Apple Govt, Kennesaw Point out Alum Encourages Pupils To Goal Large

Apr 16, 2021

Apple executive, Kennesaw State alum encourages college students to goal large

Aaron Gagnon

KENNESAW, Ga.
(Apr 16, 2021) — A second of clarity for the duration of an intro-amount accounting course nearly 30 decades in the past begun
Aaron Gagnon on a journey that has taken the Kennesaw State College alumnus all over
the world and led him to grow to be the top rated internal auditor for Apple, the world’s most significant
technologies business.

Gagnon, Apple’s main audit government, acquired his accounting degree from Kennesaw Point out in 1994. He returned to campus this 7 days from his property in Austin,
Texas, to communicate with pupils in the Master of Accounting program about careers in the business and the part Kennesaw State has performed in his
achievements.

“You can do regardless of what you want with your degree from KSU,” Gagnon stated during the talk
at the KSU Centre. “It can consider you all around the planet and to the leading stages at any
firm.”

He speaks from expertise. Soon after graduation, Gagnon spent 20 yrs at Ernst & Young
– including seven as a husband or wife – executing audits and other experienced providers
for important businesses these kinds of as The Coca-Cola Firm, Walmart and McDonald’s. These positions
permitted him to live and operate in Germany for 5 several years and in Japan for approximately four.
Gagnon later served as main audit government for Abercrombie and Fitch for 3 many years
ahead of shifting to Apple, where he now manages all world-wide internal audit activity
for the $250+ billion enterprise.

Gagnon traces his profession back to a moment of clarity he professional early in his higher education
education and learning.

“I was taking an intro to accounting class and, halfway via it, I recognized accounting
created perception to me even though a lot of of my classmates were having difficulties to comprehend it,” Gagnon
mentioned. “I believed, ‘Hey, I may possibly be very good at this. I really should make this my career.’ From
that issue on, I was all in.”

He commenced functioning intently with accounting faculty to explore qualified prospects
when also participating in extracurricular pursuits like the College student Governing administration Affiliation and Beta Alpha Psi, the intercontinental honor culture for accounting, finance and information
methods students. During his senior yr, Gagnon was president of the petitioning
chapter of Kennesaw State’s Beta Alpha Psi chapter, which was granted comprehensive position the next calendar year and is active currently.

Grasp of Accounting university student and fellow Beta Alpha Psi member Angie Jackson attended
Gagnon’s presentation and thanked him for helping launch the chapter, which was instrumental
in Jackson landing her work as a organization assurance employees accountant for Moore Colson
CPAs and Advisors.

“It was fantastic conference a person who is the primary reason KSU has a Beta Alpha Psi chapter,”
Jackson mentioned. “I acquired my job at a Beta Alpha Psi recruitment celebration. I would not be
as productive without the need of it. I take pleasure in that Aaron carries on to give back again like this.”

Gagnon’s Beta Alpha Psi college advisor was Steve Smalt, who now is the director of
the Michael J. Coles Faculty of Business enterprise School of Accountancy. As Gagnon’s instructor, Smalt was impressed by his student’s perseverance. These days,
he is proud of Gagnon’s ongoing good results.

“It really is tough to measure or explain the price for the college students in listening to from this sort of
a superior-profile skilled who at the time sat in which they are at present sitting,” Smalt
mentioned. “Viewing that these a career is achievable for them is an immensely motivating knowledge.”

“Aaron not only introduced a prosperity of details and wonderful suggestions to the learners,”
stated Brad Schafer, 1 of two accounting professors who hosted Gagnon in their classes,
“but his relaxed, participating character made an remarkable learning expertise.”

Drawing on his personal time in the accounting method, Gagnon talked to students about
the value of acquiring gentle techniques, such as working on a staff, fixing difficulties
and communicating effectively.

“KSU gave me a fantastic specialized foundation as I begun into community accounting,” Gagnon
claimed, “but the ordeals I had with Beta Alpha Psi, scholar government, in-course
presentations and interactions with fellow college students ended up major in forming and
producing the comfortable capabilities that grew to become vital in my vocation.”

Gagnon’s stop by also provided a meeting with School of Accountancy college and Coles
Faculty Dean Robin Cheramie. Gagnon remarked that he is generally taken aback when he
returns to campus by how much Kennesaw Point out has grown in the two dimensions and stature since
he was a scholar.

“Observing the difference from when I graduated to wherever it is now is amazing,” he reported,
jokingly adding, “if I were being applying nowadays, I surprise if I could even get in.”

– Patrick Harbin

Images by Jason Getz