In October, Camilla joined KPMG as Partner and Head of People and also became part of our Leadership Team. The road to her current role has been anything but conventional. From her early dreams of becoming a defense attorney to a career spanning geography, international development and human resources, Camilla’s journey is a testament to how curiosity and adaptability can shape a career.
A passion for working with people
Camilla’s early career ambitions were shaped by exploration rather than certainty. After spending time in New York following high school, she later returned to the U.S. for a year of university, where she studied business administration: “However, I realized that seeing the perspective from the company side was only part of the story and I got curious to understand how companies are part of the larger societal machinery”, she explains.
Back in Denmark, Camilla switched to studying geography because she was drawn by the broad nature of the field. “I was afraid of being locked into something too narrow. Geography was great because it was so broad — and here I chose to focus more on African societies and the health aspects of rural versus urban living,” she says.
Her curiosity led her to Zimbabwe for fieldwork and a semester in Ghana as a Danida intern on a major health program. These experiences paved the way for her first full-time job: three years with the UN in Malawi as a program officer focused on youth issues like reducing teenage pregnancies and increasing school attendance.
I’ve always been passionate about working with people and improving ”stuff”, and this has also been defining for my career over the past 20 years since returning to Denmark.
After returning from Africa, Camilla worked with process design and optimization in the public sector and hereafter she was headhunted to a professional services firm, where she continued working with process optimization and organizational transformations for nearly a decade:
“During this time, I was also service line lead, so this also meant working with people and addressing motivation, engagement and well-being. Ultimately, this led me to take on the role as People and Purpose Leader which I held for six years.”
Building on a 10-year transformation
Camilla’s decision to join KPMG was influenced by the opportunities and the culture she witnessed:
“I was drawn to the dynamic and autonomous nature of KPMG. It felt easier to turn ideas into action than what I had previously experienced,” she explains. The people she met during her recruitment process also left an impression: “They were empathetic, curious and open to continuing working on the people agenda and strengthening it even further. That was incredibly attractive.”
Since starting, Camilla has felt embraced by the whole organisation: “The warmth and openness from leadership, the People team, and everyone I’ve met have been incredible. I was welcomed into the Leadership Team, and therefore I really feel that my input has been valued right from the start.”
Camilla’s agenda as Head of People is ambitious: “I’ve joined at an exciting time with the strategy under development and the Nordic collaboration gaining momentum,”. Her focus is on crafting a people strategy that builds on our 10-year transformation while introducing structures that enhance transparency and predictability.
KPMG has undergone an impressive transformation over the past 10 years, and this progress has been achieved through commitment and collaboration from Partners and employees combined with entrepreneurship. From a people perspective, I believe the focus should now be on solidifying processes and ensuring that we keep providing the best place to work for our employees.
Camilla continues: "Artificial intelligence, political instability and wars combined with the aftermaths of the Covid pandemic impact the expectations people have to their workplace. As a professional services firm employing very talented and ambitious people, we need to offer both a high degree of tailormade career journeys as well as clarity about career paths, development opportunities and rewards. By working structured with this — not to create rigidity but to provide transparency — we can help employees shape their careers.”
She also believes this will strengthen diversity and inclusion efforts.
Focus on behaviour and a trust-based culture
For Camilla, trust and openness are central to her own leadership philosophy. “I find it challenging when there’s a lack of ambition, but I also respect that life has its ups and downs,” she says.
“It’s crucial to foster an environment where people feel safe sharing, e.g. when they can’t give everything they have for a period of time. Building trust as a leader is key to enabling those conversations.”
For Camilla it is also important to maintain a culture at KPMG where collaboration and mutual support thrive. “I have experienced a more open dialogue in KPMG which is valuable. To me, it is the prerequisite for a strong culture where people feel it is ok to make mistakes and that speaking up is acceptable,” she emphasises.
This also involves addressing shifts over time in workplace norms. "In the past, certain jokes or behaviours might have been acceptable, but today, they aren’t — and rightly so. It’s our responsibility as a company to help people understand these changes without creating a culture of fear or blame."
Looking ahead
Camilla’s personal and professional experiences position her to make a difference at KPMG. Her understanding of the challenges employees face — whether it’s balancing demanding workloads or navigating career progression — shapes her approach.
“I’ve been a part of the business myself, working as a consultant. So, I’ve experienced what it’s like to sacrifice weekends or personal time to meet client demands. I believe that this firsthand experience helps me ensure our people initiatives are grounded in the reality that our employees face."
Currently, Camilla is working on a new people strategy which will be launched in the early spring of 2025. She concludes:
Creating a people strategy and implementing it is a collaborative effort. I've been conducting interviews and workshops with employees and partners to gather their input on what is important for the strategy to focus on. For me, it’s about creating a workplace where people feel valued, supported, and clear about their opportunities. That’s the kind of culture I want to help build.
Thank you to Camilla for sharing her insights about her career and aspirations for KPMG! We are so happy to have you on board.
Camilla Kruse
Head of People and Partner
KPMG in Denmark
