Asia Society honours KPMG for employment of Asian Pacific Americans

23 April 2019 Consultancy.asia

The US branch of KPMG has been recognised as a distinguished performer for the second year running by the Asia Society for its employment of Asian Pacific Americans.

Established more than half a century ago by John D. Rockefeller III to promote greater understanding of Asia in the US, the Asia Society continues today as a global non-profit organisation aimed at strengthening partnerships and promoting collaboration among Asian and international leaders, institutions and citizens in areas such as the arts, business, culture, education and policy through the generation of insights and ideas.

Headquartered in New York and with a major centre in Hong Kong (together with Asia Pacific outlets in Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul, Manila, Sydney and Mumbai), among the organisation’s initiatives is an annual celebration of companies in the US which have created an inclusive workplace and opened leadership avenues for Asian Pacific Americans (APAs), established initially to highlight the challenges and opportunities they face in the workplace.

And for the second consecutive year, the global professional services firm KPMG has been commended as a distinguished performer in the ‘Overall Best Employer for Asian Pacific Americans’ category, this year alongside media outlet BuzzFeed and ultimate category winner Discover Financial Services. KPMG meanwhile, was named ‘Best Employer for Sponsorship and Development of Workforce Skills’ and was the ‘best-of-the-best’ in several other classes. Asia Society honours KMPG for employment of Asian Pacific Americans “KPMG is honored to again be recognized by the Asia Society for having an inclusive, supportive culture where Asian Pacific Americans can develop and build great careers.” said KPMG’s US Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Michele Meyer-Shipp. “At KPMG, diversity and inclusion are core values as we recognise that all of our people’s backgrounds and experiences help our organisation grow, thrive and drive innovative outcomes.”

Measuring the experience of Asian Pacific Americans at Fortune 500 and other large companies, and assessed by way of an employee survey and blind judges’ panel, KPMG has been recognised as an award winner in each of the last eight years. This year, the firm added to its haul as the best of the best for innovative practices in retention and employee resource groups, while also being named as a leader in recruitment & selection; the latter category won by Grant Thornton.

“While challenges for APA employees persist, we’ve also seen real progress being made by Fortune 500 and other multinational companies, both in creating an inclusive workplace for APA employees, as well as in providing opportunities for APAs to advance into leadership positions,” said Tom Nagorski, Asia Society’s Executive Vice President. “Asia Society commends all of this year’s winners for their commitment in these areas, and we hope that others will follow their lead.”

The US arm of KPMG has a dedicated Asian Pacific Islander Network (APIN), which as of five years ago counted as many as 1,600 members and 13 chapters across the country. The network was established to engage the firm’s Asian Pacific Islander partners and employees in career and market development opportunities, as well as support KPMG’s diversity and inclusion priorities. The firm currently sits in 8th place of DiversityInc.’s list of the top 50 companies for diversity.