Shortly after Anthropic released its new Claude financial agent, KPMG, one of the Big Four accounting firms, announced a global alliance with the AI giant. According to the announcement in May, this collaboration enables Claude Cowork to be embedded in KPMG's service platforms for tax and legal clients, as well as in products focused on private equity.

David Neuenhaus, KPMG's new global head of asset management, recently said in an interview with CFO Dive that this partnership, along with Anthropic designating KPMG as a "preferred consulting partner," marks a "step change" in KPMG's relationship with technology and the way it serves clients.

Neuenhaus said that answering related questions is also an important part of his new role. "Before working with Anthropic, almost every meeting with clients involved 'let's talk about your technology, let's talk about AI,'" Neuenhaus said. "Now, clients are calling specifically to discuss this platform."

Neuenhaus is a lawyer and expert in international tax issues with extensive experience in M&A. He has worked at KPMG for 15 years, providing long-term consulting services to asset management companies, institutional investors, and private equity firms.

The following Q&A with Neuenhaus has been edited for clarity and brevity.

CFO Dive: How does KPMG change the services you provide by embedding Claude?

Neuenhaus:It's a step change because we've moved from "working side by side" to having Claude empower our digital gateway platform—our core platform for serving clients globally.

On the other hand, in the private equity space, we help clients enhance asset value after acquisitions... We work closely with operating partners and now leverage technology deployment to help create value, optimize EBITDA in cash flow management, or improve quarterly closing efficiency—we apply technology at the asset level to bring more value.

CFO Dive: How did KPMG come to partner with Anthropic?

Neuenhaus:We have partnerships with several large enterprises in the market. But we particularly found synergies with Anthropic, stemming from our "human-centric, human-in-the-loop" AI deployment philosophy. We are culturally very aligned with Anthropic, so at the AI deployment level—ensuring it includes a human element—we are consistent. It's an excellent match from both cultural and opportunity perspectives.

CFO Dive: KPMG was an early adopter of machine learning and AI, so I'm surprised you chose to partner with a completely different company.

Neuenhaus:Yes, this by no means implies we're "putting down the pen" in AI technology. We continue to advance on many technology frontiers, and precisely because we've been on our own AI journey, we're able to have concrete discussions with Anthropic in areas of collaboration.

We firmly believe we bring what we do best—industry knowledge and the operational layer—while they bring best practices at the technology layer. We're not a technology development company; we don't do what Anthropic does. What they do synergizes with what we do, so we work together. But every day, many smart people at KPMG are developing technology solutions internally... This doesn't mean "putting down the pen" or stopping our journey; it's just an opportunity to partner with a market leader.

CFO Dive: Regarding clients inputting information into Claude, what security assurances or protections do you provide for clients' CISOs and CFOs?

Neuenhaus:Digital gateway is our continuously tested platform—it's rock solid, and we also use it for government agencies. Anthropic is a world-class company, and its data protection is equally world-class. Nevertheless, we have a dedicated team focused on data protection... That's why we proceed cautiously.