William B. Thomas has become chairman of KPMG International. He will lead the KPMG global network of professional services firms for a four-year term, succeeding John B. Veihmeyer, who completed his term as chairman and is retiring from KPMG.

Thomas has served as chairman of KPMG’s Americas region since 2014 and has been a member of the global board since 2009.

Thomas was CEO and senior partner of KPMG in Canada from 2009 to 2016. In his 28 years with KPMG, Thomas has also held a number of leadership roles in the Canadian firm and within KPMG International and has served as an audit partner for clients in a variety of industries.

“I’m excited and honored to succeed a leader I admire as much as John Veihmeyer to take on the role of chairman of KPMG International. We have been driving innovation across all parts of our business and I intend to continue and accelerate that trend,” Thomas said. “KPMG is well placed to be at the heart of this transformation. Just in the past year, KPMG has been recognized by industry analysts for our leading capabilities in data & analytics (D&A) and cyber security. We also launched KPMG Clara, our smart audit platform that enables bringing enhanced D&A and cognitive capabilities to the audit.”