Lynne Doughtie named first female CEO of KPMG US
Advisory chief begins five-year term as Chief Executive and Chairperson on July 1. It is the next chapter in a remarkable 30 year journey with the Big Four firm that has seen her hold numerous leadership positions.
Thirty years after she first joined KPMG practice, Lynne Doughtie has risen to the very top of the Big Four firm’s US wing. She excelled at the national, regional and global levels before her leadership of KPMG Advisory in the US from 2011 helped see her elected as the professional services firm’s first female CEO and Chairperson.
Her rise hasn’t gone unnoticed by the industry. Doughtie has already been named one of the ‘Top Women Leaders in Consulting’ and among the ‘Top 25 Consultants’ by Consulting Magazine.
Doughtie excelled as Advisory chief. Consulting.us analysis revealed that, under her stewardship, Advisory’s growth shot ahead of Audit and Assurance to become KPMG’s strongest performing unit. The US is the firm’s most significant market, making Doughtie an indispensable player in KPMG’s stellar global growth.
Great Expectations
During her tenure KPMG acquired Rothstein Kass, Zanett Commercial Solutions, and healthcare specialist Beacon Partners. But steady organic growth was the real driver behind the success of US Advisory.
As Chairperson and CEO, Doughtie is no less ambitious about her plans for the firm’s future. “Our firm, our clients and the entire marketplace are looking at a future of unprecedented change and extraordinary opportunity, where ‘business-as-usual’ is going to mean constant innovation and transformation”, she said.
“It is an honour to have the chance to lead KPMG at such a pivotal moment, when ensuring quality and confidence in the work we do has never been more important.”
The Virginia native was always ahead of the curve, briefly studying computer science before joining KPMG in 1985. She will succeed John Veihmeyer, who has served as Global Chairman of KPMG International since February 2014. He will be a tough act to follow, having been regularly named as one of the top 100 most influential people in global accounting but was full of praise for his successor.
“Lynne Doughtie is an incredibly innovative, thoughtful and inspiring leader, who has the exact qualities needed to lead our firm and our people in a time of increasing complexity and change,” he said. “She has led our US Advisory practice to unprecedented levels of success and established it as KPMG’s fastest growing business. Lynne will be an extraordinary and inspiring leader for KPMG and our people.”