ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT ON MARCUS LEACH
Press Release
Date: August 28, 2023
Contact: Lisa Garrett, lgarrett@tctc.edu
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT ON MARCUS LEACH
Marcus Leach currently serves as a Managing Director in the Deal Advisory & Strategy practice at KPMG, one of the world’s largest and most distinguished professional services firm. In this role, he is responsible for leading performance improvement, merger and acquisition strategy, and sustainability strategy engagements at Fortune 1000 corporations and bulge-bracket private equity firms.
Pendleton – When discussing his unique journey that led him to his current executive role, Marcus Leach fondly recalls his time attending Tri-County Technical College (TCTC) and graduating in 2009.
“Looking back, I would not have done it any other way,” said Leach, a Clemson native who graduated from D.W. Daniel High School. “At the time, my decision to enroll at TCTC was financially driven; it was my only option. The end result was that I received a great education and captured general education courses at a significantly discounted rate. My time at TCTC really exceeded my expectations due to the quality of the professors and the accessibility I had to them in small classroom sizes.”
Leach took university transfer courses at TCTC and earned an Associate of Arts degree in 2009. He transferred to Clemson University to pursue a degree in International Trade. While at Clemson, he worked in the evenings as a market research supervisor at a national market research firm.
“It was a blessing to be at TCTC,” said Leach, who graduated with significantly less debt than had he taken equivalent courses at a four-year institution. “That was a big deal for me, and it’s a big deal for current students in today’s economy,” he said. “TCTC offered invaluable access to transferable curriculum and resources. The faculty and staff were amazing, and I had a great experience. I was beyond equipped for Clemson and TCTC provided a great jumpstart.”
After college, Leach worked as a management consultant for several boutique firms including Brooks International, MTG, Advisian (Worley) in roles of increasing responsibility. He later launched an independent consulting firm, Marcus Leach Consulting & Capital, before joining KPMG’s Strategy practice in 2017.
A typical day for Leach, who is based in Palm Beach, Florida, begins on an airplane enroute to/from a client. “Strategy consulting is notoriously strenuous travel with most roles requiring 80%+ travel, usually Monday-Thursday at clients and Friday’s in office or working from home,” he said. For the day-to-day work itself, Leach oversees teams of consultants who help executive teams at large organizations solve some of their most challenging issues, such as, ’How do we develop/maintain competitive advantage’ Where should we focus to grow market share? What initiatives should we take on to increase profitability?’”
“Strategy consulting is the furthest thing from repetitive tasks. This career provides the opportunity to take on new and exciting work every day – consistently tackling some of the most challenging issues in business,” said Leach.
When asked what guidance he would give to students considering enrolling at TCTC, Leach said, “If I were an 18-year-old high school senior today, I would go directly to TCTC after graduation to earn a two-year degree and gain some work experience before working toward an advanced degree. The value of an education at TCTC is unparalleled. To graduate debt free in today’s economy is unheard of. In addition, you can develop a stronger perspective on your career goals, which can define where you want to go.”
About Tri-County Technical College
Tri-County Technical College, a public two-year community and technical college serving Anderson, Oconee and Pickens Counties in South Carolina, enrolls more than 9,000 students annually and offers more than 70 major fields of study, including computer technology, business administration, mechatronics, nursing, and university transfer programs. Tri-County boasts the highest student success rate among two-year colleges in the state and ranks in the top one percent nationally for successful student transfers to four-year colleges and universities. To learn more, visit tctc.edu.
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