Career Opportunities at KPMG: Tim (Career journey)

Tim’s career journey

1979

Where It All Started
I remember that first date, July 9th, 1979...starting out as an assistant accountant at KPMG in Minneapolis in 1979. Moving through, and working in the middle market path, working in small companies, entrepreneurial-based companies in Minneapolis. And then going into the audit practice, working at larger companies like Control Data…creating research. Big companies back then, but today we don't think of those. But they really were super computer companies, and at the forefront of the technology, around the computing world.
1988

Becoming Partner
And then I went into running some large audit clients as a partner. After I came out of my role as the national senior management of high technology practice, I made partner shortly thereafter - serving large technology companies and middle market companies in Minneapolis. And for about three or four years, I worked on my skills as a partner, both developing our people, and also my own personal skills, in terms of leading teams, and leading an organization.
1993

First Leadership Role
I was asked to lead the Midwest manufacturing practice. And at that time, we were structured by industry. So I had responsibility for the whole Midwest - Audit, at that time Consulting, and Tax. And it was a challenging time for me. It's really that first leadership role. I did that for three years.
1996

Career Mobility
I was asked by Steve Butler, who became the U.S. Chairman in 1996, to move to New York - to be Vice Chair, Human Resources for the firm. And that was a real challenge. And I think about that challenge not only professionally, but personally as well. I looked at it as a tremendous growth opportunity for me personally and professionally. We were the first ones to move away from home, to move from our community, and the state that I grew up in. And my whole family was there. And I raised my young family there for a number of years, to come to New York, and a chance to meet a new environment, meet new people, and new opportunities at work. Professionally, it gave me an opportunity to learn some new skills. And it helped to lead the HR organization transformation at KPMG. So that was a challenging and exciting time, both personally and professionally. Bringing those things together was a challenge in 1996. But it was really a very rewarding time, both personally and professionally. I stayed in leadership role of the HR. I remained in the leadership role for the U.S. firm for HR for a couple of years.
2001

Leading the Audit Practice
I was asked to step out of my Human Resource role, and co-lead Audit. There was a lot of change going on in the profession. And it was really a critical time for the profession, to think back in the Spring of 2002, when Arthur Andersen was going through all the turmoil, and the profession itself was going to go through tremendous turmoil with the demise of Arthur Andersen, with Sarbanes-Oxley coming into play from a regulatory environment, the profession was forever going to be changed.
2005

Named Chairman of U.S. Firm
I was asked to succeed Gene O'Kelly as Chairman of the U.S. firm. Gene was a great friend, tremendous partner and terrific leader. He had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in May of 2005. So it was very bittersweet. An opportunity to really achieve a career goal that I had for a long time. But the way it happened…I would trade it back for a second for Gene to with all of us here today. But when you think about opportunities, you never know where they're going to come from. When you think about your career, you don't know what path it's going to take you. When you think about life, you don't know what path it's going to take you as well.
2007

Elected as Chairman of KPMG International
I am honored to be elected chairman of KPMG International and I look forward to building on the achievements attained by Mike Rake - as well as addressing the challenges we face in this extraordinary time of continued change for the accounting profession.