Where Trust Becomes a Leadership Responsibility

In financial leadership, numbers tell only part of the story. The deeper responsibility lies in what those numbers represent: trust, accountability and confidence in the organisations behind them.

For Lamya S. AlRasheed, CPA, SOCPA, that responsibility has shaped a professional journey across some of the most demanding areas of accounting and assurance. Today, as a Partner at KPMG Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, her work reflects a progression built on technical expertise, disciplined judgement and a sustained commitment to the standards that underpin strong financial practice.

Her career offers a compelling example of how expertise in financial assurance can grow into a broader form of leadership, influencing not only organisations but the confidence placed in them.

“The strength of financial leadership is measured in the trust it creates.”

From Accounting Foundations to Professional Leadership

Every substantial professional journey begins somewhere. For Lamya, the foundation was accounting.

Her early experience as an Accountant Technician at ALMARAI COMPANY in Riyadh, from 2010 to 2011, provided an important starting point before she moved into external audit. She subsequently joined EY in 2011, beginning a fourteen-year professional chapter that would take her from Audit Director to Partner.

The progression is significant not simply because of the titles attached to it, but because of what it represents: the development of expertise through increasingly senior responsibilities within the assurance profession.

Her experience spans external audit, assurance and financial audits, areas where precision matters and professional judgement carries real weight.

The Discipline Behind Financial Confidence

Audit is often associated with figures and compliance, yet its wider importance is deeply connected to confidence.

Organisations depend on reliable financial information to understand their position, assess performance and make informed decisions. The professionals responsible for examining that information therefore operate in an environment where detail, independence and judgement are essential.

Lamya’s professional focus on External Audit and Assurance places her within this critical space. Her journey demonstrates the value of building expertise carefully, developing a strong command of financial disciplines and taking on greater responsibility as that expertise matures.

“Excellence in assurance begins with the courage to examine every detail.”

A Partnership Built on Experience

In July 2024, Lamya became a Partner at EY after serving as an Audit Director since September 2011. Her progression within the organisation reflects a long period of professional development in Riyadh’s financial and business environment.

In April 2026, she began a new chapter as a Partner at KPMG Saudi Arabia. The move places her continued professional experience within another leading global professional services environment and marks the latest stage of a journey that began with hands-on accounting work and developed through years of audit and assurance practice.

The significance of such progression is found in its substance. Partnership in a major professional services organisation carries responsibility for maintaining the quality, credibility and standards expected from the profession.

Beyond One Organisation

Lamya’s professional contribution also extends beyond her role within a firm.

Since January 2026, she has been part of IFAC’s Professional Accountancy Organization Development & Advisory Group. This involvement adds another dimension to her work, connecting her experience with broader discussions around the development and advisory needs of professional accountancy organisations.

It is an important distinction. Leadership in accounting is not limited to serving individual organisations. It can also contribute to the development of the profession itself, helping strengthen the structures, practices and expertise on which financial confidence depends.

Knowledge That Travels Across Borders

Lamya’s professional profile also reflects an ability to operate across linguistic and professional contexts. She works in both English and Arabic, alongside holding CPA and SOCPA certifications.

Her academic foundation was established at King Saud University, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting.

Together, these qualifications form more than a list of credentials. They represent the combination of formal accounting education, professional certification and practical experience that has supported her rise through the assurance profession.

The Quiet Power of Professional Standards

There is a particular kind of leadership that does not depend on visibility. It is built through consistency, careful judgement and the willingness to uphold standards when the details matter most.

Lamya’s career reflects that form of leadership.

From her first professional role in accounting to senior positions in audit, partnership responsibilities and participation in an international accountancy development group, her journey has been shaped by the disciplines of financial assurance.

That makes her story especially relevant at a time when confidence in financial information remains fundamental to business decision-making. Behind every credible financial system are professionals whose expertise helps ensure that confidence is deserved.

A New Chapter in Saudi Arabia’s Professional Landscape

Lamya’s move to KPMG Saudi Arabia in 2026 represents the latest chapter in a career that has continued to evolve rather than stand still. Her current role as Partner, combined with her involvement with IFAC, places her experience across both organisational and professional dimensions.

What makes this journey worth noticing is not a single achievement, but the progression itself.

It shows how a foundation in accounting can develop into a career centred on assurance, how technical expertise can grow into partnership-level responsibility, and how professional experience can ultimately contribute to wider accountancy development.

Recognition by The CEO Network

Lamya S. AlRasheed deserves recognition for a career grounded in the principles that give financial leadership its lasting value: expertise, accountability, professional discipline and trust.

From her early accounting experience in Riyadh to senior leadership roles at EY and KPMG Saudi Arabia, her journey reflects a steady accumulation of knowledge and responsibility. Her CPA and SOCPA credentials, her accounting education at King Saud University and her participation in IFAC’s Professional Accountancy Organization Development & Advisory Group further illustrate the breadth of her professional engagement.
Her story is ultimately a reminder that some of the most consequential leadership is built through work that demands accuracy, integrity and trust every day.

And when expertise is paired with responsibility, the impact can extend far beyond the balance sheet.

Lamya S. AlRasheed, CPA,SOCPA | LinkedIn