In her own words

Doughtie speaking at the KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit in June.

Lynne Doughtie, on how KPMG is like Virginia Tech, what she is most proud of, and why she is excited about the future.


I’ve spent my entire career at KPMG, because: you can have “multiple careers” at KPMG due to the breadth of services and opportunities we offer. Over the course of my career, I had numerous roles within our Audit and Advisory businesses. Each of these roles provided me with opportunities to grow my skill set, expand my professional network, and work with some of the world’s leading organizations.

What makes KPMG special is: its inclusive, purpose-driven culture. Our people work with passion and purpose to deliver real results and are always committed to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and quality. And we give back to our communities and care for and about each other. KPMG’s culture is very similar to the Ut Prosim mindset that permeated my experience at Virginia Tech.

I’ve been fortunate to have: many great mentors and sponsors throughout my life. My parents gave me and my sister confidence that we could achieve anything. I had mentors at Virginia Tech and at KPMG who demonstrated their confidence in me by investing their time with me and supporting me in career growth opportunities.

The professional accomplishments I’m most proud of are: not my own. I love seeing the people I’ve helped develop, mentor, and sponsor experience success in their careers. That’s what gives me the most satisfaction and pride.

I’m passionate about: helping others develop and advance, and I serve as a mentor and sponsor for numerous individuals.

I think opportunities for women in accounting and professional services today are: endless. Comprising nearly half of KPMG’s workforce, women represent an enormous part of our talent pool, and advancing, developing, and empowering them has long been part of our history. Diversity and inclusion are woven into everything we do and remain a top priority for our firm.

In our business, it is critical to: attract and retain top talent. Human capital is our product. That’s why we place such a huge emphasis on building an inclusive culture here at KPMG. Over the past two years, we’ve asked our people to capture their sense of purpose in the work they do and the impact it has on the broader world and share their stories with us. The response has been tremendous.

I’m excited about: leading KPMG at such a pivotal moment. The business landscape is rapidly evolving due to economic, social, technological, and political disruption. Our recently released CEO Outlook Study shows that CEOs are highly concerned about customer loyalty, new market entrants, their competitors’ ability to take market share, keeping current with new technologies, and the relevance of their products and services three years from now.

Our firm, our clients, and the entire marketplace — we face a future of extraordinary opportunity and unprecedented change. That’s why we need the best and brightest people — to grow, innovate, and maintain our commitment to the highest levels of professionalism and quality.


Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business Magazine Fall 2015

Shadow for bottom of page