Interview with: John Somerville, National Managing Partner – Advisory, Australia and ASPAC, KPMG

1. Interview with: John Somerville,
National Managing Partner –
Advisory, Australia and ASPAC,
KPMG
Leaders are not produced by HR but
HR must set the right conditions for
people to develop into leaders, ac-
cording to John Somerville, National
Managing Partner – Advisory, Austra-
lia and ASPAC, KPMG.
Somerville is a speaker at the
marcus evans HR Summit 2017,
taking place in the Gold Coast,
Queensland, 27 - 29 March.
What progressive methods for
developing key talent would you
suggest? What is unique about
KPMG’s approach?
We do not have the answers for all
the challenges facing our businesses.
Finding the way forward will depend
upon our ability to build a safe plat-
form for our people to try new things
and learn from the experiences in an
iterative manner. Therefore, we need
to develop our leadership capacity to
support inclusion and diversity of
ideas and to build the platform to find
the solutions to today and tomorrow’s
challenges.
What do you consider “the right
type of leader”? How can HR
produce the next generation of
top leaders?
The right type of leader is less one
who points to a far off target and
orders the charge and more on who
helps people make sense of complex-
ity – ultimately helping others to
develop the skills to do so themselves
or with their teams. I do not believe
leaders are produced by HR.
However, I believe HR has a role in
helping leaders set the right condi-
tions for people to develop
(challenged, diverse input and sup-
ported).
How can HR best identify who can
lead the organisation in the fu-
ture?
I do not believe this is the role of HR
– rather HR should help leaders de-
termine what skills and experiences
future leaders will need and ensure
appropriate development and succes-
sion options are available.
How should the role of people
management be re-designed, and
why?
Historical views on hierarchy and
business are evolving in response to
the complexity of business challenges
and the speed of technological
change.
Accordingly, we need to build differ-
ent skills to support people operating
in these new environments. Of
course, this is while also managing
the day-to-day operations of the
business.
HR should
help leaders
determine
what skills and
experiences
future leaders
will need
and ensure
appropriate
development
and succession
options are
available
HR’s Role in
Leadership Development

2. T h e H R N e t w o r k –
marcus evans Summits group
delivers peer-to-peer information
on strategic matters, professional
t r e n d s a n d b r e a k t h r o u g h
innovations.
Please note that the Summit is a
closed business event and the
number of participants strictly
limited.
About the HR Summit 2017
The 13th annual HR Summit is the premium forum bringing elite buyers and sellers
together. The Summit offers chief HR executives and service and solution providers
an intimate environment for a focused discussion of the key new drivers shaping
corporate priorities and HR strategies. Taking place at the RACV Royal Pines Resort,
Gold Coast, Queensland, 27 - 29 March, the Summit includes presentations on a
range of topics, among which helping the organisation sharpen its customer focus,
developing outstanding leaders, redesigning structures for higher efficiency, and
creating an innovative culture.
www.hranzsummit.com
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