Good Bye the Big Blue
TLDR: After 20 incredible years, living in 3 countries, projects and clients across 35+, unreal experiences, and invaluable relationships, I am getting off the KPMG Bus.
As I wrap up an incredible 20-year journey with this amazing firm, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to four incredible groups of people who have made this adventure unforgettable:
The 'Unknown Consultants': First and foremost to all the team members and individual contributors who worked tirelessly on assignments, often in far-flung places and under challenging conditions—thank you! You are the ones who made the magic happen.
Peers: What an incredible pool of talent! To the partners and colleagues I had the privilege of working shoulder to shoulder with, thank you for making this firm a standout corporate environment.
Clients: To all the clients who trusted me and put their internal reputations on the line to give me and my team opportunities—no amount of gratitude is enough. I’ve made wonderful, lifelong friends along the way, and I’m forever grateful.
Mentors/Leaders: You know who you are. Thank you for having my back, offering support when it was needed the most, and clearing obstacles without hesitation. I’ll miss the access, but I’ll carry your invaluable wisdom with me.
I thought i would share my top four learnings from these 20 years:
Professional services is a bottom-up business: It's all about the individual impact, project by project, client by client, account by account. Client-facing time is everything; the rest is overhead.
Work never gets easier; you get better: Value your expertise, understand your unique abilities, put a price on your skills, and steer clear of those who don’t.
8 out of 10 tech/code issues are people issues: It’s amazing how a happy vibrant work environment can automatically solve complex technical problems.
Work with good people: Life is short. Work ‘only’ with those who help you punch above your weight, have your back, and make you laugh.
Wishing KPMG all the very best. I’ll miss the Big Blue as I look forward to slaying the next dragon!