Mary Lou Maher
Biography, 2019

A FCPA, FCA, Mary Lou Maher is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario’s and became a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2009. Mary Lou has been chief human resources officer for KPMG Canada and Partner in Charge of GTA audit practice. She served a seven-year term as chief financial officer of KPMG Canada and also took on the duties of chief inclusion officer. She was appointed the Canadian managing partner for quality and risk management in January 2018, in addition to her role as global head of inclusion and diversity. She also created KPMG Canada’s National Diversity Council and is the executive sponsor of pride@kpmg.

In 2005, Mary Lou was named a Trail Blazer for Women Chartered Accountants and inducted into the Hall of Fame for the WXN Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada. She has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Standing Proud, a business networking organization of LGBT professionals, and the Senior Leadership Award for Diversity from the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion.

A busy volunteer, Mary Lou was a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario Governance Council, she also was chair of the board of Women’s College Hospital and served on the board of LEAF Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund. An active Mac alumna, she has been part of the Alumni Business Advisory Group, participated in Knowledge@DeGroote panel discussions and established the Mary Lou Maher DeGroote Experience Fund.