KPMG buys Momentum Partners

KPMG has expanded its advisory reach in mining by buying Carl Adams' WA-based boutique consultancy Momentum Partners.

The acquisition was announced simultaneously with news the top-end accounting group had also bought a small Karratha accountancy firm, Classic Slee.

KPMG chief executive Gary Wingrove said the acquisitions reflected the group's aim to "significantly" expand its advisory presence in the mining sector over the next three years.

The expansion would support "growing demand as the industry adjusts to the changes in its operating environment", Mr Wingrove said.

"Carl and his team have built a mining consulting business that marries industry experience with a robust methodology which has proven resilient, and will integrate neatly with KPMG's business model," he said.

Mr Adams, who founded Momentum in 2003, will join KPMG as a partner and head of the firm's national mining practice.

KPMG will also absorb Momentum's near-30 staff in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

Momentum's clients have included a who's who of WA mining, including BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Fortescue Metals Group, Northern Star Resources and Gindalbie Metals.