Rachel Piper
Partner, KPMG, Auckland
BCom(Hons) Accounting
LLB
Studying at Otago was a pivotal step for a young girl from Invercargill in becoming a partner in the multinational professional services firm KPMG.
Otago's flexible study options allowed Rachel to pursue interests in business, numbers and the legal system. Rachel completed a double degree, studying a BCom(Hons) in Accounting alongside an LLB. Strategic career choices mean Rachel is now both a chartered accountant and a qualified Barrister and Solicitor.
In Rachel's current role she hires a number of graduates, and knows that KPMG looks favourably on Otago graduates, as much for their independence and life skills, as for their academic qualifications. Aside from first-rate tuition in the classroom, she knows first-hand how truly valuable the Otago flatting experience is for developing excellent skills in communication, negotiation, budgeting and time management.
Like many Otago graduates around New Zealand and around the world, Rachel's husband, many of her close friends and numerous work colleagues and contacts are also Otago alumni. These daily, welcome reminders reflect the wider benefits of Rachel's days as an Otago student.