Chair and CEO's Statement on Diversity and Inclusion

I have always believed there is no limit to how great KPMG can be, especially when our people feel free to bring their full, authentic selves to work every day - sharing their ideas and passions in ways that enrich our culture, bring value to our clients, strengthen our communities, and drive the firm’s success.

We are experiencing transformative times that demand seamless, agile thinking; new combinations of skills and experiences; and a higher level of collaboration. KPMG’s commitment to inclusion and diversity is a strategic imperative and crucial to our ability to address the challenges and capture the opportunities that matter most to our firm, our clients, and our communities.

We know that a diverse workforce benefits us all: inclusive, diverse teams produce more innovative ideas, increase creativity and are more productive. In other words, when we draw strength from our differences, we’re better able to solve our clients’ toughest problems, and that’s at the heart of what we do.

KPMG’s Inclusion and Diversity strategy is brought to fruition through three key areas of focus:

Our Workforce priorities include targeted recruitment and development, advancement, and retention of underrepresented talent; including on Campus, among Experienced Hires, and Senior Talent.
Our Workplace priorities are focused on creating a culture of belonging and inclusion, expanding education and awareness of inclusion and diversity, and engaging all our people.
Our Marketplace priorities require that we communicate a consistent inclusion and diversity narrative, and build and sustain internal and external relationships that affirm best-in-class practices. These relationships include those we have with our clients, suppliers and external strategic alliances, as well as our Community Impact, Marketing, Alumni Relations, and Government Affairs teams.

These priorities have as a foundation the engagement and support of our leaders, who accept ownership of inclusion and diversity and are held accountable in demonstrating their commitment. I’m also proud to say that our people at every level of the firm are taking ownership for creating an inclusive and diverse culture – enabled by a framework of national and local Business Resource Group chapters.

As a firm, we have made strong progress over the years; and now we’re intensifying our efforts to create a more inclusive, diverse, and supportive firm that will enable underrepresented employees to thrive and contribute. To that end, as one of my first acts as chair and CEO, I announced Accelerate 2025, an audacious five-year plan to tackle one essential dimension of the overall Inclusion & Diversity agenda: ensuring more individuals from underrepresented groups choose KPMG as their employer of choice, build careers at KPMG, and advance to leadership positions within our firm and within the profession by 2025.

We are stewards of this firm. The work that we have the good fortune to do today is because of the effort and investments of those professionals who came before us. By working together, for better, to advance diversity and inclusion, we have a significant opportunity to leave this firm stronger than we found it. In ensuring that all voices are heard and valued, we can unlock the potential of each individual, building a firm unmatched in talent and opportunity.

Paul Knopp
Chair and CEO