Miriam Hernandez-Kakol
KPMG Global Lead Partner
KPMG Global Service Line Leader
A partner of mine at KPMG always says you can’t be what you can’t see.
“
I think that’s so important for Latino youth to see Latin women who are successful
in STEM fields and who have made a career out of it.”
three different times. Perhaps, the most
fulfilling part of her career is the countless
people she’s coached and mentored
throughout their careers.
“The one that really brings a tear to my
eye is how many people I’ve helped
achieve (the role of) partner,” she shares.
Hernandez-Kakol has been named one
of the “50 Most Powerful Latinas” by Fortune,
one of the Top 100 Most Influential and
Notable Hispanic Professionals in IT by
HITEC and earned the Walter Hanson
Award, her firm’s most prestigious award,
among other recognitions.
She serves as board member of Junior
Achievement of New Jersey, of HITEC and
of KPMG’s Women’s Advisory Board; is a
member of the National Academy Foundation’s
STEM Committee and is a leader of KPMG
Network of Women.
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“
LS
Do not be deterred by maybe
being the only girl in the room.
It can be a powerful motivator.”
Miriam Hernandez-Kakol believes
the most important way Latinas in
STEM such as herself are creating
impact is by serving as role models.
“A partner of mine at KPMG always says
you can’t be what you can’t see. I think
that’s so important for Latino youth to see
Latin women who are successful in STEM
fields and who have made a career out of
it,” says Miriam Hernandez-Kakol.
She would know, as she evolved from a
student who moved from Mexico to Kansas
City, Missouri, without speaking a word of
English, to Global Lead Partner and Global
Service Line Leader at KPMG. KPMG is
consistently ranked one of the “big four”
accounting firms in the country.
“Mexican culture is very much about big
family and having a big tent. I was certainly
raised that way,” Hernandez-Kakol says.
“This idea of having a big tent and a big
family that includes all kinds of people is
the way I look at building teams and I look at
having people from all kinds of experiences.”
She strives for her teams to reflect a
variety of backgrounds, cultures and
genders. She also wants individuals who
think outside-the-box.
Hernandez-Kakol plays a key part in
shaping and building the Management
Consulting practice, which has grown at a
double-digit rate over the last five years.
She leads the firm’s Global Customer and
Operations practice, which is focused on
delivering industry-specific solutions for
the front and middle office challenges of
Fortune 500 clients.In this role, she oversees
a team of more than 2,000 partners
and professionals.
She also serves as Global Lead Partner
for the world’s largest telco company in
the U.S. and is responsible for over 400
partners and professionals. She helps
clients transform their corporate services
organization, particularly in finance.
One of her greatest points of professional
pride is KPMG’s Technology Enablement
consulting business which she has built
Miriam co-hosted a panel discussion on “Connected
Enterprise” with KPMG’s U.S. and Global Head of
Customer Solutions Julio Hernandez (far left). They
were joined by Carlos Caraza Chief Information
Officer of Monsanto Mexico.
26 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol. 24, No. 2, 2018
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