KPMG in the UK has promoted Paul Henninger, head of technology and data, to the new role of group head of consulting. He told staff by email before the firm announced it, as around 200 colleagues in his division face redundancy. On October 9, KPMG notified Tech and Data staff selected for redundancy, affecting about 4% of the division. Some staff called the terms insulting, including £100 offered in exchange for silence and a promise not to bring claims. An interim boss will lead the unit and report to Henninger. In his email, he said he recognised the news "comes at a challenging time." KPMG's UK and Swiss business reported 2025 revenue up 2% to £3.6 billion, with profit before tax up 14% to £576 million. A spokesperson called Henninger "a highly respected industry leader.

KPMG LLP has acquired a minority stake in Reality Defender, a platform specialising in deepfake detection. Financial terms were not disclosed. Reality Defender's multimodal detection technology integrates with communications platforms and enterprise workflows to assess the authenticity of voice and video in real time. This enables organisations to respond to suspected impersonation attempts and fraud. The investment will allow KPMG to incorporate deepfake detection capabilities into its cyber and fraud prevention practices. The deal forms part of KPMG's broader focus on helping clients adopt AI whilst managing associated risks. Reality Defender co-founder and CEO Ben Colman said highly convincing synthetic media now challenges traditional assumptions about identity verification. The partnership aims to help organisations strengthen defences against AI-enabled fraud.

The UK Government has awarded a contract worth up to £456 million to KPMG and EY to train civil servants, the Financial Times reported, citing government procurement tracker Tussell. Under the arrangement, the firms will train officials across various skills areas, including AI, between 2026 and 2028. KPMG's share is capped at £319 million, representing almost a quarter of its total UK advisory net sales from last year. EY's portion is worth £137 million, equivalent to around 13% of its UK consulting revenue. The deal is the largest single contract awarded to Big Four companies since Tussell started tracking records in 2012. The previous record was a £322 million deal between the Foreign Office and PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2012.