Reinhard Goerdeler

Who was Reinhard Goerdeler?

Reinhard Goerdeler was a German accountant who was instrumental in founding KPMG, the leading international firm of accountants. Goerdeler was born in Königsberg, East Prussia as the son of Königsberg's second mayor Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, a leading anti-Nazi activist.

While his father was on trial at the Volksgerichtshof after the 20 July plot, Goerdeler and his family were imprisoned by the Nazis at the Dachau concentration camp and in late April 1945 transferred to Tyrol together with about 140 other prominent inmates, where the SS left the prisoners behind. He was liberated by the Fifth U.S. Army on May 5, 1945.

After leaving full-time education, Goerdeler joined Deutsche Treuhand-Gesellschaft and worked his way up to the position of Chairman in which role he sought to expand the firm into an international network which could service his largest clients. His efforts led him to found Klynveld Main Goerdeler in 1979 and KPMG in 1987.

He went on to become chairman of KPMG. Dr. Goerdeler was also the first President of the International Federation of Accountants, the global organization for the accountancy profession. In retirement he was a trustee of the Max Reger Institute until he died on 3 January 1996.