When Riley Innes joined KPMG four years ago as a senior consultant, he wasn’t sure where his career would take him.
His background was in financial services, and while he’d never worked in artificial intelligence, his curiosity and passion for emerging technology has opened doors at KPMG he never could have imagined.
"What drew me to KPMG was the breadth of opportunity. I knew I could start in finance but pivot into other industries or areas of business. That freedom was exactly what I needed." Fast forward to today, Riley is KPMG’s AI Strategy and Enablement Lead, spearheading transformative projects that are shaping the firm’s future.
From dabbling with concepts like multi-agent AI platforms to experimenting with tools like ChatGPT, Riley’s fascination with tech extends beyond his daily work.
Empowering others within KPMG to embrace AI has become a mission. One of Riley’s standout achievements has been helping to lead the development of KPMG Workbench, our global AI platform, which is empowering widespread AI use, inspiring collaboration, and accelerating innovation across our global member firm network and teams.
Another milestone? Launching the 24 Hours of AI initiative, a worldwide event in 2024 aimed at helping KPMG employees understand and use AI tools. "The event wasn’t just about showing people how to prompt AI – it was about igniting collective curiosity and building momentum inside the firm," Riley says.
"It’s not about overwhelming people with technical jargon," Riley explains. "It’s about giving them the confidence to use AI and showing them how it can be a helpful assistant in their day-to-day work."
For Riley, continuous learning is the secret sauce. "Things like KPMG’s Eclipse aiQ Learning Academy, AI digital badges and our AI trainer, KymLearn, are making it a lot easier for people here to pick up the AI skills they need." he said. "And I’ve also been fortunate to learn from some incredible minds here at KPMG."
As for what excites him most, Riley believes we’re living through a transformative era.
"People talk about the dotcom boom as a defining moment in history. But what’s happening with AI now feels even bigger. It’s not just changing how businesses operate; it’s reshaping society. Being at the forefront of that, as part of KPMG, is thrilling."
"To think that the work we’re doing today will help shape the next decade. That’s something truly special."
