Speaker: Take advantage opportunities
Taking advantage of opportunities as they come, maintaining a high level of integrity and working hard to obtain wants were the main points of James Quigley’s message to business students during Friday’s Dean’s Convocation.
Quigley has been serving as the CEO of Deloitte and Touche, USA since 2003. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu is a global accounting firm that provides auditing, tax and financial services to its customers.
A graduate of Utah State University in accounting, Quigley returned to Utah State University to speak to business students about his journey and give them advice on their future careers in business. Caryn Beck-Dudley, dean of the College of Business, opened with the college’s motto: “Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”
“I really feel like that describes who I am and describes, I think, what I’ve done,” Quigley said. When the opportunity came for Quigley to transfer in his job from Salt Lake City to the East coast, he said he was a little apprehensive about leaving behind all that he was familiar with. “The door of opportunity we walked through really created huge, huge advantages for us,” Quigley said. It is this “seizing opportunities” that has helped Quigley reach the point where he is today, CEO of Deloitte, he said.
Working for a value-based company, Quigley said he is passionate about principles and values. “You can’t take it for granted, this idea of integrity,” Quigley said.
“I thought it was interesting that [Quigley] talked about the importance of ethics in this society. Even a CEO thinks it is the most important quality you can have,” said Penny Hegerhorst, a senior in management and human resources.
Quigley also stressed to students that they must maintain their high standards no matter what situations they are put in. Taylor Funk, a junior in accounting and economics, said, “I liked how he talked about the importance of having values and being strong morally in the business world.”
Applying principles and values, such as those upon which his company is based, on a personal level and then combining them with hard work is the key to success, Quigley told students.
When Quigley wanted one of 16 positions available at Deloitte in Salt Lake City, he knew that it would take work, but said he knew what he had to do. “I went to work to get it,” he said. And that’s just what he said he did to land the job amid tough competition.
Seizing the opportunities that have come to him because of his moral standard and his hard work, Quigley said he has seen more opportunities come then he could’ve imagined. He said he hopes students learn from his example and seize the unique opportunities that come their way, allowing them too multiply.
-albaugh@cc.usu.edu