Emilio Pera

Emilio Pera was elected as Chief Executive Officer and Senior Partner of KPMG Lower Gulf effective 1 January 2023, overseeing operations across the UAE and Oman. At KPMG in the Lower Gulf, Pera has been credited for steering the firm's Audit department through its largest transformation in history, having turned the audit practice around in a relatively short period, navigating some of the toughest times in the industry with added pressure of a global pandemic with related economic challenges.

Emilio Pera has more than 30 years of international business experience in audit, advisory, tax and commerce working for internationally renowned Big 4 audit firms and global banks. His career spans working in the UK, Africa and the Middle East. He started his professional career with KPMG in South Africa in 1992 and joined KPMG Lower Gulf in 2016 as head of financial services, later becoming the head of audit in 2018 and interim head of tax in 2022.

Career History

• Partner, Head of Financial Services at EY Africa (2002–2016)
• Audit Director at Standard Bank Group (1995–1998)
• Head of Financial Services, KPMG Lower Gulf (2016–2018)
• Head of Audit, KPMG Lower Gulf (2018–2022)
• Interim Head of Tax, KPMG Lower Gulf (2022)

Pera holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) in Accounting from the University of Johannesburg (1990–1992) and a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from the University of Pretoria (1986–1989). He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants, a member of the UAE Accountants & Auditors Association, a Registered Auditor with the UAE Ministry of Economy and an Audit Principal, registered with the DFSA and ADGM.

What Emilio Pera could bring to his role as CEO and Senior Partner of KPMG Lower Gulf: With three decades of multi-jurisdictional professional services experience across Africa, the UK, and the Middle East, combined with deep expertise in audit, financial services, and tax, Pera is positioned to drive continued regional expansion and digital transformation. His proven track record of repositioning the Audit division during crisis—scaling operations to align with market trends while improving profitability—demonstrates his capacity for operational excellence and strategic pivot in a complex, regulated environment serving the UAE and Oman's largest enterprises.