What Happened?

About the Company

KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory services firm, operates from 87 offices with more than 23,000 employees and partners throughout the U.S. Our purpose is to turn knowledge into value for the benefit of our clients, our people, and the capital markets.

About the Person

John Applegate is the Chief Operating Officer for KPMG’s Global Information Technology Department. He is responsible for the firm’s international IT environment and he has supplied key contributions in the firm’s IT globalization. Over the last ten years, Mr. Applegate’s primary focus has included: Technology Architecture, Global IT Operating Environment, large global projects, and executive sponsorship of the largest IT suppliers. Prior to joining KPMG, Mr. Applegate earned an Economics degree from Texas A&M and then started his own IT consultancy company in Dallas, Texas. Once he joined KPMG, Mr. Applegate sold his profitable business and became responsible for the firms Dallas and Chicago IT Consulting Integration practice. Mr. Applegate quickly became Consulting Integrations' lead person for IT organizational issues and, as such, was asked to participate in reviewing the internal firms need to globalize its internal IT functions (early 1998). During this time he made Partner for KPMG Consulting and remained on the KPMG LLP account as an integral part in deploying the firm's new IT infrastructure. During this time he and his family relocated to Amsterdam, The Netherlands where the company’s international headquarters is located. When the division, now known as BearingPoint, split from KPMG, Mr. Applegate chose to remain with KPMG. The last ten years with this leading company have proved to be a valuable experience with international approaches.