@MarquetteAIM students had the opportunity to hear from Tony Coughlan during Mission Week

Anthony Coughlan was the featured Mission Week guest in Marquette’s AIM program this week

Tony Coughlan, Mission Week
guest speaker in the AIM program

Anthony (Tony) Coughlan, a senior finance executive, consultant and corporate and non-profit board member was the guest speaker this week in the AIM program during Mission Week. 

Mr. Coughlan is a seasoned  finance executive with years of experience in a variety of financial roles at Arthur Andersen and Accenture.

In Dr. Krause’s AIM class on Friday, February 7, 2020, Tony Coughlan talked about his role as senior managing director, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer with Accenture.

He lead the finance team that completed Accenture’s successful IPO after their transition from a partnership model. Tony talked about the importance of the establishment of proper financial policies and internal controls.

Dr. Krause commented, “It is important for our students to hear from people within the corporate finance function of the firm’s we evaluate. It highlights the areas where special attention needs to be focused within the 10-K and 10-Q reports, as well as the proxy statements. His insights helped our students understand how to better evaluate corporate reports generated by publicly traded firms.”

Tony Coughlan interacting with students
in the AIM Room during his lecture

Born in Ireland, Tony earned his Bachelor of Commerce degree at University College in Cork, Ireland. He and his wife, Kathy, have six children – one of whom attends Marquette. They actively support non-governmental organizations, primarily in Southeast Asia, that focus on education and women’s empowerment.

On Tuesday, Mr. Coughlan also served as a guest lecturer in Chris Merker’s AIM Ethics and Sustainability class. He talked about the  importance of ethics in finance and offered his own personal reflections on the role business ethics played in his career as a corporate controller. His real-life examples proved to be a useful learning tool for the students.

Dr. Krause concluded, “I enjoyed the time I was able to spend with Tony – and I know the students appreciate his visit as well. During Mission Week it is important to reflect on the long-run and to avoid the short-term issues that can lead people to make hasty and questionable decisions. Tony provided insights that I know resonated with the students and he was an excellent Mission Week guest speaker.”