Ginny Grey, '06, wins National Mentoring Award from KPMG

Ginny Grey, ’06, senior manager in audit practice at KPMG, dedicates her time to mentoring her colleagues.

“I feel a lot of satisfaction when they accomplish their goals and I’ve been able to positively impact their lives,” Grey said.

Since joining KPMG in 2007, Grey has moved up from staff accountant to audit senior manager, with the help of many people along the way, she says.

“I moved around quite a bit for my husband’s career, I learned from a lot of different people,” Grey said.

Her husband serves in the military, which has caused her family to move from Norfolk, Va. to Silicon Valley, Calif. and Newport, RI before coming back to Norfolk in 2014.

“I have had a significant amount of assistance in order to maintain my career during our moves, so I wanted to give that back. And seeing other people succeed and be happy gives me a tremendous amount of personal satisfaction.”

Then earlier this year, her commitment to her team members paid off, when she was named one of 12 National Mentoring Award winners in Audit at KPMG.

“I am grateful for the flexibility, support, and learning opportunities that KPMG has given me as we've moved all over the country,” Grey said. “I enjoy helping others learn from my mistakes and it's wonderful to be recognized for my accomplishments​.”

She admits when she first took intermediate accounting with Joe Hoyle, associate professor of accounting, she wasn’t sure if this field was for her.

“His classes were incredibly difficult,” Grey said. “But, he made me realize that I can learn this. He helped me understand the growth mindset and getting better by working hard to develop my skills.”

Hoyle says Grey worked hard in his class, and that work ethic has paid off in her career.

“I am not at all surprised that she received the mentoring award,” Hoyle said. “She is a very helpful person who is always willing to go out of her way for others. 

Hoyle also agrees her philosophy on mentoring will continue to pay off for her later in her career.

“We all need guidance when we enter new stages in our life and our careers,” Hoyle said. “I really do believe we should all follow in Ginny’s footsteps and look around a bit more often and see people who are in need of a touch of assistance. Just a willingness to listen and advise would make a lot of situations better.”

Grey says her dynamic career path has challenged her to reinforce her relationships with her colleagues, which has helped her in her many location changes.

“Having been through many changes has made me more conscious of how important personal relationships are,” Grey said. “I feel like I’m making my team better and enjoying their environment and making their lives better, but I directly see the impact of my efforts, and I find that rewarding. And it’s nice to get upper level acknowledgement for that.”