Workplace engagement and productivity are among the greatest universal challenges facing employers today. So when KPMG Australia CEO, Gary Wingrove, was offered a guarantee to improve his teams’ performance, he ultimately liked what he saw so much that he bought the business.

The Performance Clinic – whose clients include CBA, IAG and Telstra - combines sport science and exercise physiology, neuroscience, and cutting-edge research into stress and recovery to build a people-centred approach to improving workplace performance.

Included in its consulting, coaching and tailored workshop offering is the ‘Personal Best’ program which commits to reducing workers’ physiological stress by 1 hour per day, reducing their biological age by 3 years, returning 6 hours’ capacity to their lives per week, and increasing energy levels by 20 percent . A trial of this program was run for a cross section of KPMG’s staff in Melbourne and Sydney, delivering significant results.

“Our real-life experience with The Performance Clinic has shown that this acquisition is about investing in people and helping them perform at their personal best. Staff have told me that it’s been a life changing experience,” said Mr Wingrove.

“The offering is unique in the market, and aligns with our innovation agenda. It extends our existing organisational change, reform and transformation consulting services further into the people arena – in a way which is data led, fact based and research proven,” he added.

Importantly, The Performance Clinic’s programs create shared value. Employees are helped to manage increasing workplace pressures, giving them more energy and returning capacity for personal life and family. Employers gain real engagement, performance and productivity improvements.

The Performance Clinic is headed by founder and CEO Andrew May, one of Australia’s leading experts and commentators on workplace performance. He has spent 15 years working in elite sport including roles as the Physical Performance Manager for the Australian Cricket team. He also worked as a strength and conditioning coach in track and field, AFL, basketball (Sydney Flames) and netball (NSW netball team and the Sydney Swifts).

Mr May, now a partner at KPMG, and his team of 11 specialist staff including exercise physiologists, nutritionists, organisational psychologists and others from diverse backgrounds spanning elite sport, the military and performing arts join the firm today.

“I spent 15 years working in elite sport and it was drilled into us to train hard and recover even harder. The corporate world works harder than ever before, yet recovery is seen as a luxury, rather than a competitive advantage. I am so excited to be joining KPMG. My business has grown quickly over the past few years and becoming part of KPMG provides an opportunity for rapid scaling and growth,” said Mr May.

“Forward thinking companies have moved beyond the outdated notion that ‘employee health is not their business’. For many people the way they are working just isn’t working - employees are connected more than ever before through the proliferation of digital devices and we need to master a new skill set to sustain performance in this constantly changing world,” he added.

Ken Reid, Head of Brand & Innovation at KPMG Australia, has had first-hand experience of The Performance Clinic at work. “As one of the people who has experienced the Personal Best program I know the personal and workplace benefits that can be achieved. I am incredibly excited about the opportunities to work with Andrew and his team to make a lasting difference to workplace performance for our clients,” he said.

Nick Hawkins, IAG Chief Financial Officer said: “My team has participated in The Performance Clinic for the past two years and it has provided them with tools to help get more out of life at home and at work. It’s made a real difference for many in my team, producing results such as reductions in biological age, reduced stress levels and a change in work practices. The program Andrew and his team delivers provides fundamental building blocks for the body and brain that underpins productivity, creativity and sustainable performance over time."

Commercial terms were not disclosed.

The deal marks the 10th acquisition by KPMG Australia in the past 18 months –including social media risk consultancy, SR7; the Melbourne team of Pacific Strategy Partners; an accounting practice in Karratha, WA; mining services consultancy Momentum Partners; SGA Property Consultancy; First Point Global cyber security business; accounting and advisory business Hayes Knight (WA); human rights and social impact consultancy, Banarra; and most recently Microsoft Implementation partner, Hands-on Systems.