Anne Zavarella ‘00 has been a member of the Accountancy Advisory Group (AAG) since 2015. She is a partner at KPMG, where she has served in the audit practice since graduating from Miami. During her almost 25-year career at KPMG, Anne has served as lead audit engagement partner and as an SEC reviewing partner on some of the firm’s largest and most complex global engagements. Anne is also the deputy professional practice partner for the Great Lakes business unit and was previously the national audit industry leader for industrial manufacturing. As a KPMG culture champion, Anne prides herself on building the best and most diverse teams to deliver an exceptional client experience. Speaking of her current role, she said, “I am really focused on people—the future of our firm! I am energized every day by them.”
Zavarella’s work with the AAG mirrors her passion for encouraging future accountants. “The AAG is a diverse group of accounting professionals,” she said, and “the biggest value of the AAG is to provide feedback into where accounting students can be better prepared when joining the workforce so the department can assist students with the smoothest transition.”
She cited former Accountancy Professor Tina Mallie (now Youngblood), who taught her intermediate accounting class, as an inspiration: “She was the first female accounting professor that I had the opportunity to learn from, and it was an incredibly impactful experience.”
In the past few years, Zavarella has authored articles on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in manufacturing for the Journal of Accountancy, in addition to a webcast on AI and financial reporting hosted by KPMG. “Artificial intelligence presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to completely reimagine financial reporting and the audit,” she said. “Our clients, investors, regulators, and other stakeholders in the capital markets expect us to lead in this area by anchoring rapid innovation with trust to enhance audit quality.”