Tell us about your formative years

I grew up in Darlington and was fortunate enough to have a really happy and supportive family – in some ways having four parents, as my siblings are a brother and sister 10 and 11 years older than me respectively.

I was always encouraged by my family to work hard and do my best and to want to win. Striving to keep up with a 13-year-old brother when I was three meant I was used to challenges from a young age. I remember a junior school teacher saying, when I won the 100 metres, that it seemed to come down to the fact that I wanted to reach the line first more than the others did. Aiming high and working hard to achieve my aims is a work ethic that has stood me in good stead ever since.

I enjoyed my education at Hummers-knott School, then Queen Elizabeth 6th Form College in Darlington and the University of Newcastle.

Tell us about KPMG and how you came to the firm

I was keen to join KPMG in preference to other accountancy firms, as my local office in Darlington offered a friendly and informal environment where people were encouraged to have what we now call a good work/life balance. It also proved to suit me in terms of business culture; KPMG invests in a diverse mix of talented people and mentors them, then allows them to be themselves, to exercise their judgment, and backs them to deliver to their best capabilities.

KPMG is a great brand because we are known for committing to building long-term relationships with our clients, based on interest in their organisation, quality advice and common sense as well as technical excellence.

Explain your business philosophy

Taking a long-term view, ensuring the future is planned for and built towards, on solid foundations. In particular in ours, and most, businesses, a key element is recruiting and investing in great people, giving them the time, support and framework to thrive; not something to be achieved overnight, but so important to performance and success long-term.

If you weren't doing your present job, where might you be – or where might you like to have been?

It would be sport-related – a Newcastle United midfielder, a golf pro or a cricketer. On a pragmatic note and closer to home, had I ever decided to leave KPMG it would have been to pursue a career in the city or industry; I have always been keen to be involved in commerce.

What do you feel are the major business issues which affect Leeds and the country in general?

That's a huge question! There are quite separate short- and long-term issues that need to be addressed.

In the short term the loss of liquidity and subsequently confidence is affecting country and county alike, and I'm not sure recession is merely debatable any longer. However, even though painful, this will be traded through by most and we will find ourselves in a more optimistic economic environment in due course.

I am more concerned by the long-term issue of waning UK competitiveness within an increasingly global marketplace and the knock-on questions of how will we maintain the relative wealth to which we have become accustomed. The eastwards shift in power in terms of oil, influence and intellectual property is remarkable.

Put it this way, I would like my son to learn Mandarin! To date each of our generations in the UK has seemed to be wealthier than the one before but I wonder if this is sustainable.

How would you tackle these issues, if you had the power?

In relation to the current financial crisis (at time of writing), I would like to see the Government take decisive action and demonstrate leadership that instils confidence – a general feeling that we have a firm hand on the tiller, if you like.

In the long term, I'm convinced our best chance of differentiation in the future, and hence generating wealth for the country, will lie in a highly-skilled workforce and I would be investing significant sums in education as we are not on course for offering the world's most skilled labour pool at the moment.

To this end, I'd love to be able to make the necessary changes to attract more of the most able people into teaching. This would require investment and changes in the rewards for teachers. Not easy to achieve, but at the heart of investment in education and our future workforce.

What challenges does the professional services/accountancy sector in Leeds face, and how will you address them?

The same economic issues that are impacting on other businesses result in challenges for our sector.

For example, the slowdown in the merger and acquisition (M&A) market means we have to be flexible enough to utilise some of our knowledge and resources differently, to focus on areas where clients need more help at the moment, such as providing operational advice on managing costs and structural advice on managing debt.

We are keen to play what role we can to help our clients through difficult times and, as a consequence of the long-term relationships we build, we are often in a position to be able to do something to achieve this, as we are trusted to give advice, which is an even more privileged position to be in during more challenging times.

Who in the world most impresses you a) in business and b) in life generally?

a) I am not going to answer that one, specifically, but I can assure you that you don't need to watch the TV or read autobiographies of renowned business gurus – or even leave Yorkshire – to meet the people I admire most in business.

There are several examples of people I am fortunate enough to work with who have built up extremely impressive businesses from scratch through a combination of entrepreneurial instinct, intelligence, and very hard work over many years.

These people, who, through their own endeavours, generate wealth and employment, consistently impress me hugely.

b) Carers. Those people who work with underprivileged or disabled children or the terminally ill, for example.

I am convinced that they face challenges on a daily basis that dwarf what my colleagues and I face – at the very least emotionally – and their commitment and stoicism impresses me very much.

Away from the office where are we most likely to find you?

At home or the golf course. My local club is Bedale but I can be found on greens all over Yorkshire and beyond.

You're hosting a dinner party and can invite one guest from history, living or dead. Who would it be – and why?

I would very much like to invite my father who died when I was in my 20s – there is so much to tell him about.

But to pick someone others can imagine, I would also be delighted to have dinner with Sir Winston Churchill.

I suspect that he would be great fun, and would also be willing to share the inside story on some very interesting times.


MY CV

IAIN MOFFATT

Born – December 5, 1961

Education – BA (Hons) Economics and Accounting, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 1980-83

Professional - ACA/FCA 1986;

1983 - 1988 KPMG Darlington

1988 - 1990 KPMG Bradford

1990 - 1995 KPMG Hull – senior manager

1995 - 1997 KPMG Bradford – senior manager

1997 Appointed partner – audit/transaction services

1997 - 2008 KPMG Leeds

2008 Appointed office senior partner

Principal areas of responsibilities have been leading relationships with a range of listed, large private and private equity-backed clients in Yorkshire and Humberside but many with global operations. Involved principally in delivery of audit services and transactions-related work. Current clients include Persimmon plc, Marshalls plc, Carclo plc, Shepherd Building Group Ltd, Foodvest Ltd, Pace Microtechnology plc and Turner & Townsend plc.