingdao is a major seaport, naval base, and industrial centre. It is also the site of the Tsingtao Brewery. The world's longest sea bridge, the Qingdao Haiwan Bridge, links the main urban area of Qingdao with Huangdao district, straddling the Jiaozhou Bay sea areas. In 2009, Qingdao was named China's most livable city.
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Russia
Russiai/ˈrʌʃə/ or /ˈrʊʃə/ (Russian: Россия, tr. Rossiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijə] ( listen)), also officially known as the Russian Federation (Russian: Российская Федерация, tr. Rossiyskaya Federatsiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijskəjə fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨjə] ( listen)), is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects. From northwest to southeast, Russia shares borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (both via Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It also has maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk, and the US state of Alaska by the Bering Strait. At 17,075,400 square kilometres (6,592,800 sq mi), Russia is the largest country in the world, covering more than one eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area. Russia is also the eighth most populous nation with 143 million people. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning nine time zones and incorporating a wide range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources and is the largest producer of oil and natural gas globally. Russia has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's fresh water.
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Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia (i/ˌsaʊdi əˈreɪbi.ə/ or i/ˌsɔːdiː əˈreɪbi.ə/; Arabic: السعودية as-Su‘ūdīyah[citation needed] or incorrectly as-Sa‘ūdīyah, officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Arabic: المملكة العربية السعودية al-Mamlakah al-‘Arabīyah as-Su‘ūdīyah Arabic pronunciation (help·info)), is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab world, after Algeria. It is bordered by Jordan, and Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south. The Red Sea lies to its west, and the Persian Gulf lies to the east. Saudi Arabia has an area of approximately 2,250,000 km2 (870,000 sq mi), and it has an estimated population of 27 million, of which 9 million are registered foreign expatriates and an estimated 2 million are illegal immigrants. Saudi nationals comprise an estimated 16 million people.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded by Abdul-Aziz bin Saud (known for most of his career as Ibn Saud) in 1932, although the conquests which eventually led to the creation of the Kingdom began in 1902 when he captured Riyadh, the ancestral home of his family, the House of Saud, referred to in Arabic as the Al Saud. The Saudi Arabian government, which has been an absolute monarchy since its inception, refers to its system of government as being Islamic, though this is contested by many due to its strong basis in Salafism, a minority school of thought in Islam. The kingdom is sometimes called "The Land of the Two Holy Mosques" in reference to Al-Masjid al-Haram (in Mecca), and Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (in Medina), the two holiest places in Islam.
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Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the largest city proper by population in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities of the PRC, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010. It is a global city, with influence in commerce, culture, finance, media, fashion, technology, and transport. It is a major financial center and the busiest container port in the world.
Located in the Yangtze River Delta in eastern China, Shanghai sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River in the middle portion of the Chinese coast. The municipality borders Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces to the west, and is bounded to the east by the East China Sea.
Once a fishing and textiles town, Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th century due to European recognition of its favorable port location and economic potential. The city was one of several opened to foreign trade following the British victory over China in the first opium war and the subsequent 1842 Treaty of Nanking which allowed the establishment of the Shanghai International Settlement. The city then flourished as a center of commerce between east and west, and became the undisputed financial hub of the Asia Pacific in the 1930s. However, with the Communist Party takeover of the mainland in 1949, the city's international influence declined. In the 1990s, the economic reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping resulted in an intense re-development of the city, aiding the return of finance and foreign investment to the city.
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Shenzhen
Shenzhen (Mandarin pronunciation: [ʂə́ntʂə̂n]) is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones (SEZs). It currently also holds sub-provincial administrative status, with powers slightly less than a province.
Shenzhen's modern cityscape is the result of the vibrant economy made possible by rapid foreign investment since the institution of the policy of "reform and opening" establishment of the SEZ in the late 1979, before which it was only a small village. Both Chinese and foreign nationals have invested enormous amount of money in the Shenzhen SEZ. More than US$30 billion in foreign investment has gone into both foreign-owned and joint ventures, at first mainly in manufacturing but more recently in the service industries as well. Shenzhen is now reputedly considered as one of the fastest-growing cities in the world.
Being southern mainland China's major financial centre, Shenzhen is home to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange as well as the headquarters of numerous high-tech companies. Shenzhen is also the third-busiest container port in China, after Shanghai and Hong Kong.
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Spain
Spain (i/ˈspeɪn/ SPAYN; Spanish: España, pronounced: [esˈpaɲa] ( listen)), officially the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a sovereign state and a member of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar; to the north and north east by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the northwest and west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal.
Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, and two autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, that border Morocco. Furthermore, the town of Llívia is a Spanish exclave situated inside French territory. With an area of 504,030 square kilometres (194,610 sq mi), it is the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union after France, and the fourth largest country in Europe after Russia, Ukraine and France.
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Sundsvall
Sundsvall (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈsɵn(d)sˈvalː]) is a city and the seat of Sundsvall Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden. It has a population of 50,712 as of 2010; more than 95,000 live in the surrounding municipal area.
The town was chartered in 1621, and a first urban plan for Sundsvall was probably created by Olof Bure in 1642, less likely in 1623. It has a port by the Gulf of Bothnia, and is located 395 km north of Stockholm. The city has burned down and been rebuilt four times. The first time, in 1721, it was set on fire by the Russian army during the Great Northern War. The last fire, in 1888, was the largest in Sweden's history. It is presumed that the fire was caused by a spark from a steamship. After that fire, the city centre was rebuilt only with stone buildings. Sundsvall's centre is therefore nicknamed Stenstaden (the stone city).
According to one historian,[who?] Swedish industrialism started in Sundsvall when the Tunadal sawmill bought a steam-engine driven saw in 1849. In the early 20th century Sundsvall was an even greater centre of forestry industry in Sweden than it is today. The first large Swedish strike was the "Sundsvall strike" in 1879. The industrial heritage makes social democrat and socialist sympathies more prevalent in the Sundsvall region than in Sweden as a whole.
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Switzerland
Switzerland (German: die Schweiz[ˈʃvaɪts]; French: Suisse [sɥis(ə)]; Italian: Svizzera [ˈzvit͡sːɛra]; Romansh: Svizra [ˈʒviːtsrɐ] or [ˈʒviːtsʁːɐ]), in its full name the Swiss Confederation (Latin: Confoederatio Helvetica, hence its abbreviation CH), is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in western Europe, where it is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.
Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km2 (15,940 sq mi). While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8 million people is concentrated mostly on the Plateau, where the largest cities are to be found. Among them are the two global cities and economic centres of Zurich and Geneva.
The Swiss Confederation has a long history of armed neutrality—it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815—and did not join the United Nations until 2002. It pursues, however, an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. Switzerland is also the birthplace of the Red Cross and home to a large number of international organizations, including the second largest UN office. On the European level, it is a founding member of the European Free Trade Association and is part of the Schengen Area – although it is notably not a member of the European Union, nor the European Economic Area.
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Turkey
Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye), known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( Türkiye Cumhuriyeti (help·info)), is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia (mostly in the Anatolian peninsula) and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan (the exclave of Nakhchivan) and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus are to the south; the Aegean Sea is to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north. The Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles (which together form the Turkish Straits) demarcate the boundary between East Thrace and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia.
Turkey is one of the six independent Turkic states. The vast majority of the population are Muslims. The country's official language is Turkish, whereas Kurdish and Zazaki languages are spoken by Kurds and Zazas, who constitute 18% of the population.
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Ukraine
Ukraine (i/juːˈkreɪn/ yew-KRAYN; Ukrainian: Україна, transliterated: Ukrayina, [ukrɑˈjinɑ]; Russian: Украина; Crimean Tatar: Ukraina) is a country in Central and Eastern Europe. Ukraine borders the Russian Federation to the east and northeast, Belarus to the northwest, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the southwest, and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south and southeast, respectively. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after the Russian Federation.
According to a popular and well established theory, the medieval state of Kievan Rus was established by the Varangians in the 9th century as the first historically recorded East Slavic state which emerged as a powerful nation in the Middle Ages until it disintegrated in the 12th century. By the middle of the 14th century, Ukrainian territories were under the rule of three external powers—the Golden Horde, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Kingdom of Poland. After the Great Northern War (1700–1721) Ukraine was divided between a number of regional powers and, by the 19th century, the largest part of Ukraine was integrated into the Russian Empire with the rest under Austro-Hungarian control. A chaotic period of incessant warfare ensued, with several internationally recognized attempts at independence from 1917 to 1921, following World War I and the Russian Civil War. Ukraine emerged from its own civil war, and on December 30, 1922 Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic became one of the founding republics of the Soviet Union. The Ukrainian SSR's territory was enlarged westward during the civil war shortly before, and after World War II, and further south in 1954 with the Crimea transfer. In 1945, the Ukrainian SSR became one of the founding members of the United Nations.
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea.
The United Kingdom is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, with its seat of government in the capital city of London. It is a country in its own right and consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There are three devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Associated with the UK, but not constitutionally part of it, are three Crown Dependencies. The United Kingdom has fourteen overseas territories. These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in 1922, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British influence can still be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former territories.
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United States
The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.
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West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972.
West Yorkshire, which is landlocked, consists of five metropolitan boroughs (City of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, City of Leeds and City of Wakefield) and shares borders with the counties of Derbyshire (to the south), Greater Manchester (to the south-west), Lancashire (to the north-west), North Yorkshire (to the north and east) and South Yorkshire (to the south-east).
West Yorkshire County Council was abolished in 1986, and so its districts (the metropolitan boroughs) are now effectively unitary authorities. However, the metropolitan county, which covers an area of 2,029 square kilometres (783 sq mi), continues to exist in law, and as a geographic frame of reference.
West Yorkshire encompasses the West Yorkshire Urban Area, which is the most built-up and biggest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire.
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Xiamen
Xiamen (Mandarin pronunciation: [ɕjâmə̌n]), also known as Amoy /əˈmɔɪ/, is a major city on the southeast (Taiwan Strait) coast of the People's Republic of China. It is administered as a sub-provincial city of Fujian province with an area of 1575.16 km2 and population of 3.61 million. Its built up area is now bigger than the old urban island area and covers now all 6 districts of Xiamen (Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, Haicang and recently Xiang'an), for a total of 3,531,147 inhabitants. It borders Quanzhou to the north and Zhangzhou making with this city a unique built up area of more than 5 million people. The Jinmen (Kinmen) Islands administered by the Republic of China (Taiwan) are less than 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away.
Xiamen and the surrounding southern Fujian countryside are the ancestral home to large communities of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia and Taiwan. The city was a treaty port in the 19th century and one of the four original Special Economic Zones opened to foreign investment and trade when China began economic reforms in the early 1980s. It is endowed with educational and cultural institutions supported by the overseas Chinese diaspora. In 2006, Xiamen was ranked as China's second 'most suitable city for living'.
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Barry Hearn
Barry Hearn (born 19 June 1948 in Dagenham, Essex), is an English accountant, sporting events promoter, and the founder and chairman of promotions company Matchroom Sport.
Through Matchroom, Hearn is also involved in many other sports, including pool, tenpin bowling, golf (see PGA EuroPro Tour) and fishing. Hearn is currently the chairman of Leyton Orient F.C., the Professional Darts Corporation, and was also until July 2010 chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA).
Born in 1948 on a council estate in Dagenham, Essex. He worked and then ran a series of small businesses as a teenager, from washing cars to picking fruit and vegetables.
After qualifying as an accountant, Hearn took over the role of finance director to a design company based in Kensal Green, called Deryck Healey Associates (circa 1973). He formed a new company, Kensal House Investments, and DHA became Deryck Healey International (DHI).
In the early 1970s, looking for a property investment, Hearn bought a snooker hall in Romford, Essex. The same year, the BBC began promoting snooker on BBC1 in colour television, resulting in queues of people wanting to play snooker. Hearn and joint-business partner Deryck John Healey then bought Lucania Billiard Halls, which formed the basis of his future career, promoting snooker via colour television.
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Beijing
Beijing ( /beɪˈdʒɪŋ/; Chinese: 北京; pinyin: Běijīng, [peɪ˨˩ t͡ɕiŋ˥]), formerly romanized as Peking ( /piːˈkɪŋ/ or /peɪˈkɪŋ/), is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The metropolis, located in northern China, is governed as a direct-controlled municipality under the national government, with 14 urban and suburban districts and two rural counties. Beijing Municipality is surrounded by Hebei Province with the exception of neighboring Tianjin Municipality to the southeast.
Beijing is China's second largest city by urban population after Shanghai and is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's largest state-owned companies. Beijing is a major transportation hub in the national highway, expressway, railway and high-speed rail network. Beijing's Capital International Airport is the second busiest in the world by passenger traffic.
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Bernard Avishai
Bernard Avishai, Adjunct Professor of Business, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, splits his time between Jerusalem and Wilmot, New Hampshire. He has taught at Duke, MIT, and was director of the Zell Entrepreneurship Program at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya, Israel. From 1998 to 2001 he was International Director of Intellectual Capital at KPMG LLP. Before this he headed product development at Monitor Group, with which he is still associated. From 1986 to 1991 he was technology editor of Harvard Business Review. A Guggenheim Fellow, Avishai holds a doctorate in political economy from the University of Toronto. Before turning to management, he covered the Middle East as a journalist. He's written dozens of articles and commentaries for The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, Harvard Business Review, Harper’s and many other publications. He is the author of three books on Israel, including the widely read The Tragedy of Zionism, and the recently published The Hebrew Republic.
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Bruce Marshall
Lieutenant-Colonel Claude Cunningham Bruce Marshall, known as Bruce Marshall (24 June 1899 – 18 June 1987) was a prolific Scottish writer who wrote fiction and non-fiction books on a wide range of topics and genres. His first book, A Thief in the Night came out in 1918, possibly self-published. His last, An Account of Capers was published posthumously in 1988, a span of 70 years.
Marshall was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, the son of Claude Niven Marshall and Annie Margaret (Bruce) Marshall. He was educated at St. Andrews. He became a Roman Catholic in 1917 and remained active and interested in the faith for the rest of his life. He was a member and at times served as an officer in the Una Voce and the Latin Mass Society organizations.
During World War I he initially served as a private in the Highland Light Infantry. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Royal Irish Fusiliers in 1918. Six days before the 1918 Armistice he was seriously wounded. Courageous German medical orderlies risked intense shelling to rescue him and he was taken prisoner. His injuries resulted in the amputation of one leg. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1919 and invalided out in 1920.
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David Carew
David Omashola Carew is a Sierra Leonean economist and politician. He is currently Sierra Leone's Minister of Trade and Industry. He had also served as Sierra Leone Minister of Finance from October 2007 to February 2009. Before becoming Minister of Finance, Carew was the Managing Partner for KPMG-Sierra Leone and was responsible for delivering KPMG services to clients in The Gambia and Liberia.
Carew was born in Freetown to Creole parents. He is a product of the Sierra Leone Grammar School, one of the best secondary schools in Sierra Leone. Carew graduated from the University of Sierra Leone in 1979 with a Bachelor's degree in Economics. He was sent to KPMG Nigeria the same year and he worked in Nigeria until 1986 when he returned as an Assistant Manager.
In Nigeria he qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1982 and was sent to the northern Nigeriean city of Kano. In the north he worked as an Audit Supervisor and was in charge of all KPMG’s clients in the banking and financial institutions industry. He was designated Training 'Manager’ for the three northern states in Nigeria, reporting to the Training Partner in Lagos.
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David Tweedie
Sir David Tweedie (born 1944) is a Scottish accountant. As Chairman of the International Accounting Standards Board from 2001 until June 2011, he has been a global leader in the accounting profession.
Tweedie graduated with a BCom followed by a PhD in 1969 from the University of Edinburgh Management School, and is currently a visiting professor.
He then trained as a Chartered Accountant with Mann Judd Gordon & Co, qualifying in 1972. He lectured at his alma mater from 1973 to 1978, then became the technical director of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) until 1981.
In 1982 he moved to a large firm of accountants, KMG Thomson McLintock, where he was national research partner. When KMG merged with Peat Marwick International to form accounting giant KPMG in 1987, he became its national technical partner.
From 1990 to 2000 Tweedie served as the full-time chairman of the Accounting Standards Board. Then in 2001 he was appointed as the initial Chairman of the International Accounting Standards Board. He retained the role for a decade, through the financial crisis of 2007–2010, and stood down in June 2011, succeeded by Hans Hoogervorst.
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Douglas Flint
Douglas Jardine Flint, CBE (born July 1955) is a British banking businessman. He is currently the Group Chairman of HSBC Holdings.
Flint graduated with a bachelor's degree with honours in Accounting from the University of Glasgow. Flint is a member of a number of professional bodies such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and the British Association of Corporate Treasurers professional body. He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
Flint started his career in Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co. (now KPMG), and was appointed a partner of the firm in 1988. He has an in depth knowledge of banking, treasury and securities trading operations, financial reporting of multinationals. He became Group Finance Director of HSBC in 1995.
Flint was the Chairman of the Financial Reporting Council's review of the Turnbull Guidance on Internal Control from 2004 to 2005 and was a member of The Accounting Standards Board and the Standards Advisory Council of the International Accounting Standards Committee Foundation from 2001 to 2004. In June 2006, in recognition to his services to the finance industry, he was honoured with a CBE (Commander of the British Empire).
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Edmund Ho
Edmund Ho Hau Wah, GCIH, GML, GCM (Chinese: 何厚鏵; pinyin: Hé Hòuhuá; born 13 March 1955 in Macau with family roots in Panyu, Guangdong) was the Chief Executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) of the People's Republic of China. He is now the vice-chairman of the 11th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Edmund Ho was made Chief Executive-elect on 15 May 1999 by the Selection Committee for the Chief Executive of the MSAR. He was appointed Chief Executive-designate on 20 May of the same year by the Premier of the State Council, Zhu Rongji, and was formally sworn in as Chief Executive at a special ceremony marking the establishment of the MSAR on 20 December 1999.
Born in Macau and married with a son and daughter, Ho is the son of the late community leader of Macau and businessman, Ho Yin (何賢) and Chan Keng (陳瓊).
After completing his primary education, Ho went to study in Canada in 1969. He went on to graduate with a degree in business administration from York University in 1978, and qualified as a chartered accountant and certified auditor in 1981. After working for a couple of years in an accounting firm in India, he was transferred to the United States in 1982.
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Gibby Haynes
Gibson Jerome "Gibby" Haynes (born September 30, 1957) is an American musician, radio personality, and painter, and the lead singer of the group Butthole Surfers.
Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, he is the son of actor Jerry Haynes, best known as Dallas-based kids' TV host "Mr. Peppermint" and Doris Haynes. Haynes was a star on his high school's basketball team, and he attended Trinity University to study accounting. While at Trinity, Gibby was the captain of the basketball team, president of his fraternity, and was named the Accounting Student of the Year. After graduating, he went to work as an auditor for Peat Marwick accounting firm. After a year of working in accounting, he formed the Butthole Surfers, a group who became notorious for their elaborate stage shows and psychedelic music.
Haynes played saxophone on several albums, including Psychic... Powerless... Another Man's Sac, one of the Butthole Surfers' earlier works.
Haynes appears with Ministry (performing the lead vocals on Jesus Built My Hotrod) and the 2006 Revolting Cocks CD entitled Cocked and Loaded.
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Guangzhou
Guangzhou (Chinese: 广州; Mandarin pronunciation: [kwɑ̀ŋʈʂóʊ̯]), known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about 120 km (75 mi) north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port. One of the five National Central Cities, it holds sub-provincial administrative status.
Guangzhou is the third largest city in China and southern China's largest city. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 12.78 million. Some estimates place the population of the entire Pearl River Delta Mega City built up area as high as 40 million including Shenzhen (10.36 million), Dongguan (8.22 million) and most parts of Foshan (7.19 million), Jiangmen (4.45 million), Zhongshan (3.12 million) and a small part of Huizhou adjoining Dongguan and Shenzhen, with an area of about 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 sq mi) (about the size of US state of New Jersey). In 2008 Guangzhou was identified as a Beta World City by the global city index produced by GaWC.
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Hilbrand Nawijn
Hilbrand Pier Anne Nawijn (born August 8, 1948) is a Dutch politician of the Party for the Netherlands (PVN). He was Minister for Integration & Immigration from July 22, 2002 until May 27, 2003 and later a Member of the House of Representatives for the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF).
Nawijn was born in Kampen. He is a descendant of Firmin Navin (born approx 1725), a Huguenot who fled to Holland from France to escape persecution. After graduating Emelwerda College in Emmeloord he studied law at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. Following a long career working for the Dutch Ministry of Justice he was elected in 2002 as a member of the Christen-Democratisch Appèl for the city council of Zoetermeer. Nawijn was an early supporter of the Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn and in 2002, when Fortuyn founded the Pim Fortuyn List, Nawijn earned a place on the list. Despite the assassination of Fortuyn which happened days before the election, the LPF emerged with a successful result, thus bringing Nawijn into the Dutch House of Representatives. He was appointed Minister for Integration and Immigration in the first Balkenende cabinet.
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Jacqui Smith
Jacqueline Jill "Jacqui" Smith (born 3 November 1962) is a member of the British Labour Party. She was the Member of Parliament for Redditch from 1997 until 2010, the first female Home Secretary and the third woman to hold one of the Great Offices of State — after Margaret Thatcher (Prime Minister) and Margaret Beckett (Foreign Secretary).
Smith was one of the MPs investigated by the parliamentary commissioner for standards over a variety of inappropriate expense claims Smith, whose case was arguably among the most significant of the MPs' expenses cases but who was never prosecuted, was found to have "clearly" broken the rules on expenses and ordered to apologise. On 5 June 2009, she ceased to be Home Secretary in the Cabinet reshuffle, and then lost her seat as Member of Parliament for Redditch in the 2010 General Election.
Born in Malvern, Worcestershire, Smith attended Dyson Perrins High School in Malvern. Her parents were teachers, and both Labour councillors; although her mother briefly joined the SDP. Her local MP, Conservative backbencher Sir Michael Spicer, recalled in Parliament in 2003 how he had first met her when he was addressing the sixth form at The Chase School, where Smith's mother was a teacher. "So great was my eloquence that she immediately rushed off and joined the Labour Party." Smith read PPE at Hertford College, Oxford and gained a PGCE from Worcester College of Higher Education.
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James Marwick
James Marwick (b. 1862 in Edinburgh, Scotland) was an original founder of an accounting office that became one of the Big Four auditors, KPMG.
Marwick's father was Sir James David Marwick, an Orcadian who was Town Clerk of Glasgow from 1873 to 1904. The young Marwick qualified as a chartered accountant, and began his accounting practice in Glasgow, and travelled to Australia to conduct a bank examination for a group of Scottish investors during the Australian banking crisis in the 1890s.
Marwick later travelled from Australia to Canada and, impressed with business opportunities in North America and cultivating banking clients, he went to the United States in 1894 and began looking for a partner.
Marwick and Roger Mitchell, schoolmates from the University of Glasgow, literally ran into each other on a New York City street in 1897. Mitchell had been sent to the United States to run the family textile business. The two set up a practice together in what has been labeled the perfect "front office/back office partnership."
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Jerry Finnell
Jerry Finnell was a partner in the accounting firm KPMG until retiring in 1995. He was elected to the Del Mar, California city council in 2002, and became mayor in 2004. [1]
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Karen Bradley
Karen Anne Bradley (born 12 March 1970) is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Staffordshire Moorlands, elected at the 2010 general election.
Born Karen Anne Howarth in Newcastle-under-Lyme, she was educated at Buxton Girls' School and Imperial College London, where she graduated with a BSc in mathematics.
In 1991 she joined Deloitte & Touche as a tax manager, after seven years she became a senior tax manager with KPMG. In 2004 she set up business as a fiscal and economic consultant before rejoining KPMG in 2007, where she remained until her election to the House of Commons.
She contested Manchester Withington at the 2005 general election, coming third. She has been a member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee since 2010.
She is married to Neil Bradley, they have two sons and live in Leek.
She was a member of the A-List and was selected in July 2006.
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Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He also served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2010 to 2012. A member of the Australian Labor Party, Rudd has served in the House of Representatives since the 1998 federal election, representing Griffith, Queensland.
Rudd was born in Queensland and grew up on a dairy farm. He joined the Australian Labor Party at the age of 15 and was dux of Nambour State High School in 1974. He studied an arts degree in Asian studies at the Australian National University, majoring in Chinese language and Chinese history. In 1981, he married Thérèse Rein and they have three children. He worked for the Department of Foreign Affairs from 1981 and from 1988 he was Chief of Staff to the Queensland Labor Opposition Leader and later Premier, Wayne Goss. After the Goss government lost office in 1995, Rudd was hired as a Senior China Consultant by the accounting firm KPMG Australia.
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L. Glenn Perry
Lloyd Glenn Perry (October 28, 1944 - October 21, 1998) was the first Chief Accountant of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. His appointment to this post by Ronald Reagan was announced on September 23, 1982 in the SEC News Digest.
He led numerous actions against publicly traded companies for false financial reporting and disclosure known as "cooking the books." Most notable of these was the action against California's Financial Corp. of America. After an investigation by Perry and the SEC, the company was forced to re-report second-quarter profits in 1984 to show a $107.5 million loss instead of a $31.1 million profit. This case is credited with being the first indication of the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s.
He became a recognized expert in policing false financial disclosure and articles written by him such as "Policing Financial Disclosure Fraud: The SEC's Top Priority" are still referenced and used in college accounting text books such as "Accounting Theory" (ISBN 0471189081 LCC: HF5625) edited by Richard G. Schroeder and Myrtle W. Clark and published by John Wiley & Sons.
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Leslie Ferrar
Leslie Jane Ferrar (born July 20, 1955) has been Treasurer to Charles, Prince of Wales since January 2005. Her alleged (but unsubstantiated) behaviour in office has led to her being dubbed 'the grasping treasurer' by a couple of members of the 'Tabloid' press.
Mrs Ferrar is the granddaughter of the author Bruce Marshall and Dr. William Ferrar (D.Sc.) former principal of Hertford College, Oxford. She married her longtime partner, David Unwin at the Lady Chapel, Westminster Cathedral on June 10th, 2011. She was educated at Woldingham School and Durham University where she graduated in Chemistry. In 1996 she attended Harvard Business School's Program for Management Development.
She joined KPMG in 1976, becoming a partner in 1988. Prior to joining the Prince of Wales office in January 2005, she ran the International Expatriates Services group at KPMG as Executive Tax Partner.
Miss Ferrar is a Director of Duchy Originals and is a trustee of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster.
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Macau SAR
Coordinates: 22°10′N 113°33′E / 22.167°N 113.55°E / 22.167; 113.55
Macau (Chinese: 澳門), also spelled Macao ( /məˈkaʊ/), is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong. Macau lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta across from Hong-Kong which is to the east, bordering Guangdong province to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east and south.
The territory's economy is heavily dependent on gambling and tourism, but also includes manufacturing.
Macau is a former Portuguese colony, and is both the first and last European colony in China. Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 16th century and subsequently administered the region until the handover on 20 December 1999. The Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Macau stipulate that Macau operates with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049, fifty years after the transfer. Macau was first lent by the Chinese empire as a trading port in the 16th century, and had to administer the city under Chinese authority and sovereignty. In 1887, Macau became a colony of the Portuguese empire and its sovereignty transferred to the Portuguese.
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Magdalena Forsberg
Magdalena "Magda" Forsberg (born July 25, 1967 in Ullånger, Västernorrland County as Magdalena Wallin) is a former Swedish cross country skier and biathlete. She was the dominating female biathlete from 1997 to 2002, when she retired, winning the Biathlon World Cup for six years straight. She is also a six-times world champion, a two-times Olympic bronze medalist, and holds the record for the most World Cup victories in women's biathlon.
She has been married to Henrik Forsberg since 1996, also a biathlete and cross country skier.
Forsberg competed as a cross country skier from 1988 to 1996. Her best results at the Winter Olympics were in Albertville in 1992 where she finished seventh in the 4×5 km relay and 26th in the 15 km event.
Forsberg's best individual finish at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships was tenth in the 30 km event at Lahti in 1989. In 1987 she was in the Swedish team that finished third in the 4x5 km relay. Her best World cup finish was second in a 10 km event in Finland in 1988.
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Michael Peat
Sir Michael Charles Gerrard Peat, GCVO (born 16 November 1949) was the Principal Private Secretary to Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall between 2002 and 2011.
Peat was born in 1949 and is great-grandson of William Barclay Peat, founder of the accountancy firm of Peat Marwick. He was educated at Eton College and at Trinity College, University of Oxford, where he received an MA degree. He later attended the INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France, and obtained an MBA degree in 1977. He became an Associate Chartered Accountant in 1965 and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in 1975.
Peat joined KPMG Peat Marwick Mitchell in 1972, became a partner in 1985. He led a 1986 study into the financial management of the Royal Household. From 1987 to 1990, he was the auditor of the Privy Purse and administrative adviser to the Royal Household. In 1990, he was appointed Director of Finance and Property Services of the Royal Household, while remaining a partner at KPMG. He retired from KPMG in 1993, and in 1996 was appointed Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the Queen, and Receiver General of the Duchy of Lancaster. He retired from these positions in 2002, when he was appointed as private secretary to the Prince of Wales, taking control of the Office of the Prince of Wales. In 2005 he was made Principal Private Secretary to TRH The Prince of Wales & The Duchess of Cornwall.
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Michael Rake
Sir Michael Rake is Chairman of BT Group, the UK Commission for Employment and Skills and easyJet, as well as a non-executive director of Barclays PLC, McGraw-Hill Inc and the Financial Reporting Council. He is also chairman of the private equity oversight group the Guidelines Monitoring Committee. BT pays him an annual salary of £600,000.
From May 2002 to September 2007 Rake was Chairman of KPMG International. Prior to his appointment as Chairman of KPMG International he was Chairman of KPMG in Europe and Senior Partner of KPMG in the United Kingdom. He joined KPMG in 1974, and worked in Continental Europe before transferring to the Middle East to run the practice for three years in 1986. He transferred to London in 1989, became a member of the UK Board in 1991, had a number of leadership roles in the UK before being elected UK Senior Partner in 1998.
Rake is also a Vice President of the RNIB, a member of the Board of the TransAtlantic Business Dialogue, a member of the CBI International Advisory Board, the Chartered Management Institute, the DTI’s US/UK Regulatory Taskforce, the Advisory Council for Business for New Europe, the Ethnic Minority Employment Taskforce, an Association Member of BUPA, The School of Oriental and African Studies Advisory Board, the Advisory Board of the Judge Institute at the University of Cambridge, Senior Adviser for Chatham House and the Global Advisory Board of the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation. He was Chairman of Business in the Community from 2004-2007 and a member of the board of the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum from 1998 to 2007. Rake is also a Governor of Wellington College and a board member of Guards Polo Club.
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Nanjing
Nanjing (Chinese: 南京; pinyin: Nánjīng; Wade–Giles: Nan-ching) is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions. Its present name means "Southern Capital" and was widely romanized as Nankin and Nanking until the Pinyin language reform, after which Nanjing was gradually adopted as the standard spelling of the city's name in most languages that use the Roman alphabet.
Located in the lower Yangtze River drainage basin and Yangtze River Delta economic zone, Nanjing has long been one of China's most important cities. It is recognized as one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. It was the capital of Sun Quan's Wu during the Three Kingdoms Period and the capital of the Republic of China prior to its flight to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War. Nanjing is also one of the fifteen sub-provincial cities in the People's Republic of China's administrative structure, enjoying jurisdictional and economic autonomy only slightly less than that of a province. Nanjing has long been a national center of education, research, transport networks, and tourism. The city will host the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics.
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Nate Silver
Nathaniel Read "Nate" Silver (born January 13, 1978) is an American statistician, psephologist, and writer. Silver first gained public recognition for developing PECOTA, a system for forecasting the performance and career development of Major League Baseball players, which he sold to and then managed for Baseball Prospectus from 2003 to 2009.
In 2007, writing under the pseudonym "Poblano," Silver began to publish analyses and predictions related to the 2008 United States presidential election. At first this work appeared on the political blog Daily Kos, but in March 2008 Silver established his own website, FiveThirtyEight.com. By summer of that year, after he revealed his identity to his readers, he began to appear as an electoral and political analyst in national print, online, and cable news media.
The accuracy of his November 2008 presidential election predictions—he correctly predicted the winner of 49 of the 50 states—won Silver further attention and commendation. The only state he missed was Indiana, which went for Barack Obama by 0.9%. He also correctly predicted the winner of all 35 Senate races that year.
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Nick Gibb
Nicolas John "Nick" Gibb (born 3 September 1960) is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton. Gibb was appointed Minister of State for Schools in the newly formed Department for Education on 13 May 2010.
Nick Gibb was born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire and was educated at Bedford Modern School, Maidstone Grammar School, Roundhay School Leeds, and Thornes House School Wakefield. He then attended the College of St Hild and St Bede at the University of Durham where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law in 1981. Gibb was a member of the radical libertarian organisation Federation of Conservative Students.
In 1982, Gibb joined NatWest as a trainee accountant, before working on Kibbutz Merom Golam in 1983. In 1984 he joined KPMG as a chartered accountant until his election to parliament. He is Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (FCA).
Gibb worked as an election agent to Cecil Parkinson at the 1987 General Election, and becoming the secretary of the Bethnal Green and Stepney Conservative Association in 1988, becoming its chairman the following year.
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Paul Lieberstein
Paul Bevan Lieberstein (born February 22, 1967)[citation needed] is an American screenwriter, actor and television producer. An Emmy Award winner, he is most widely known as a writer, producer, and as supporting cast member Toby Flenderson on the U.S. version of the sitcom The Office. He has been the series' showrunner since its 5th season. On March 22, 2012, it was announced that Lieberstein will be stepping down from his showrunner role (the 8th season having already wrapped production) to focus on a planned spin-off series featuring Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute, which is tentatively called "The Farm" and Lieberstein will be the showrunner for when/if it becomes an NBC series.
In a SuicideGirls interview, Lieberstein noted that "as an actor, which is just a very small percentage of me, I don’t feel Toby while I’m writing. It’s the hardest of the characters to access." In an interview for his alma mater, Hamilton College, Lieberstein commented on the bigger picture:
On June 12, 2008, Variety magazine reported that he would become one of the executive producers of The Office.
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Paul Tisdale
Paul Robert Tisdale (born 14 January 1973 in Malta) is an English football manager who is currently managing Exeter City and has been since he was appointed in June 2006. He is also a retired professional footballer, after playing for Southampton, Bristol City, FinnPa, Panionios and Yeovil Town.
Tisdale previously managed Team Bath and is statistically the most successful Exeter manager in their history.
A former England youth international, Tisdale came through the youth system at Southampton. He signed as a professional in June 1991. He was loaned out to Northampton Town at the end of the 1991–92 season, where he made 5 league appearances.
He eventually made his Southampton debut in a League Cup game against Huddersfield Town on 5 October 1994. Unfortunately, at this time Southampton were enduring frequent changes of manager and, as a result, Tisdale never had a settled run in the first team. Having played his last senior game for Southampton on 27 April 1996, he again went out on loan in the 1996–97 season, this time to Huddersfield Town, where he made only two appearances.
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Piet Klijnveld
Pieter (Piet) Klijnveld (August 16, 1874, Amsterdam - February 9, 1945) was a Dutch accountant who started a practice that after several mergers would grow into the international accounting firm KPMG.
Klijnveld was the son of Pieter Klijnveld Sr. and Maria Christina Klijnveld and married Cristina Johanna Royaards on August 2, 1906 in Amsterdam. After working at the Amsterdam office of the Twentsche Bank (a precursor of ABN Amro), he opened a small accountancy practice in 1917 in his home on the Viottastraat. It would take a few years before a second office was in use on the Tesselschadestraat. Amsterdam was a bustling trade and investment hub for European and Asian industrialists. Many foreign enterprises, including royalty, governments, and even the Bank of England, traded extensively in Holland at the time, making it an active market for financiers as well as importers and exporters of virtually everything.
Klijnveld became the chief accountant to many of these emerging businesses. To meet the demands of his growing client roster, he teamed up with a local tax firm called Meijburg & Company. One of these accountants was Jaap Kraayenhof, who joined Klynveld and eventually become senior partner of the Dutch firm "Klijnveld Kraayenhof & Co.", abroad usually written as Klynveld Kraayenhof & Co. (KKC).
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Piet Klynveld
Pieter (Piet) Klijnveld (August 16, 1874, Amsterdam - February 9, 1945) was a Dutch accountant who started a practice that after several mergers would grow into the international accounting firm KPMG.
Klijnveld was the son of Pieter Klijnveld Sr. and Maria Christina Klijnveld and married Cristina Johanna Royaards on August 2, 1906 in Amsterdam. After working at the Amsterdam office of the Twentsche Bank (a precursor of ABN Amro), he opened a small accountancy practice in 1917 in his home on the Viottastraat. It would take a few years before a second office was in use on the Tesselschadestraat. Amsterdam was a bustling trade and investment hub for European and Asian industrialists. Many foreign enterprises, including royalty, governments, and even the Bank of England, traded extensively in Holland at the time, making it an active market for financiers as well as importers and exporters of virtually everything.
Klijnveld became the chief accountant to many of these emerging businesses. To meet the demands of his growing client roster, he teamed up with a local tax firm called Meijburg & Company. One of these accountants was Jaap Kraayenhof, who joined Klynveld and eventually become senior partner of the Dutch firm "Klijnveld Kraayenhof & Co.", abroad usually written as Klynveld Kraayenhof & Co. (KKC).
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Reinhard Goerdeler
Reinhard Goerdeler (1922–1996) was a German accountant who was instrumental in founding KPMG, the leading international firm of accountants. Goerdeler was born in Königsberg, East Prussia (today Kaliningrad) as the son of Königsberg's second mayor Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, a leading anti-Nazi activist.
While his father was on trial at the Volksgerichtshof after the 20 July plot, Goerdeler and his family were imprisoned by the Nazis at the Dachau concentration camp and in late April 1945 transferred to Tyrol together with about 140 other prominent inmates, where the SS left the prisoners behind. He was liberated by the Fifth U.S. Army on May 5, 1945.
After leaving full-time education, Goerdeler joined Deutsche Treuhand-Gesellschaft ('DTG') and worked his way up to the position of Chairman in which role he sought to expand the firm into an international network which could service his largest clients. His efforts led him to found Klynveld Main Goerdeler in 1979 and KPMG in 1987.
He went on to become chairman of KPMG. Dr. Goerdeler was also the first President of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), the global organization for the accountancy profession. In retirement he was a trustee of the Max Reger Institute until he died on 3 January 1996.
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Rita Verdonk
Maria Cornelia Frederika "Rita" Verdonk (born October 18, 1955) is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) later her own formed Proud of the Netherlands (Trots). She served as Minister for Integration and Immigration in Cabinets Balkenende II and III. During her time as Minister for Integration and Immigration she was considered to be the most powerful and influential Minister of the Cabinets Balkenende II and III. In 2006 after the Minister of Justice Piet Hein Donner resigned following a Netherlands Safety Board enquiry into a fire at a cell block near Schiphol Airport, she served as Minister of Justice from September 21, 2006 till September 22, 2006.
After the Dutch general election of 2006, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy lost seats and became the leading Opposition party against the Cabinet Balkenende IV. Verdonk became a Member of the House of Representatives, but after continuing disagreement with Party leader Mark Rutte she was expelled from the parliamentary faction of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy on September 13, 2007. One month later she cancelled her membership, after a reconciliation attempt failed and the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy party board initiated a procedure of exclusion. In October 2007, she announced the creation of her own political movement, Proud of the Netherlands (Dutch: Trots op Nederland). She was the Lijsttrekker of the Proud of the Netherlands party for the Dutch general election of 2010, but didn't win any seats. On October 21, 2011 she announced her retirement from politics, leaving the future of the Proud of the Netherlands party unknown.
wn.com/Rita_Verdonk -
Salmaan Taseer
Salmaan Taseer (Urdu, Punjabi: سلمان تاثیر; M31 May 1944 – 4 January 2011) was a Pakistani businessman and politician who served as the 26th governor of the province of Punjab from 2008 until his assassination in early 2011.
A member of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), he had served also as a minister in the caretaker cabinet of Prime Minister Muhammad Mian Soomro under Pervez Musharraf. Taseer was also the chairman and CEO of the First Capital and Worldcall Group.
He was appointed to the post of governor on 15 May 2008, in place of outgoing governor Lt Gen (R) Khalid Maqbool, by then-President Musharraf at the request of the PPP establishment.
On 4 January 2011, Taseer was assassinated in Islamabad by his own security guard Mumtaz Qadri, who disagreed with Taseer's opposition to Pakistan's blasphemy law.
Salmaan Taseer was born on 31 May 1944, in Simla Kashmir , British India His Forefathers were from Amritsar and His father was Muhammad Din Taseer popularly known as M D Taseer who was born at Ajnala, Amritsar from His Grandfather Peasant named Mian Atta ud Din.. His father, Muhammad Din Taseer, or M D Taseer a Professor at MAO College Amritsar obtained his PhD in the United Kingdom and was a close friend of Allama Iqbal who had Tied the Knot of His Friend M D Taseer and His Wife Christobel Taseers Islamic Nikah Marriage Ceremony . His late mother Bilqis Christobel Taseer ,an Englishwoman, was the sister of late Alys Faiz, a writer and poet who herself was the wife of renowned Urdu poet late Faiz Ahmad Faiz. His father Professor M D Taseer at MAO College Amritsar died when he was six years old and he and his two sisters , one is Salmaa Mahmud Taseer were brought up in relative poverty by their mother Christobel Taseer.
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Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the largest city proper by population in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities of the PRC, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010. It is a global city, with influence in commerce, culture, finance, media, fashion, technology, and transport. It is a major financial center and the busiest container port in the world.
Located in the Yangtze River Delta in eastern China, Shanghai sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River in the middle portion of the Chinese coast. The municipality borders Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces to the west, and is bounded to the east by the East China Sea.
Once a fishing and textiles town, Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th century due to European recognition of its favorable port location and economic potential. The city was one of several opened to foreign trade following the British victory over China in the first opium war and the subsequent 1842 Treaty of Nanking which allowed the establishment of the Shanghai International Settlement. The city then flourished as a center of commerce between east and west, and became the undisputed financial hub of the Asia Pacific in the 1930s. However, with the Communist Party takeover of the mainland in 1949, the city's international influence declined. In the 1990s, the economic reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping resulted in an intense re-development of the city, aiding the return of finance and foreign investment to the city.
wn.com/Shanghai -
Steve Bracks
Stephen Philip "Steve" Bracks AC (born 15 October 1954) is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party and was party leader and premier from 1999 to 2007.
Bracks led Labor in Victoria to minority government at the 1999 election, defeating the incumbent Jeff Kennett Liberal and National coalition government. Labor was returned with a majority government after a landslide win at the 2002 election. Labor was elected for a third term at the 2006 election with a substantial but reduced majority. Bracks is the longest-serving Labor premier in Victorian history. The treasurer, John Brumby, became Labor leader and premier in 2007 when Bracks retired from politics.
Steve Bracks was born in Ballarat, where his family owns a fashion business. He is a Lebanese Australian; his paternal grandfather, whose family name was Barakat, came to Australia as a child from Zahlé in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon in the 1890s.
wn.com/Steve_Bracks -
Syd Kessler
Syd Kessler began as a writer for Chuck Blor Creative Services. During the 60’s and 70’s, this company was considered to be the number one creative radio commercial production company in the U.S. In 1970-71, Hatus/Hall–the producers of the legendary game show Let's Make a Deal – hired him to develop a game show (The Crosswits) styled after a crossword puzzle. This show ran on ABC for 6 seasons.
Syd then started his own business and was president of Kessler Productions between 1974–78, producing and writing creative radio commercials exclusively for the Canadian marketplace. The company continued to grow and Syd took in other partners. The company changed its name to Kessler Music Inc. and Syd served as president until 1981, when he merged with the two top audio production companies in Canada and became the dominant player in the marketplace. This new company was called The Air Company, and Syd was its president from 1981 to 1988. In this period, the company won Canadian and International awards such as the I.B.A.s, The Bessies, The One Show, etc.
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Time 100
Time 100 is an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, as assembled by Time. First published in 1999 as a result of a debate among several academics, the list has become an annual event.
The list was started with a debate at a symposium in Washington, D.C., on February 1, 1998, with panel participants CBS news anchor Dan Rather, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, former New York governor Mario Cuomo, then–political science professor Condoleezza Rice, neoconservative publisher Irving Kristol and Time managing editor Walter Isaacson.
The list was first published in 1999, when Time magazine named the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Based on the popularity of the installment, in 2004 Time magazine decided to make it an annual issue, listing the 100 people most influencing the world. Making the list is frequently mistaken as an honor; however, Time makes it very clear that people are recognized for changing the world, for better or for worse. Those recognized fall in one of five categories: Leaders & Revolutionaries, Builders & Titans, Artists & Entertainers, Scientists & Thinkers, and Heroes & Icons. Within each category, the 20 most influential people (sometimes pairs or small groups) are selected, for a grand total of 100 each year.
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Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko (Ukrainian: Ві́ктор Андрі́йович Ю́щенко (help·info); born February 23, 1954) is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution. He failed to secure a runoff spot during the 2010 Ukrainian presidential election.
As an informal leader of the Ukrainian opposition coalition, he was one of the two main candidates in the October–November 2004 Ukrainian presidential election. Yushchenko won the presidency through a repeat runoff election between him and Viktor Yanukovych, the government-supported candidate. The Ukrainian Supreme Court called for the runoff election to be repeated because of widespread election fraud in favor of Viktor Yanukovych in the original vote. Yushchenko won in the revote (52% to 44%). Public protests prompted by the electoral fraud played a major role in that presidential election and led to Ukraine's Orange Revolution.
Following an assassination attempt in late 2004, Yushchenko was confirmed to have ingested hazardous amounts of TCDD, the most potent dioxin and a contaminant in Agent Orange. He suffered disfigurement as a result of the poisoning, but has been slowly recovering in recent years.
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William Barclay Peat
Sir William Barclay Peat (1852 - 1936) was born on the 15th February 1852 in Forebank St Cyrus, Kincardine, Scotland. He was the second son of James Peat and Margaret Barclay (of the banking family that built Barclays Bank, one of England's largest). Born of privilege, Peat studied law at the prestigious Montrose Academy in Scotland, but he did not enter the legal profession.
Instead, the eager 17-year-old moved to London in 1870 to seek his fortune. He was hired as a junior accounting clerk for a London firm and quickly rose through the ranks, earning partnership at the age of 24.
On the 29th December 1873, Peat married Edith Roberts (d. 1929) and together they had six children.
In 1891, Peat assumed leadership of the firm, renamed it William Barclay Peat & Company, and ignited an accounting legacy that has endured until today.
"The Peat family kept the partnership going with a requirement that the senior partner needed to be a Peat for at least three generations," says Roger White, a retired KPMG partner and unofficial organization historian who wrote the book Peats to KPMG - Gracious Family to Global Firm, which was published in 2004 in the United Kingdom. In fact, three of Peat's sons, Sir Harry, Roderick and Charles all later became partners in the firm. The Peat name lives on today in the world of accounting. His son Charles Urie Peat was MP for Darlington and served as Principle Private Secretary to Winston Churchill during the Second World War.
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Wouter Bos
Wouter Jacob Bos (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈʋʌutər ˈbɔs]; (born July 14, 1963) is a retired Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and management consultant. He served as a Member of the House of Representatives from May 19, 1998 until March 24, 2000 when he became State Secretary for Finance in the Cabinet Kok II following the resignation of Willem Vermeend who became Minister of Social Affairs and Employment. He returned to the House of Representatives on May 23, 2002 following the Dutch general election of 2002. The Labour Party suffered a landslide defeat in the election losing 23 seats, then Party leader Ad Melkert was blamed for the defeat and resigned. Bos announced his candidacy for the Labour Party leadership election and won by a landslide with 60% of the votes. Bos became the Labour Party party leader on November 19, 2002 and the Parliamentary leader of Labour Party in the House of Representatives on November 19, 2002 and became the lijsttrekker for the Dutch general election of 2003. The Labour Party was the largest winner of the election, gaining 19 seats (from 23 to 42) and became the second largest party in the House of Representatives. After a failed cabinet formation a new cabinet was formed with out the Labour Party. Bos served as opposition leader during the parliamentary period of the Cabinets Balkenende II and III. For the Dutch general election of 2006 Bos again as lijsttrekker lost 9 seats but the Labour Party remained the second largest party with 33 seats. The following cabinet formation resulted in a coalition agreement which formed the Cabinet Balkenende IV, comprising the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), Labour Party (PvdA) and the ChristianUnion (CU). Bos became Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister, the cabinet took office on February 22, 2007. The cabinet fell on February 20, 2010 as the result of disagreement between CDA and Labour Party over the extension of ISAF mission in Afghanistan. Bos resigned his position as Party leader and retired from active politics.
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Xiamen
Xiamen (Mandarin pronunciation: [ɕjâmə̌n]), also known as Amoy /əˈmɔɪ/, is a major city on the southeast (Taiwan Strait) coast of the People's Republic of China. It is administered as a sub-provincial city of Fujian province with an area of 1575.16 km2 and population of 3.61 million. Its built up area is now bigger than the old urban island area and covers now all 6 districts of Xiamen (Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, Haicang and recently Xiang'an), for a total of 3,531,147 inhabitants. It borders Quanzhou to the north and Zhangzhou making with this city a unique built up area of more than 5 million people. The Jinmen (Kinmen) Islands administered by the Republic of China (Taiwan) are less than 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away.
Xiamen and the surrounding southern Fujian countryside are the ancestral home to large communities of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia and Taiwan. The city was a treaty port in the 19th century and one of the four original Special Economic Zones opened to foreign investment and trade when China began economic reforms in the early 1980s. It is endowed with educational and cultural institutions supported by the overseas Chinese diaspora. In 2006, Xiamen was ranked as China's second 'most suitable city for living'.
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Yvo de Boer
Yvo de Boer (born June 12, 1954) was the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 4 September 2006 to 1 July 2010 the body responsible for a multi-lateral response to the climate change challenge. He had been appointed by then Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 10 August 2006. De Boer announced on February 18, 2010 that he would resign from the position effective July 1, 2010 NYT Editorial to join accountancy firm KPMG as its Special Global Advisor, Climate Change and Sustainability and global ambassador. In 2011, he was appointed to chair the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Climate Change.
Alongside his work for KPMG, de Boer is currently Professional Fellow at the University of Maastricht and is a certified mediator. He is a Member of the Board of the Centre for Clean Air Policy, a Council Member of the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (and co-chair of the taskforce on Climate and Energy), a member of the Green Growth Leaders, a member of the Capital Markets Climate Initiative steering group (established by UK Climate Minister Greg Barker), a Board Member of the Carbon Markets International Association, a member of the International Advisory Group of the Rotterdam Climate Initiative, as well as a Board member of the Carbon Markets International Association. Mr. de Boer received a knighthood from her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands in 2009 and the Dutch Climate Award in 2010.
wn.com/Yvo_de_Boer
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Life at KPMG
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:32
- Updated: 18 Nov 2012
Wondering what Life at KPMG is like? From working to hanging out at the Clubhouse, let Alex Phua show you what a week in his life is like.
http://wn.com/Life_at_KPMG
We work at KPMG
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:57
- Updated: 29 Sep 2012
Looking for a great place to build your career? At KPMG, your career has every opportunity to accelerate. Because KPMG can take you around the world and provide global connections wherever you want to be. Because KPMG is focused on building tomorrow's leaders. And because the people at KPMG make it a fun place to work. Check out www.kpmg-go.com to see how you can build a great career.
http://wn.com/We_work_at_KPMG
KPMG Switzerland - Cutting Through Complexity
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:02
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
Do you want to know what really happens behind the scenes at KPMG? High performing people cut through complexity to deliver clear solutions that our clients value.
http://wn.com/KPMG_Switzerland_Cutting_Through_Complexity
KPMG - Passionate : Keep Calm, Carry On
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:19
- Updated: 15 Nov 2012
A short film about Nikhil. Employee in Forensic at KPMG Risk Consulting and Special Constable made as part of the KPMG Passionate project. Nikhil Manek uses forensic analysis skills to help clients at KPMG. Outside of work he uses those same skills on the streets of London as a Special Constable in the Metropolitan Police. Nikhil's calm and methodical approach serves him well in either role.
http://wn.com/KPMG_Passionate_Keep_Calm,_Carry_On
KPMG, Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Accenture, Ernst & Young, Capgemini (Oct 2011-2)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:58
- Updated: 10 Nov 2012
Latest Video News From Big Four Accounting and Consulting Firms - Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PwC, Accenture, Capgemini, Grant Thornton, McGladrey, BDO, CBIZ, Protiviti (14)
http://wn.com/KPMG,_Deloitte,_PricewaterhouseCoopers,_Accenture,_Ernst_Young,_Capgemini_Oct_2011-2
Traveling Green at KPMG
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:58
- Updated: 06 Nov 2012
Find out how KPMG reduced its carbon footprint by providing green alternatives to business travel!
http://wn.com/Traveling_Green_at_KPMG
Restoring public faith in the financial sector | KPMG
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:27
- Updated: 09 Nov 2012
What would it take for customers to be happy with the banks again? KPMG asks that question to consumers on the streets of London. Bill Michael, Head of Financial Services, KPMG in the UK, explains how he thinks banks could respond.
http://wn.com/Restoring_public_faith_in_the_financial_sector_|_KPMG
Become an audit trainee at KPMG
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:19
- Updated: 16 Sep 2012
Why KPMG? you may ask yourself. Why build a career at KPMG? You will find we offer exciting, endless career opportunities. You will become one of the best. And you will gain valuable insight into the commercial world. These are just some of the reasons for choosing KPMG.
http://wn.com/Become_an_audit_trainee_at_KPMG
You and KPMG. A Perfect Fit.
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:57
- Updated: 25 May 2012
Find out why KPMG could be your Perfect Fit.
http://wn.com/You_and_KPMG_A_Perfect_Fit
KPMG UK - Passionate : Extra Time
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:40
- Updated: 19 Oct 2012
A film about KPMG Risk Consulting employee Ben Mayhew made as part of the KPMG Passionate project. An avid supporter of Torquay United Football Club, Ben Mayhew has combined skills in risk, data analysis and blogging with a good old passion for his local club to unite TUFC supporters around the world
http://wn.com/KPMG_UK_Passionate_Extra_Time
KPMG Big Blue Kick, Canary Wharf, London, 18 May 2012
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 11:30
- Updated: 28 Sep 2012
At 11:30 on 18 May 2012, KPMG staff across the UK took part in a synchronised taekwondo display to raise money for Barnado's. Called "The Big Blue Kick", they were also trying to break the world record for the most people participating in synchronised taekwondo at once. And they did it! Not only are they now the world record holders, they also raised £50000 for Barnado's. Well done! This is footage from the London display, which took place in Montgomery Square, Canary Wharf, London.
http://wn.com/KPMG_Big_Blue_Kick,_Canary_Wharf,_London,_18_May_2012
KPMG's International Case Competition 2012/2013
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- Duration: 4:17
- Updated: 19 Nov 2012
KPMG's International Case Competition 2012/2013 could be the opportunity you've been looking for. Take the leap -- you never know what you could achieve or how far you could go. Learn more about the many benefits you'll take away from this experience.
http://wn.com/KPMG's_International_Case_Competition_2012_2013
KPMG's Human & Social Services Global Center of Excellence
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:19
- Updated: 08 Nov 2012
Did you know that 2 billion people will be 60 years and older by 2050? That's more than triple the number in 2000. Or, that 15% of the world's population has some form of disability? And, 43 million children under the age of 5 are overweight? Governments around the world are facing significant shifts in society and demography, which is forcing them to rethink the way they are responding to these shifts and the way they deliver services. Learn more about the trends in the human and social services sector and insights from KPMG's experienced global network of professionals.
http://wn.com/KPMG's_Human_Social_Services_Global_Center_of_Excellence
KPMG Social Media Guidelines - Think Global, Think Social
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:38
- Updated: 02 Nov 2012
Social media is as much about the individual as it is about the brand. Empowering 145000 partners and employees to use social media across a global network of member firms demonstrates our vision of enabling the business through our people. We want to encourage all employees to engage in social media; professionally, honestly and effectively.
http://wn.com/KPMG_Social_Media_Guidelines_Think_Global,_Think_Social
KPMG: how to impress at interviews
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:22
- Updated: 20 Oct 2012
KPMG talk about how students can impress at interview for their company, and what to avoid! More advice and guidance at www.manchester.ac.uk/careers
http://wn.com/KPMG_how_to_impress_at_interviews
Mickelson Attempts KPMG Chip4Charity
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:55
- Updated: 06 Nov 2012
Phil attempted an end zone to end zone 100 yard chip shot at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium where the Chargers faced off against division rivals, Denver Broncos. Find out more about Phil's Blue Hat and how you can get involved at: www.philsbluehat.com
http://wn.com/Mickelson_Attempts_KPMG_Chip4Charity
KPMG, E&Y;, PwC, Deloitte Latest Consulting & Accounting Firm News (Big4.com Jan 2012-4)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:26
- Updated: 17 Aug 2012
Latest Video News From Big Four Accounting and Consulting Firms - Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PwC, Accenture, Capgemini
http://wn.com/KPMG,_E&Y;,_PwC,_Deloitte_Latest_Consulting_Accounting_Firm_News_Big4com_Jan_2012-4
KPMG New Hires | Why KPMG?
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:01
- Updated: 14 Jun 2012
Hear from some of KPMG's new hires as they talk about why they chose to start and build their careers with KPMG. Shot on location in Athens, Greece at a KPMG training event.
http://wn.com/KPMG_New_Hires_|_Why_KPMG?
KPMG: Fiscal Cliff Won't Stop Australian Debt Markets
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:46
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
Financial analysts are debating the impact that the fiscal cliff will pose for debt markets. Debt markets throughout the country were forced to shut down during the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis. Australian investors looking to purchase debt instruments were forced to look at options through markets overseas. Others investors were forced to flock to equity securities. Over $100 billion worth of new equities were sold during the aftermath of the financial crisis.
http://wn.com/KPMG_Fiscal_Cliff_Won't_Stop_Australian_Debt_Markets
![Team Vietnam [KPMG International Case Competition 2012]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121123005550im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/qO2g92UzEis/default.jpg "Team Vietnam [KPMG International Case Competition 2012]")
Team Vietnam [KPMG International Case Competition 2012]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:05
- Updated: 21 Sep 2012
http://wn.com/Team_Vietnam_KPMG_International_Case_Competition_2012_
Go Beyond | KPMG International Case Competition 2013
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:32
- Updated: 12 Nov 2012
In 2013, have an epic adventure you'll remember forever. Build your business sckills and stand out from the crowd. The KPMG International Case Competition will be hosted in Madrid, Spain in April 2013. Learn more about how you could represent Canada on the global stage at www.kpmg.ca/acethecase.
http://wn.com/Go_Beyond_|_KPMG_International_Case_Competition_2013
KPMG Hosting Forums for Bermuda Asset Managers Over New Regulations
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:42
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
KPMG has warned asset managers that regulators in Europe and the United States are imposing a number of new regulations on the financial industry. These regulations are expected to create a number of financial challenges for financial asset managers. Craig Bridgewater is the managing director of investments for KPMG in Bermuda. Bridgewater said that KPMG is committed to helping them overcome these challenges in the coming years.
http://wn.com/KPMG_Hosting_Forums_for_Bermuda_Asset_Managers_Over_New_Regulations
KPMG auditors find S'gor-Talam deal above board
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:17
- Updated: 10 Sep 2012
Independent auditors have found that the Selangor government had made "sound commercial decisions" in its debt recovery exercise from Talam Corporation Bhd. "It was purely a debt settlement arrangement. "(Audit firm) KPMG is of the view that Selangor made a sound commercial decision under the circumstances... at that point in time," KPMG's report as read out by Selangor MB Abdul Khalid Ibrahim noted. Camera/Editing: Fendi Zulkfley Story:www.malaysiakini.com www.malaysiakini.com
http://wn.com/KPMG_auditors_find_S'gor-Talam_deal_above_board
photo: AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais
20 Nov 2012
Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling President Barack Obama's whirlwind tour of southeast Asia and meetings with dignitaries will have to walk a tightrope between either appearing to endorse military juntas or truly being committed to ongoing pro-democracy movements. Specifically at issue is Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi, a democratic advocate...(size: 5.0Kb)
photo: AP / Hatem Moussa
19 Nov 2012
Gaza/Jerusalem - Israel bombed dozens of targets in the Gaza Strip on Monday and said that while it was prepared to step up its offensive by sending in troops, it preferred a diplomatic solution that would end Palestinian rocket fire. Mediator Egypt said a deal for a truce to end the fighting could be close. The leader of Hamas said it was up to...(size: 4.1Kb)
photo: AP / Melanie Gouby
21 Nov 2012
Hundreds of government soldiers and police in the Democratic Republic of Congo have surrendered to rebels at a stadium in Goma, Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri has reported from the scene. The M23 rebel group, believed to be backed by Rwanda seized the strategic, provincial capital of Goma in eastern Congo on Tuesday, home to more than 1 million...(size: 18.7Kb)
photo: AP / Sebastian D'souza
21 Nov 2012
MUMBAI, India - India executed the lone surviving gunman from the 2008 terror attack on Mumbai early Wednesday, India's home ministry said. Ajmal Kasab, a Pakistani citizen, was one of 10 gunmen who rampaged through the streets of India's financial capital in November 2008, killing 166 people. Kasab was hung at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at a jail in...(size: 4.5Kb)
photo: AP / Emilio Morenatti
22 Nov 2012
A new battle is underway in Pakistan with its powerful military front-and-centre, but the fight is not against armed insurgents or ideological extremists - this opponent is a muscle-flexing Supreme Court. For the first time in decades, the military's iron grip over the South Asian country has been challenged, and it remains to be seen if it will...(size: 23.7Kb)
Bloomberg
23 Nov 2012
Rockwell Collins Inc. (COL) has tied up with Tata Power Co. (TPWR) to bid for an Indian Air Force contract as the aerospace-equipment maker seeks to boost sales outside home amid curbs in U.S. military spending. Rockwell Collins is planning more partnerships in India for future deals, TC Chan, managing director for Asia Pacific, said in a Nov. 21...(size: 3.7Kb)
All Africa
22 Nov 2012
WorldNetDaily
22 Nov 2012
(Thomson Reuters News & Insight) General counsels see regulation as the biggest risk facing their companies today,...(size: 0.8Kb)
BBC News
22 Nov 2012
Proposals for a new green space and office development for Leeds city centre have been approved by planners. The £2.5m park...(size: 0.8Kb)
BBC News
22 Nov 2012
Scotland and Northern Ireland have almost double the rate of "zombie" companies than the rest of the UK, according to research by insolvency trade body R3. A total of 30,600, or 18%, of Scottish and Northern Irish businesses reported they were only just staying afloat. This was double the UK average of 9% and the highest figure for any UK area. A...(size: 3.3Kb)
San Francisco Chronicle
22 Nov 2012
Deloitte said that it didn't find any evidence of improper accounting methods or misrepresentations when it last looked at Autonomy's finances before Hewlett-Packard bought the software company. The denial comes after Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Officer Meg...(size: 1.7Kb)
Belfast Telegraph
22 Nov 2012
One subject is set to dominate next yearâs G8 summit â the state of the worldâs economy. The irony will not be lost on many, then, that the meeting of leaders is taking place in Northern Irelandâs most high-profile victim of the global economic slump. The Lough Erne Golf Resort and Spa in Enniskillen is currently in the hands of receivers...(size: 2.6Kb)
New Straits/Business Times
22 Nov 2012
PRICE TAG: MCA bureau chief claims that private valuer had overpriced land by three times MCA Young Professionals Bureau chief Datuk Chua Tee Yong showing documents related to the Talam issue in Putrajaya yesterday. 1 / 1 PUTRAJAYA: THE white paper on the Talam issue, which was tabled at the Selangor assembly on Tuesday, has raised more...(size: 3.2Kb)
New Straits/Business Times
22 Nov 2012
RM345M PRICE TAG: MCA bureau chief claims that private valuer had overpriced land by three times MCA Young Professionals Bureau chief Datuk Chua Tee Yong showing documents related to the Talam issue in Putrajaya yesterday. 1 / 1 PUTRAJAYA: THE white paper on the Talam issue, which was tabled at the Selangor assembly on Tuesday, has raised...(size: 3.2Kb)
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22 Nov 2012
TORONTO - The Salvation Army has been overwhelmed by offers to help since news spread of the theft of some $2 million worth of toys and donations, the Christian charity said. It's believed as many as 100,000 toys were stolen over an almost two-year period from the charity's warehouse. The Salvation Army says it only learned of the thefts after a...(size: 8.9Kb)
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TORONTO, Nov. 22, 2012 /CNW/ - Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is pleased with the release of the Anti-Fraud Task Force Report and calls on the Ontario government to implement the recommendations contained in the report. "We applaud the Steering Committee for its hard work on this report," says Ralph Palumbo, Vice President, Ontario with IBC....(size: 3.6Kb)
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(Reuters) - Forget that Turkey trot. Thanksgiving is now the start of the annual U.S. holiday shopping endurance race, as more stores open on Thursday's national holiday to seek a bigger share of spending that is expected to grow slowly this season. Target Corp has joined Wal-Mart and Gap Inc in being open at least part of the day, and some...(size: 5.5Kb)
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* Walmart "Black Friday" deals at 8 p.m., Target open at 9 * NRF sees holiday sales up 4.1 pct, down from 2011 increase * Best Buy, J.C. Penney under heavy scrutiny By Brad Dorfman Nov 22 (Reuters) - Forget that Turkey trot. Thanksgiving is now the start of the annual U.S. holiday shopping endurance race, as more stores open on Thursday's national...(size: 4.6Kb)
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| Type | Swiss Cooperative |
|---|---|
| Industry | Professional services |
| Founded | 1987; merger of Peat Marwick International and Klynveld Main Goerdeler |
| Headquarters | Amstelveen, Netherlands (global)[1] |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people | Michael Andrew (Chairman) |
| Services | Audit Tax Advisory |
| Revenue |  US$22.7 billion (2011)[2] |
| Employees | 145,000[2] |
| Website | KPMG.com |
KPMG is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY) and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amstelveen, Netherlands.[1]
KPMG employs 145,000 people[2] and has three lines of services: audit, tax, and advisory. Its advisory services are further divided into three service groups - Management Consulting, Risk Consulting, and Transaction & Restructuring.
Contents |
History[link]
Early years and mergers[link]
File:345 park1.jpg
Headquarters of KPMG LLP, the United States-based member firm of KPMG International, at 345 Park Avenue, New York City, New York.
The firm was established in 1870 when William Barclay Peat formed an accounting firm in London.[3] In 1877 accountancy firm Thomson McLintock opened an office in Glasgow[3] and in 1911 William Barclay Peat & Co. and Marwick Mitchell & Co. merged to form Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co, later known as Peat Marwick.
File:PeatMarwickLogo.jpg
125px
Meanwhile in 1917 Piet Klijnveld opened his accounting-firm in Amsterdam. Later he merged with Kraayenhof to form Klynveld Kraayenhof & Co.
In 1979 Klynveld Kraayenhof & Co. (Netherlands), Thomson McLintock (United States) and Deutsche Treuhandgesellschaft (Germany) formed KMG (Klynveld Main Goerdeler) as a grouping of independent national practices to create a strong European-based international firm.[3] Then in 1987 KMG and Peat Marwick joined forces in the first mega-merger of large accounting firms and formed a firm called KPMG in the US, and most of the rest of the world, and Peat Marwick McLintock in the UK.[3]
In 1990 the two firms settled on the common name of KPMG Peat Marwick McLintock but in 1991 the firm was renamed KPMG Peat Marwick and in 1999 the name was reduced again to KPMG.
In 1997 KPMG and Ernst & Young announced that they were to merge. However, while the merger to form PricewaterhouseCoopers was granted regulatory approval, the KPMG/Ernst & Young tie-up was later abandoned.[4]
Recent history[link]
In 2001 KPMG divested its U.S. consulting firm through an initial public offering of KPMG Consulting Inc, which is now called BearingPoint, Inc.[5] In early 2009, BearingPoint filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and proceeded to sell portions of the firm to Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and other parties.[6]
The UK and Dutch consulting arms were sold to Atos Origin in 2002.[7]
In 2003 KPMG divested itself of its legal arm, Klegal[8] and KPMG LLP sold its Dispute Advisory Services to FTI Consulting.[9]
KPMG's member firms in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein merged to form KPMG Europe LLP in October 2007. These member firms were followed by Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, CIS (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Georgia), Turkey, Norway, and Saudi Arabia.[10] They appointed joint Chairmen, John Griffith-Jones and Ralf Nonnenmacher.[3] The new headquarters were located in Frankfurt, Germany.
It was announced in December 2008 that two of Tremont Group’s Rye Select funds, audited by KPMG, had $2.37 billion invested with the Madoff "Ponzi scheme."[11] Class action suits were filed.[12]
Global structure[link]
Each national KPMG firm is an independent legal entity and is a member of KPMG International Cooperative, a Swiss entity registered in the Swiss Canton of Zug. KPMG International changed its legal structure from a Swiss Verein to a co-operative under Swiss law in 2003.[13]
This structure in which the Cooperative provides support services only to the member firms is similar to other professional services networks. The member firms provide the services to client. The purpose is to limit the liability of each independent member.[14]
KPMG International is led by:[15]
- Michael Andrew, Chairman, KPMG International
- Alan Buckle, Deputy Chairman, KPMG International
- Rolf Nonnenmacher, Chairman, Europe, Middle East, Africa and India Region
- John Veihmeyer, Chairman, Americas Region
- Hideyo Uchiyama, Chairman, Asia Pacific Region
Michael Andrew, previously Chairman of KPMG in Australia, assumed the Global Chairmanship in September 2011 and is based in Hong Kong. This is the first time a Big Four accounting organisation has had its global leader based in Asia Pacific.[16]
KPMG in China[link]
KPMG in China has 13 offices (including KPMG Advisory (China) Limited) in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Qingdao, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR, with around 9,000 professionals.[17][18] Stephen Yiu is the Chairman of KPMG China.[19][20]
Services[link]
KPMG offers the following services:[21]
- Audit:
- Financial Statement Audit
- Regulatory Audit
- Tax: Business and Personal Tax services
- Advisory: KPMG's advisory services are organized into three themes (growth, governance and performance) and nine service lines:
- Accounting Advisory Services
- Business Performance Services
- Corporate Finance
- Financial Risk Management Services
- Forensic
- Internal Audit, Risk and Compliance Services (IARCS)
- IT Advisory
- Restructuring
- Recruitment
- Transaction Services (M&A and Strategy)
- Others:
- Global China Practice [24]
Awards[link]
- 2011 World's Best Outsourcing Advisors - in recognition of the firm's depth of experience, global reach and holistic approach.[25]
- Inducted into Working Mother Hall of Fame after being honored for 15 years as one of Working Mother magazine's 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers.[26]
- International Tax Review Asia Tax Awards, 2008-2010 - in recognition of the accomplishments of KPMG's Tax Services and Global Transfer Pricing Services team.[27] KPMG China was awarded the 2010 Hong Kong Tax Firm of the Year and the 2010 China Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year at the International Tax Review's 2010 Asia Tax Awards ceremony in Singapore on 23 November 2010.[28] KPMG's global transfer pricing services in China and Hong Kong is headed by Chi Cheng.[29][30][31]
- Top 2 overall in Consultancy Rankings 2009 by OpRisk & Compliance - in recognition of KPMG's experience in risk management.[32]
- World's most attractive employers, 2010 - ranked Second, and First of the Big Four - in recognition of KPMG's efforts of being an Employer of Choice.[33]
Name and branding[link]
Roots for the name KPMG stem from the names of four partners who merged their own independent accounting firms:
- K stands for Klynveld, after Piet Klynveld, founder of the accounting firm Klynveld Kraayenhof & Co. in Amsterdam in 1917.
- P stands for Peat, after William Barclay Peat, founder of the accounting firm William Barclay Peat & Co. in London in 1870.
- M stands for Marwick, after James Marwick, co-founder of the accounting firm Marwick, Mitchell & Co. in New York City in 1897.
- G stands for Goerdeler, after Reinhard Goerdeler, chairman of the German accounting firm Deutsche Treuhand-Gesellschaft (DTG) and, later, chairman of KPMG.
International Publications[link]
KPMG distributes a number of publications online and in print. The Corporate and Indirect Tax Rate Survey analyzes current rates incurred by international business and compares them with their equivalents of years past.[34] Similarly, the Individual Income Tax and Social Security Rate Survey compares rates with those of years past in jurisdictions around the world.[35] Competitive Alternatives is primarily focused on analyzing international business costs and acts as a guide to comparing international business site locations in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.[36] Exploring Global Frontiers - The New Emerging Destinations is a report focused on analyzing international locations for IT outsourcing.[37]
KPMG in China produces many publications on industry trends in both English and Chinese and these can be found on the China firm website.[38]
Staff[link]
The US branch of KPMG was rated one of the top 10 companies for working mothers.[39] It is also ranked No. 56 on Fortune Magazine's list of 100 Best Companies to Work For, voted for by employees.[40]
KPMG ranks No. 5 out of 125 among companies with the best training programmes according to "Training Magazine".[41]
KPMG was the preferred employer among the Big Four accounting firms according to College Grad.com.[42] It was also ranked No.4 on the list of "50 Best Places to Launch a Career" in 2009 according to BusinessWeek.[43]
In 2008 KPMG in the UK was named the best big company to work for by The Times. This was the fourth consecutive year that KPMG has made the top three.[44]
In 2009 in the UK, KPMG introduced a programme known as 'Flexible Futures'. This allowed staff to volunteer to give the firm the option to either send them on a sabbatical at 30% pay for up to 12 weeks, or to reduce their working hours to 4 days a week. The option remains open to the firm until October 2010. This facility has been invoked by the firm in some departments. KPMG publicised this as innovative and an alternative approach to redundancies.[45] Reaction within the firm was generally positive, with over 75% of staff volunteering. However over 100 staff had been made redundant prior to this announcement, leading some to accuse KPMG of being hypocritical in the message that they were given.
In October 2010, for the 8th year in a row, KPMG was named one of "Canada's Top 100 Employers" by Mediacorp Canada Inc., and was featured in Maclean's newsmagazine. In November 2010 KPMG was also named one of Greater Toronto's Top Employers, which was announced by the Toronto Star newspaper.[46]
Criticisms[link]
Rite Aid[link]
In 2003, KPMG agreed to pay $125 million to settle a lawsuit stemming from the firm's audits of the drug chain Rite Aid.[47]
Lernout & Hauspie[link]
In 2004, KPMG agreed to pay $115 million to settle lawsuits stemming from the collapse of software company Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products NV.[48]
Tax shelter fraud[link]
Main article: KPMG tax shelter fraud
In early 2005, the United States member firm, KPMG LLP, was accused by the United States Department of Justice of fraud in marketing abusive tax shelters. KPMG LLP admitted criminal wrongdoing in creating fraudulent tax shelters to help wealthy clients avoid $2.5 billion in taxes and agreed to pay $456 million in penalties in exchange for a deferred prosecution agreement. KPMG LLP would not face criminal prosecution if it complied with the terms of its agreement with the government. On January 3, 2007, the criminal conspiracy charges against KPMG were dropped.[49]
Before the settlement, the firm, on the advice of its counsel Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, removed several tax partners and admitted "unlawful conduct" by those partners. The firm agreed to cooperate with the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation and help prosecute former partners who had devised and sold the tax shelters. Additionally, the firm hired former U.S. district judge Sven Erik Holmes to monitor its legal and regulatory affairs.
Siemens[link]
In February 2007, KPMG Germany was investigated for ignoring questionable payments in the Siemens bribery case.[50] In November 2008, the Siemens Supervisory Board recommended changing auditors from KPMG to Ernst & Young.[51]
Others[link]
In 2006, Fannie Mae sued KPMG for malpractice for approving years of erroneous financial statements.[52]
In March 2008 KPMG was accused of enabling “improper and imprudent practices” at New Century Financial, a failed mortgage company[53] and KPMG agreed to pay $80 million to settle suits from Xerox shareholders over manipulated earnings reports.[54]
In August 2010 it was reported by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority to the Swedish accountancy regulator after HQ Bank was forced into involuntary liquidation after the Financial Supervisory Authority revoked all its licences for breach of banking regulations.[55]
According to an independent panel formed to investigate irregular payments made by Olympus which reported in December 2011, KPMG's affiliate in Japan failed in its duty to uncover fraud.[56]
Sponsorship[link]
The Swedish member firm was main sponsor for Swedish biathlete Magdalena Forsberg, six times world champion and twice olympic medalist. Forsberg was working as a tax consultant at the KPMG Sundsvall office parallel with her athletic career.[57]
In February 2008, Phil Mickelson, ranked one of the best golfers in the world, signed a three-year global sponsorship deal with KPMG. As part of the agreement, Mickelson will wear the KPMG logo on his headwear during all golf related appearances.[58]
The Canadian member firm sponsored Alexandre Bilodeau, who won the first gold medal for Canada on home-soil in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Alexandre's father is a tax partner in the Montreal office.[59][60]
Notable former and current employees[link]
Business[link]
- Margaret Jackson - chairwoman of Qantas (2000–2007)
- Syd Kessler - entrepreneur
- Michael O'Leary - CEO of Ryanair (1994–present)
- Zarin Patel - CFO of the BBC
- Colin Sharman, Baron Sharman - chairman of Aviva (2006–present)
- Sir Michael Rake - Chairman of BT (2007–present)
- Douglas Flint - Chairman of HSBC (2010–present)
Politics and public service[link]
- Steve Bracks - Premier of Victoria, Australia (1999–2007)
- Yvo de Boer - Executive Secretary United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (2006–2010)
- Jerry Finnell - Mayor of Del Mar, California (2004–present)
- Nick Gibb - Member of the British Parliament (1997–present)
- Mark Harper - Member of the British Parliament (2005–present)
- Toby Harris, Baron Harris of Haringey - member of the London Assembly (2000–04); chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority (2000–04)
- Michael Hirst - Member of the British Parliament (1983–87)
- Edmund Ho - Chief Executive of Macau (1999–2009)
- Hilbrand Nawijn - Dutch Minister for Integration (2002–2003)
- L. Glenn Perry - Chief Accountant United States Securities and Exchange Commission Enforcement Division (1982–1984)[61]
- Kevin Rudd - Australian Prime Minister (2007–2010)
- Rita Verdonk - Dutch Minister for Integration and Immigration (2003–2007)
- Salmaan Taseer - Governor of Punjab Province, Pakistan (2008–2011)
- Jacqui Smith - Home Secretary (2007–10)
- Wouter Bos - Dutch Minister of Finance (2007–10)
- David Carew - Minister of Trade and Industry, Sierra Leone (2009–present)
- Karen Bradley - British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament (2010–present)
Other[link]
- Leslie Ferrar - Treasurer to Charles, Prince of Wales
- Amr Khaled - Popular moderate Muslim preacher
- Bruce Marshall - Writer
- Michael Peat - Principal Private Secretary to Charles, Prince of Wales
- Nate Silver - Statistician/journalist, creator of PECOTA baseball projection system and the political blog FiveThirtyEight; named one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People" in 2009.
- Paul Tisdale - Former football player
- Johan van der Walt - Forensic auditor
- Kateryna Yushchenko-Chumachenko - wife of Viktor Yushchenko, former President of Ukraine
- Bernard Avishai - Writer
- Paul Lieberstein - Screenwriter/Actor, The Office (US)
- Gibby Haynes - Lead singer, Butthole Surfers
- Barry Hearn - Sports entrepreneur
- Sir David Tweedie - Chairman of the International Accounting Standards Board
See also[link]
References[link]
- ^ a b KPMG International: HQ[dead link]
- ^ a b c "KPMG grows to match rival Ernst & Young". The Australian. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/financial-services/kpmg-grows-to-match-rival-ernst-young/story-fn91wd6x-1226199492873. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ a b c d e KPMG - History
- ^ Ernst & Young, KPMG merger to create US juggernaut
- ^ KPMG Consulting becomes Bearing Point
- ^ BearingPoint Seeks Bankruptcy Protection
- ^ French Atos buys two KPMG consulting units
- ^ Are they off their trollies? New Statesman article
- ^ FTI Consulting Completes Acquisition of Dispute Advisory Services Business Of KPMG
- ^ Norway and Saudi Arabia to join KPMG Europe LLP
- ^ Accounting firms drawn into Madoff scandal
- ^ Madoff-related class action filed in SDNY against Tremont Group, KPMG, others
- ^ Handelsregister des Kantons Zug (Registration Number CH-020.6.900.276-5)
- ^ This is illustrated in the cases involving Parmalat where clients sought to hold Deloitte (the Swiss Verein)and Grant Thornton International (a UK company providing administrative services to its members) liable for the negligence of other member firms.
- ^ KPMG: Leadership
- ^ Australia's Michael Andrew named KPMG's global chairman
- ^ About KPMG China
- ^ About KPMG
- ^ KPMG China appoints chairman, IAB
- ^ KPMG China appoints Stephen Yiu as Chairmanm Hong Kong Business, Feb 2011
- ^ KPMG Global Services
- ^ China Tax services
- ^ KPMG's Trade and Customs services
- ^ KPMG’s Global China Practice
- ^ 2011 World's Best Outsourcing Advisors
- ^ Working Mother
- ^ International Tax Review Asia Tax Awards, 2010
- ^ Retail in Asia article
- ^ KPMG China GTPS site
- ^ International Tax Review article (March 2011)
- ^ Global Transfer Pricing Services (GTPS)
- ^ Top 2 overall in Consultancy Rankings 2009 by OpRisk & Compliance
- ^ World's most attractive employers, 2010 - ranked Second, and First of the Big Four
- ^ KPMG: Corporate & Indirect Tax Rate Survey
- ^ KPMG: Individual Income Tax and Social Security Rate Survey
- ^ Competitive Alternatives: KPMG's Guide to International Business Location
- ^ KPMG: Exploring Global Frontiers - The New Emerging Destinations
- ^ Issues and Insights produced by KPMG in China
- ^ Working Mother
- ^ 100 Best Companies to work for
- ^ Extract from Training Magazine
- ^ College Grad.com
- ^ Best Places to Launch a Career
- ^ Best 100 Companies
- ^ Four day week as work dries up: KPMG offers 11,000 staff dramatic cut in hours to save jobs
- ^ "Reasons for Selection, 2009 Canada's Top 100 Employers Competition". http://www.eluta.ca/top-employer-kpmg.
- ^ KPMG agrees to settle Rite Aid suit.
- ^ KPMG Pays $115 Million to Settle Suit
- ^ Charge Against KPMG Dropped Carrie Johnson, January 4, 2007, Washington Post
- ^ KPMG Germany's Failure to Spot Siemens Problems Raises Questions
- ^ Siemens Supervisory Board Proposes Ernst & Young As Auditors
- ^ Fannie Sues KPMG for Approving Bad Numbers
- ^ Report Assails Auditor for Work at Failed Home Lender
- ^ KPMG and Xerox Settle Securities Lawsuit
- ^ HQ Bank accountant KPMG reported after flaws
- ^ Executives Organized Olympus Cover-Up, Panel Finds
- ^ Aftonbladet.se Från skott till skatt, March 23 2002
- ^ Mickelson signs agreement with KPMG LLP
- ^ Bouw, Brenda (17 February 2010). "Golden boy Bilodeau weighs new offers". The Globe and Mail. http://www.ctvolympics.ca/freestyle-skiing/news/newsid=44879.html. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
- ^ Newquist, Caleb (18 February 2010). "Alexandre Bilodeau Is KPMG Canada’s Phil Mickelson". The Going Concern. http://goingconcern.com/2010/02/alexandre-bilodeau-kpmg-canadas-phil-mickelson/. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
- ^ SEC News Digest, September 23, 1984
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
