McGuirt will lead KPMG’s nearly 1,400 partners and professionals in Atlanta and be responsible for the office’s strategic direction and continued expansion, which began as a one-man office in 1922 and has evolved into one of the firm’s fastest growing markets. He also will oversee KPMG offices in Birmingham, Ala., and Jackson, Miss., as well as Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville in Tennessee. 

“This is a proud moment for all of us at KPMG,” said Global Chairman John Veihmeyer. “Milford is one of the most respected business executives in the Atlanta marketplace and a leader in the community. He brings tremendous national and local experience serving major clients across a broad range of industries and sectors, and his perspective will help further energize and grow our business in Atlanta and the surrounding region.”

McGuirt serves as KPMG’s lead partner on the audit engagements for the City of Atlanta, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport and the Georgia Tech Foundation. He also leads KPMG’s higher education practice nationally, and his clients include many distinguished educational institutions, such as Duke, Emory, Johns Hopkins, Mercer and Wake Forest universities, as well as Morehouse and Spelman colleges. Previously he served a wide range of key clients in financial services, manufacturing and real estate. 

“Atlanta is an incredibly exciting and expanding market that offers tremendous opportunities across the business landscape, and I’m thrilled to take lead here for KPMG,” said McGuirt. “I’m looking forward to building on our success in Atlanta, to furthering our reputation as a great place to work, and continuing to expand KPMG’s market position and our strong place as member of the community. I’m especially proud to be a leader in an organization that is demonstrating its commitment to diversity every day.” 

For many years, McGuirt has been a leader in KPMG’s diversity initiatives, particularly to encourage more African-Americans to join the accounting profession. He serves on the boards of the KPMG Foundation and the Ph.D. Project, which the foundation established in 1994 to increase the diversity of corporate America by increasing the diversity of business school faculty.  

McGuirt is a steering committee member for Mercer University’s Executive Forum and serves on the board of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education. He holds a BBA degree in Accounting, cum laude, from Western Michigan University.

He succeeds William Kimble, who announced his retirement from the firm in December.