With nearly 40 years of experience at consulting giant KPMG, Paul Knopp is proof that it pays to be a company lifer. He is also one of the main reasons why his company continues to be ranked as one of the top consulting firms in the world, with more than 40,000 people working in its U.S. division alone.
Knopp, who assumed his CEO role at KPMG in July 2020, has only worked for a single company his entire professional career. In 1983, he joined KPMG after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin. Before leaving, he snagged two degrees, a bachelor's in business administration and an MBA. He then began his long tenure by working out of the company’s San Antonio office.
Since then, he has served in a variety of positions and physical locations, including KPMG offices in New York, Norfolk, Stamford, Chicago, and St. Louis. Before becoming CEO, his career as an audit partner focused on serving leading global companies in the manufacturing, life sciences, transportation, professional services, and technology industries. This includes working as the global lead audit engagement partner and engagement quality control review partner for KPMG audits of numerous Fortune 500 companies. Knopp was also elected to serve a five-year term on KPMG’s U.S. Board of Directors in 2012 and served as lead director of the Board of Directors.
Furthermore, during his time with the company, he has been a participant in the KPMG Chairman’s 25 Leadership program and KPMG’s International Lead Partner Training Forum. Additionally, he previously served as an instructor for various KPMG national and local training courses.
More recently, under Knopp’s leadership as CEO, KPMG has continued to garner industry recognition. The company has been consistently listed on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For and DiversityInc’s top 50 companies for diversity lists. Knopp was also named to Glassdoor’s list of Top CEOs, as determined by employee approval ratings.
Away from KPMG, Knopp gives his time and expertise to many civic and charitable organizations. He is a governing board member of the Center for Audit Quality as well as a board member of Catalyst, Partnership for New York City and the U.S.-India Business Council. In addition, he is a trustee of the U.S. Council for International Business.