2019 was a year of significant change - for our clients, for our industry and for RSM as a global network. The rapid increase in the sophistication and application of technology has created an environment in which change now occurs so rapidly that businesses are constantly faced with new challenges and opportunities.

At RSM, we are committed to helping clients overcome challenges and to take advantage of opportunities. We do this by forming deep, long-lasting client relationships and providing relevant ideas and insight through our service offering. We empower our clients to move forward with confidence by delivering on our brand promise – The Power of Being Understood.

As a global network of independently owned and operated firms, RSM’s core purpose is to bring our 43,000 professionals closer together to provide seamless crossborder services to their clients. While our global policies and procedures are fundamental to us working cohesively, true collaboration only comes when the collective shares the same values and vision for the future. Our member firms are united under the same high-quality standards – this is what they sign up to when joining RSM. However, cultural fit and shared beliefs are just as important as our member firms’ commitment to our global expectations.

You can discover more about our core beliefs of Understanding, Collaboration, and Ideas and Insight in this report. These beliefs are central to The Power of Being Understood and are underpinned by our shared global values of respect, integrity, teamwork, excellence and stewardship.

At RSM, we believe in fostering a culture of innovation, and we were pleased that Paul Herring joined us in 2019 as our Global Chief Innovation Officer. Paul brings vast experience through his time working in a number of innovation, risk and IT senior leadership roles in global professional services environments. Working with RSM’s Global Digital Advisory Committee, Paul will oversee two complimentary projects that have already begun in earnest: the Digital Transformation Programme and the Innovation Change Programme. These two projects are inextricably linked, with the success of one relying on the success of the other.

Audit has also been a key focus for our ongoing transformation, with 2019 marking the launch of RSM Orb, our new global audit methodology and supporting platform that scales according to client complexity and circumstance. Over the past five years, the RSM Orb development team, drawn from across the network, has developed our new global audit solution, which comprises a methodology, software and tools that are adaptable to local legal requirements and compliant with the International Standards on Auditing.

Along with the RSM Orb development team, there are many people within the network who contribute their time and expertise to our various leadership groups and committees – that help to steer and guide the provision of our services and the way our network operates. Our thanks go to all those professionals for their dedication and commitment to the ongoing development and sustainability of RSM. 

Jean Stephens Chief Executive Officer