Finance, Accounting, and Risk Advisory
In finance, accounting, and risk advisory, success requires more than technical expertise. Professionals in this field must find opportunities where others see challenges and guide clients through complex issues. For Carl Jenkins, that balance has defined more than four decades of leadership.
Early Lessons in Decision-Making
Mr. Jenkins says his career began with uncertainty. “By the time I graduated from school, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to be a CPA, but I had all the requirements,” he recalls. He sat for the exam in his senior year and completed it shortly after joining KPMG.
When faced with multiple offers, his father gave advice that shaped his thinking. “My father told me, ‘Go to someplace that needs you, not just someplace that offers you a job.’ KPMG made me feel wanted, which is why I chose them,” Mr. Jenkins explains.
Finding the Right Place
Though he built a strong foundation as a CPA, Mr. Jenkins kept searching for the right fit. “I never felt whatever job I was in was the last job I was going to have,” he says. “I liked what I did, but I never loved what I was doing until I found Kroll. That’s where I felt like I was supposed to be at the time, and I still feel that way.”
That mindset eventually led Mr. Jenkins into leadership at Duff & Phelps (now Kroll), where he guided the global governance and risk advisory business unit.
Adapting to a Changing Field
For Mr. Jenkins, technology such as artificial intelligence has transformed accounting and risk advisory.
Mr. Jenkins believes the real shift is in both online data and advanced tools. “We have much more sophisticated software and processes, and we use AI to get information that we wouldn’t have otherwise been able to obtain on a cost-effective basis,” he explains. “But we’re still big on boots on the ground. You have to have good people and the ability to analyze and incorporate the data, not just find the data.”
Credentials and Service Beyond Business
Mr. Jenkins has built a reputation supported by extensive credentials. He is a certified public accountant, certified fraud examiner, certified in financial forensics, accredited in business valuation and a certified fraud examiner. He also holds an instrument-rated private pilot license and a U.S. Coast Guard captain’s license.
Even after decades of success, Mr. Jenkins remains focused on giving back and civic involvement. He serves as a second lieutenant of emergency and geospatial services with the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol and mentors students nationwide through Scholars of Finance. He is also a past president and current board member of the Boston Police Foundation, supporting wellness and community policing initiatives for officers. Likewise, he is a board member of the DEA Educational Foundation, which works to find healthy alternatives to drugs for young people. Additionally, he has taken on the role of director of his local community emergency response team (CERT).
Looking Ahead: Sharing Knowledge and Expertise
“You have to figure out what your value-add is. You can’t just say you have the software to do it because others have software, too. You have to have good people and the ability to analyze and incorporate the data.”
From his start at KPMG to his leadership at Kroll, Mr. Jenkins has shown that lasting success stems from curiosity and a commitment to people and progress. His goals for the years ahead are clear: continue learning, mentoring, and making a difference.
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