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Few things have created more discussion and disruption in the tax and accounting professions than private equity’s entry into this space. This new entry along with the ongoing talent shortage is creating conflict for some firms. But this story goes beyond the financial implications. While the influx of cash is grabbing headlines, an important factor that is often missed is how this structure transforms firm dynamics and affects career opportunities for team members.
The Accounting MOVE Project conducts a yearly survey of qualitative and quantitative data on employer demographics. In this year's research, the Accounting MOVE Project took a careful look at the ways private equity (PE) investment is currently affecting employees by talking to firm leaders as well as prominent intermediaries. Some think PE is leveling the playing field, offering oft-overlooked women and people of color more opportunities to prove their value and leadership potential. Others are worried that the intense focus on increasing revenues might undermine the people-centric strategies that many firms depend on to attract and retain employees, who are in increasingly short supply. Additionally, the research dove into the debate around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and how DEI leaders are working to overcome skepticism and keep momentum in the workplace. Finally, our presenter will discuss what was learned about MOVE's foundational pillars: Money, Opportunity, Vital Supports, and Entrepreneurship, and how trailblazing firms are taking steps to meet the diverse needs of their multi-generational workforce.
Learning Objectives:
- Evaluate how private equity's entry into public accounting is influencing career trajectories
- Observe industry trends based on the Accounting MOVE Project's research and extrapolate how those trends will continue in the future
- Recognize the value of DEI as a worthy pursuit
- List feedback from MOVE firms regarding the 4 areas of the Accounting MOVE study: Money, Opportunity, Vital Supports, and Entrepreneurship
Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk
Accounting MOVE Project
President & Manager
[email protected]
Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk (like “rustic” without the “t”) is the founder of BBR Companies LLC, where she provides CMO-level services for professional services firms, co-owner of Rally Rounds, where she facilitates mastermind groups for accounting growth professionals, and owner of the Accounting MOVE Project, where she provides the most comprehensive data and guidance on finding, retaining, developing and advancing women and people of color in the accounting profession. What do all these roles have in common? She is committed to helping firms uncover and communicate their unique differentiators, find the support they need to grow, and create equitable and inclusive cultures where everyone can thrive.
Never one to rest on her laurels, she earned a Diversity & Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University and is taking additional coursework to expand her knowledge. This is in addition to the MBA with a marketing concentration she earned at Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Arts in journalism, public relations, and French from Troy (State) University in Alabama.
Bonnie quite literally wrote the book on online marketing for accounting firms, Take Your Marketing Online: Proven Ways to Grow Your Firm in the Digital Age, at the request of the AICPA. She also contributed a chapter to Bridging the Gap: Strengthening the Connection Between Current and Emerging Leaders and is a regular contributor and quote source for industry-related publications and websites. She has been recognized as one of Accounting Today’s Top 100 Most Influential People three times, Volunteer of the Year by the Association for Accounting Marketing, and one of CPA Practice Advisor’s Most Powerful Women in Accounting.
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