Whitman Alumnus Matt Kay ’12 Takes Over as Lead Recruiting Partner for KPMG

Starting in October, a familiar face will lead KPMG’s recruiting efforts at Syracuse University. Matt Kay ’12, a partner at KPMG who has been a member of the recruiting team for more than a decade, will take over for Steven Davis ’87, tax principal, who is retiring in October, and Howard Meltzer, partner, who retired in April.  

Davis asked Kay to take on the role. “It was a bittersweet moment—while I was excited about the opportunity, I was also saying goodbye to two mentors who have been fixtures on campus for years,” says Kay, who majored in accounting and has spent his entire career at KPMG. “My relationship with Syracuse has never ended since I graduated, and I’m thrilled about taking on the lead role. It’s been a goal for me, and I’m really looking forward to hiring the next generation of talent into professional services.” 

“I had the best possible college experience and credit much of my career success to Syracuse University and the Whitman School,” Kay adds. “I’ve recruited at Whitman every single year since joining KPMG, and I love being back on campus. It is so rewarding to introduce some of that amazing talent at Syracuse to our firm. Last year, we hired more than 50 Syracuse students. It’s a huge responsibility, but I don’t think there’s anyone who’s more invested in continuing this relationship than I am.” 

Kay became a student at Syracuse University thanks to some neighbors who were enthusiastic Orange alumni. “Syracuse quickly became my No. 1 when I was applying to schools. I knew I wanted to study business, but I wasn’t sure what area,” Kay says. “The current Whitman School was only a couple of years old when I visited, and I was impressed with the facility, faculty and staff, and how they set students up for success.” 

Kay says accounting came naturally to him. He credits the Whitman accounting department, particularly Professors of Accounting Practice Joyce Zadzilka and Kofi Okyere and Professor of Accounting David Harris, for teaching him the fundamentals and encouraging him to pursue professional services. He also recognizes Kara Primrose, director of Whitman’s Career Services, for helping him navigate early career opportunities. 

It was at a Whitman career fair that Kay first encountered KPMG, and while the firm was primarily recruiting for roles in New York City, the Massachusetts native expressed interest in working in Boston.  

“Two weeks later, I was on a flight to Boston for an interview. I was impressed by how quickly the firm accommodated me,” he says. That interview landed him an internship in Boston in the summer of 2011, as a tax intern serving real estate and private equity fund clients at a time when the asset management industry was rapidly rebounding from the global financial crisis. The internship turned into a full-time job offer after graduation.  

“Whitman gave me the tools to succeed early in my career at KPMG by enabling me to apply what we learned in class to the tasks I was given as an employee,” he says. “I was able to show that I could add real value to the deal process by drawing on financial statement modeling experience first cultivated at Whitman. As a result, I gained exposure to key client relationships and growth opportunities that have helped me get where I am today.” 

Kay saw early on that New York City is the global center of the asset management industry. Wanting to accelerate his career, he transferred there and has quickly risen through the ranks, making partner in 2024.  

Kay has always prioritized team building and recruiting. He visits Whitman often to speak in classrooms and educate students about what working at KPMG is like, and to attend dozens of networking opportunities, panels, career fairs, mock interview sessions and Beta Alpha Psi events to interact with students interested in accounting, finance and IT. 

“I’m always looking for someone with a solid understanding of accounting fundamentals who is coachable, accepts feedback well and is eager to learn,” he says in describing a good job candidate. “A lot of students look at the Big Four as a temporary stop on their career path, and that’s OK, but I’m looking for someone who wants to build a business and make partner.” 

Kay adds, “Client service gets more interesting the further you go. You are given the opportunity to travel the world, lead large teams, serve companies at the cutting edge of their respective industries and advise on multi-billion-dollar transactions. Having the skills from the Whitman tool kit really helps you break down complex transactions and serve as a trusted advisor to your clients. It’s a great life, and I want to bring a similar experience to as many Syracuse students as I can.”