Internship Spotlight: Nick Lusardi

By Nick Lusardi, Gabelli ‘13

When I found out I was accepted to KPMG’s Global Internship Program my reaction was comparable to receiving my acceptance letter to Fordham; it took some restraint to refrain from running down the hallways of Keating in pure excitement.  Throughout my undergraduate career I always had interest in the global business world, so when I first learned of the GIP program KPMG offered to interns I immediately sought out the opportunity.  Needless to say, pursuing my goal proved invaluable; the experiences I had while in Paris changed the way I understand the global community in my personal life and beyond to the accounting and business world.  

From the minute I landed in the Charles de Gaulle airport outside of Paris I was hit with a tidal wave of the French culture.  I learned quickly that the French are very proud of their culture and heritage.  Unlike other countries where tourism is a main industry, people did not attempt to speak English and there was very little translated on signs or directions.   Over time, however, the uncomfortable nature of a foreign language in a foreign city actually came to be one of the best learning experiences of the trip for me personally.  Suddenly, every day tasks like finding directions or buying groceries challenged me to broaden my comfort zone and subsequently taught me everything from the necessity of communication to the importance of relating to someone through their native culture.

As an intern in the KPMG US Tax Desk in Paris I was privileged with seeing and learning a great deal in a short amount of time.  Fortunately, I was still working on U.S. taxes, so everything I learned while abroad is applicable to the tax work I will later have in New York.  My responsibilities in Paris included everything from researching tax laws related to specific client needs to completing an entire subsidiary’s U.S. Tax Form 1120 for a London based corporation.  One of the most eye-opening aspects of the work I did was the teamwork with the various KPMG offices and services throughout the global firm.  For instance, we worked a great deal with the KPMG U.S. Tax desk in London on an English client.  We used the London crew to initiate communication with the client and help gain an understanding of the client’s business along with the specific British and U.S. tax implications of that business.  Furthermore, KPMG New York Tax desks were constantly used on projects in order to assure the validity of certain U.S. tax treatments for the clients.  Overall, not only did the GIP program provide me with the typical tax intern experience of learning tax software, research skills, and U.S. Tax Forms, but the global exposure and firsthand viewpoint of the teamwork within the global KPMG network ultimately left me increasingly aware of the true value of a global mindset in the business world.   

From the intern level, KPMG supports global thinking in its employees, only proving the necessity for change in the business world to accommodate such practices.  As a young future employee of the firm and the future of business in general, I feel that my experience in Paris completely provided me with the necessary tools in order to successfully adapt to the changing world as it becomes more and more global with increasing capabilities in technology and the need to expand in to new markets grows.  Essentially, by working in the Paris office and experiencing this global network, I witnessed the very benefits the firm advertises daily to potential clients and recruited employees. KPMG has the invaluable resource of employees around the world that are culturally cognizant and globally aware of a client’s unique business needs, and the communication of knowledge and teamwork that results from that resource is exactly what drives KPMG’s success in the global markets.  

Nick graduated from Fordham in 2013 with a degree in Public Accounting.