The MIT alumnus was one of the top-ranking Indian Americans in the Obama administration.
KPMG India has named former Assistant Secretary of Commerce & Director General of the US Commercial Service Arun M. Kumar as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the firm for a five-year term, beginning February 5, 2017.
Kumar succeeds Richard Rekhy.
“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. 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 told the news media.
The San Francisco Bay area resident served as the assistant secretary from March 2014 till last month.
For the Kerala-born Kumar, it is a homecoming. Prior to joining the administration, he had worked for KPMG for 18 years. From 2008 to 2013, he had served Member of the Board of Directors of KPMG LLP and KPMG Americas.
“It is special to return to Bombay, where I started my career,” the MIT alumnus wrote in a Facebook post.
KPMG’s media statement said: “Arun Kumar brings a wealth of international leadership experience to KPMG India, including his tenure in public service in the United States for the last three years as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of US and Foreign Commercial Service in the Obama Administration. In that role, he led a global organization of senior professionals present in 78 countries and all the 50 states in the US and served with distinction. On behalf of the US Government, Arun also worked to strengthen commercial ties between India and the United States and played a key role in establishing the India-US Strategic & Commercial Dialogue and a renewed India-US CEO Forum.”
John Veihmeyer, Chairman of KPMG International, said that India is among the fastest growing economies in the world and Kumar’s leadership would strengthen its services.
“Our global clients recognize the increasing significance of India as the fastest growing major economy in the world. 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”.
KPMG in India is the Indian member firm of KPMG International and was established in September 1993. It is a global network of independent member firms offering audit, tax and advisory services.
(Correction: A previous version of this post misstated Arun M. Kumar’s previous employment position.)