KPMG International Case Competition Review

The KPMG International Case Competition was a life-changing experience. I am very grateful that we were provided with accommodation at the Ritz Carlton as well as exciting events such as dune bashing to explore the culture of Dubai. KICC also opened my eyes to the fast-paced, intriguing world of professional services and business.

I felt valued because KPMG partners took the time out of their busy schedules to judge the KICC global finals in Dubai. It was also a great opportunity to network with senior members of the company. However, I was a little disappointed that while many other teams had the chance to fly Emirates, the UK team did not.

I felt that we received average guidance/support during KICC. While some other teams received twenty coaching sessions, we only received a few. I believe that more training sessions would have helped us be more familiar with casework. It would have also been more helpful to receive more guidance/support from our coach during the KICC global finals in Dubai.

I think the consulting skills I developed will really assist me when I graduate and begin working in the industry. While many people who start consulting will have little experience with consulting, I feel like I will have a head start given that I’ve presented complex cases in front of KPMG partners.

The KICC global final in Dubai was extremely well structured. I appreciated that there was time for both casework and fun events such as the networking sessions with drinks, barbecue in the desert, etc. The transition between events was smooth too. I never felt like we were running late or rushed.

The atmosphere during KICC in Dubai was relaxed and didn’t feel too competitive even though it was a high-stakes competition which was nice. However, I hope that the national final in London is better watched/observed. We saw a team secretly use the Internet before their presentation, which we felt gave them an unfair advantage.

The company provided several coaching sessions for us to practice more cases with a coach, which I found helpful to doing well in the competition as well as developing my own personal skills in casework. I think it would have been helpful to have more in-depth sessions about reading financial statements.

I got a good insight of what it would be like to have a full time role with the company through talking with partners at KPMG during the networking sessions. I also had the opportunity to have lunch with someone on the graduate scheme, which was a nice perspective to hear.

Having the chance to solve multiple cases through the course of the competition helped me decide that consulting is a career path I want to pursue. I enjoy the fast-paced nature of the work, the teamwork aspect, and the diversity of problems I encounter as a consultant. Hosting the competition in a foreign country also helped me get an idea of what it would be like to travel for my job.

I really appreciate that KPMG paid for all the expenses of travel, accommodation, and social events while in Dubai. One issue I had was that I had to provide my credit card when I checked into the hotel in Dubai. While I wasn’t charged, not everyone has the credit limit for £2000 hotel expenses.

KPMG did an extremely good job at providing opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the company. There were lunches provided during the coaching sessions so that we got to chat with people working at the company. During the global final in Dubai, there were also multiple drinks sessions and fun socials that provided a good opportunity to chat with KPMG partners.

The social event opportunities were outstanding in that they provided a good atmosphere to chat with other young people who were also interested in working for the company. It was also an amazing opportunity to experience the vibrant culture of Dubai that I otherwise would not have had the chance to experience.

I would definitely recommend this insight to a friend. I have already recruited a couple teams from my university who are interested in participating in KICC this year. I told them that it was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about casework and network with KPMG partners in a stunning location.