India West
News story by Staff Reporter
7-Feb-2017
“I am honored to have been elected as the chairman and CEO of KPMG in India. I have worked closely with the people of KPMG India for many years and have always been impressed by their world class talent,” Kumar, who succeeds Richard Rekhy, said in a statement. “I am excited to have this opportunity to work with the KPMG team in India to continue to build an organization that is recognized for their quality and for the impact they have on our clients, our people and the community in general.”
Kumar, who most recently served as assistant secretary of commerce for global markets and director general of U.S. and foreign commercial service during the President Barack Obama administration, was named to a five-year term, the firm said in a statement.
Kumar was elected by the KPMG India Board and ratified by the India partners.
The firm executed a well-defined governance process for the selection of the CEO that aligns with the objective of building on its success as well as attracting the best talent available for this role, according to the statement.
During Kumar’s three-year stint in the Obama administration, he led a global organization of senior professionals in 78 countries and all the 50 states in the U.S. and served with distinction.
Additionally, Kumar worked to strengthen commercial ties between India and the United States and played a key role in establishing the India-U.S. Strategic and Commercial Dialogue and a renewed India-U.S. CEO Forum.
The Indian American former Obama official had previously served on the KPMG U.S. and KPMG Americas boards from 2008 through 2013. He also led management consulting and finance management for the west region of KPMG U.S. from 2005 to 2013, as well as serving on the KPMG Global Management Consulting leadership team.
KPMG India is a branch of KPMG International. John Veilmeyer, chair of the international company, said, “I am delighted to welcome Arun back to KPMG. He is a trusted leader, who is recognized for his integrity, strategic vision and enduring relationships and I am confident that under Arun’s leadership, KPMG India will continue to provide exceptional service to our clients, enhance our brand and further strengthen our reputation for the highest quality.”
Over the past four years, KPMG in India has seen brisk growth not just in revenues, but workforce strength that doubled over the last four years. The firm has introduced many new offerings and inducted over 70 partners laterally to broaden its skill base and strengthen its delivery capabilities, the company said.
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