Definition of material topics

GRI 3.5, 4.14 and 4.17

After defining our priority stakeholder groups, we proceeded to the stakeholder engagement stage to gain an understanding of their views on our business and responsibilities as a professional services firm.

Based on their understanding of our three core practices - Audit, Tax and Advisory – Good Business identified nine topics entailing a wide range of impacts deriving from the duties and responsibilities of these practices, both toward businesses and toward the general public.

Through individual interviews (in person or by telephone) stakeholders were invited to evaluate the importance of each listed topic and to add any others they believed were material to our business.

This was important to our engagement with stakeholders and provided us with valuable feedback on our activities, helping improve our practices.

The consultation did not produce additional themes to those suggested, which were considered sufficient to cover all issues material to KPMG in Brazil.

The findings of these interviews revealed four topics of major importance. The priority topics are strongly linked to the foundations of our global strategy and throughout this report we seek to demonstrate their interdependence with our management, policies and corporate actions (read more under Strategy).

During the consultation and engagement process conducted in 2011, KPMG in Brazil interviewed 37 representatives from priority stakeholder groups, including 7 clients, 18 professionals from all practices (partners, partner-directors and employees in general), 3 representatives from regulators, industry specialists and/or trade associations, 5 representatives from civil society and 4 from the press.

Material (or priority) topics

*KPMG in Brazil believes all its services have to be provided with high quality and independence, and we have therefore extended the scope of this material topic.

In 2012 and 2013, we conducted an internal engagement process involving our professionals so they could assess the report and review the priority topics. The topics have been maintained and, overall, the priority ranking is the same as defined in 2011.