Quality and integrity are two core principles that apply across the globe when a profession is built on trust. The application of these principles, however, must continuously adapt to reflect changing stakeholder expectations, the businesses, and the world in which our professional services firms operate.
So, in a time where significant change is being driven by the introduction of emerging technologies, where there are challenges and opportunities presented by the ways we trade across borders, and in regions like the Middle East and Africa, where we have such pace of transformation and reform, we must ensure that we continuously evolve to provide high-quality, valuable services to our clients whilst our core principles are respected.
Continuous improvement in a changing world
Over the past decade, the global audit and professional services landscape has shifted dramatically and this has driven the need for a proactive approach to continuous quality management and improvement.
All Kreston Global member firms are committed to the adoption of globally recognized quality management standards (ISQM1) which help ensure a common foundation in the way we manage risk. This commitment, even in jurisdictions that do not yet require adoption, alongside local and globally coordinated quality monitoring programs, helps our firms to embed a culture of continuous improvement across our service offerings.
Clients work with firms they trust and regulators respect firms that are proactive. This understanding and commitment to quality across our member firms helps to build relationships and our businesses on solid foundations.
Being technology enabled, but people led
We understand that the way technology is implemented in a business, and the ways that associated risks are managed, have a significant impact on the quality of a business’ products or services. This creates new opportunities to work with clients in areas relating to their own use of technology, as well as driving innovation in the way we design and provide services to existing clients.
By applying the principle of being technology enabled, but people led, we ensure that the right resources are used in the right way by our teams when providing our services. This involves empowering teams to remain authentic, alongside making sure that they are enabled by the right tools and technologies, but still leading the relationships and service provision.
Enhanced regulatory drivers of change
Across the Middle East and Africa, regulatory systems are developing quickly, strengthening oversight, establishing local standard setters, and adopting international frameworks. Our firms operate in accordance with both local and international regulations, ensuring consistency in quality and independence.
For audit engagements, this includes compliance with the International Standards on Auditing, which continue to evolve based on global regulatory feedback and best practice. Recent changes to auditing standards have driven enhancements to the approach we take to conducting group audits. This leads to a greater amount of collaboration with group and subsidiary management, other group auditors and a focused approach to addressing risks of material misstatement to help continuously improve the work performed on these types of engagement.
Working with clients to help define quality
Many of the factors that change the way professional services firms work reinforce the importance of client collaboration as a critical enabler of high-quality service delivery. As regulatory environments change, continuous improvements are made, and technology adoption matures, we see that this can affect the ways this collaboration takes shape.
We are seeing, across many of our firms, that the type, nature and timing of information requests is changing. This often takes the form of more structured, and earlier, information requests than may have been the case previously which helps our teams to plan proactively, focus work and increase the value of work performed.
In many cases we see requests for entire raw datasets, to enable greater depth of work and testing, rather than a trial balance and some selected items, which reflect teams having access to tools that better enable broader testing to support a high-quality deliverable.
This has practical implications. Clients who reconcile and prepare data throughout the year, and who use systems capable of clean, consistent data export, often benefit from smooth engagements, faster delivery and greater overall value. Those who rely on manual or delayed information may find the process more complex as engagement teams need to do more to meet the necessary standards.
Doing the right thing when no one is looking
Consistent quality frameworks help to maintain confidence in our work, with genuine trust coming from acting with integrity. It is important that our teams do the right thing when no one is looking.
In this context, Kreston Global member firms commit to applying policies that adhere to a globally recognized Code of Ethics (the IESBA Code). This helps us to maintain a consistent ethical culture across jurisdictions, and for individual firms, it helps to support making the right decisions in difficult situations.
Growth must be matched by strong governance and ethical leadership. Firms that are known for independence, confidentiality, and fairness build a reputation that supports long-term success.
Collaboration as a defining factor
Few global regions illustrate the pace of change as vividly as the Middle East and Africa. Economic diversification, infrastructure investment, regulatory reform, and digital transformation are redefining how businesses operate, with governments strengthening requirements for transparency, sustainability reporting, and corporate governance.
The introduction of corporate tax, ESG disclosure, and digital reporting requirements across both regions is creating both new opportunities and new challenges and businesses are reassessing their data, systems, and controls to meet a higher standard of accuracy and accountability.
As we consider the future of how our businesses grow alongside regional and global reform, our promise is consistent to clients worldwide: to continue to build trust through quality. This process of driving quality through continuous improvement never ends, and neither does our committed to collaboration.
It is this commitment to collaboration within our businesses, across the Kreston network of firms, and with our clients, that ensures local expertise is combined with global standards. By working together, we ensure our firms can compete not only on scale, but on capability, consistency, and trust.
