By Rachel Doherty
When Benjie Thomas (PDAcc ’98), CEO of KPMG in Canada, returned to the University of Waterloo last week, he walked into the room like an old friend — chatting with students, shaking hands and joking that he already knew how many people planned to ask him for a job that day.
His visit began with a small luncheon hosted by the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF), attended by President Vivek Goel, Dean of Arts Alexie Tcheuyap, Director of Athletics and Recreation Roly Webster, local KPMG partners and alumni, and a group of students who are recipients of the scholarships endowed in the Thomas Family name. During the gathering, SAF Director Blake Phillips and Roly Webster presented Thomas with a framed Indigenous Warriors logo in recognition of his longstanding generosity through philanthropy, mentorship, and championing UWaterloo talent. Thomas accepted the gift with appreciation and later reflected on how profoundly the University has shaped both his career and his character.
After lunch and a short walk to Hagey Hall, Thomas stepped into a packed lecture hall of more than 300 accounting and finance students. With his trademark mix of energy and candour, he opened with a joke and a choice: students could hear his full life story, or he could share the “three or four things” he believed would genuinely help them be more successful.
The room overwhelmingly chose the lessons.
What followed was an honest, fast-moving conversation about the realities of career-building — grounded in Thomas’s own University of Waterloo experience. He began by asking how many students had 15-year goals, and then how many had written them down. Almost every hand dropped. That moment set up his first lesson: success starts with intentional planning. Thomas explained how he deliberately chose UWaterloo for its CPA pass rates, strategically pursued leadership roles in high school to strengthen his application, and began his KPMG career in London, Ontario to avoid competing with hundreds of Toronto applicants.
His second lesson emerged naturally through storytelling: relationships are a powerful long-term advantage. Thomas described the overlapping “circles” that shaped his life — varsity athletes, classmates, cultural communities, colleagues — and how profoundly UWaterloo relationships continue to influence his career. He urged students to stop seeing one another as rivals for grades or jobs, reminding them that their peers would one day be teammates, collaborators and clients. Many of his classmates are now CEOs, CFOs and senior executives — relationships formed not through formal networking, but in classrooms, co-op terms, football practices and late nights at the Davis Centre.
The third lesson drew from his time as a student: the importance of managing time. Thomas encouraged students to think critically about how they use their time. He spoke about managing life in “minutes, not hours,” both as a student and as CEO. Juggling varsity football, working shifts at Fed Hall, weekend security work and running a small athletic apparel business taught him discipline and resilience. Even today, he uses 15-minute windows between meetings to clear emails or write handwritten notes — a small habit he has become known for.
His fourth lesson focused on giving back to the communities that shape us. Thomas spoke about how easily graduates can think of university in transactional terms — tuition paid, education received — without recognizing how deeply the experience shapes identity, opportunity and networks. He encouraged students to remember their roots and give back when they are able. Early in a career, he said, time is the most meaningful gift: mentoring, volunteering, supporting student initiatives or participating in events like this one. Financial contributions can come later as careers progress.
With the student talk complete, Thomas joined SAF Director Blake Phillips for a fireside chat that dove even deeper into leadership, mentorship, the future of the profession and the evolving role of AI in accounting and finance. Their conversation offered students a rare, candid look at executive decision-making and the dynamics of leading a national firm.
Afterward, as Thomas made his way into the Hagey Hall atrium, a massive line of students quickly formed. True to his word and his leadership style, he stayed until the very last moment, taking a selfie with every student who wanted one — easily hundreds. Each conversation was brief but personal, reflecting the same generosity and authenticity he had demonstrated throughout the afternoon.
It was a homecoming full of energy, honesty and inspiration — and a reminder of what SAF and University of Waterloo graduates can become when they revisit their roots and lead with purpose, community and heart.
