Deloitte celebrates 40 years of business in Brunei

The Brunei arm of Deloitte has celebrated its 40th year of business in the Sultanate, just months after the Big Four firm’s Malaysian branch marked a 50th anniversary of its own.

Business is booming for Deloitte. Recently, the current biggest of the Big Four global accounting and consulting firms announced record revenues of $43.2 billion, breaking the $40 billion barrier for the first time to widen the gap at the top of the consulting tree – thanks in no small part to growth of 13.3 percent in its Asia Pacific business. On top of that, the firm was this month named as one of the top five most attractive employers worldwide.

But if that wasn’t enough of a reason to celebrate for its more than 100 employees in Brunei, then a recent 40th anniversary has done the trick, with a gathering held at a restaurant in Jerudong to mark the special occasion – with Deloitte’s Brunei branch having officially launched 28 July, 1978, shortly before it was ratified that the oil-rich Sultanate would gain its full independence from the British in 1984.

According to the firm, it has since sought to work with the government and give back to the community through its thought leadership and a range of social initiatives, including, recently, its participation in the government’s i-Ready Apprenticeship programme under the Manpower Policy and Planning Unit (MPPU), which seeks to train and upskill the local workforce through partnerships and international placements.

In May, the programme saw its first crop of apprentice graduates sign up with Deloitte, ready for deployment to gain invaluable experience and mentoring at one of the firm’s Southeast Asian branches, which includes some 8,000 professionals spread out across 25 office locations in Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Malaysia – the latter of which celebrated its own 50th anniversary in May.

“We support the Brunei Government’s initiatives to enhance the employability of new Brunei graduates and help them be future-ready by strengthening their knowledge in the areas of consulting,” Deloitte's Consulting Leader for Brunei, Lee Chew Chiat, said at the time. “We look forward to continue our support that will include holding more recruitment drives, and work closely with the MPPU to identify opportunities for more Bruneians to be part of our Deloitte Southeast Asia consulting team.”

And that exciting opportunity for young Brunei professional hopefuls may be about to broaden, with Deloitte’s Southeast Asia arm now having merged with the China, Japan, Australia and NZ operations into a single operational unit – Deloitte Asia Pacfic, led by former Australia CEO Cindy Hook. Coinciding with the merger announcement, Deloitte said it would invest some $321 million to attract and develop local talent.

“Congratulations to Deloitte Brunei for achieving this significant milestone. This comes at a very exciting time with the formation of Deloitte Asia Pacific,” Deloitte Southeast Asia CEO Philip Yuen said of the occassion. “Moving forward, Deloitte Brunei, as part of Deloitte Southeast Asia, will be able to leverage on the expanded scale and collective capabilities of our Asia Pacific colleagues to continue to effectively contribute to the country and help Brunei businesses grow locally and regionally.”