Accounting Influencers Podcast | Human Capital & Talent in Accounting - Gary Shamis - Accounting Influencers

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Published on:

16th Mar 2023

Human Capital & Talent in Accounting – Gary Shamis

Welcome to the Accounting Influencers Podcast, going live every Monday to 150 countries and 30,000 accounting practitioners, fintech specialists and influencers in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space.

In this Talent Special bonus, "Human Capital & Talent in Accounting", host Rob Brown speaks with guest Gary Shamis about the challenges accounting firms face in talent acquisition and retention. Shamis notes the 50% decrease in the pipeline of new CPAs over the last five years and believes that the value proposition in public accounting needs to be improved, creating a deep hole in the industry. He emphasises the importance of focusing on clients, people, and growth, staying up-to-date with the competition, and re-evaluating the value proposition to increase the bottom end of compensation and create a culture of growth.

The discussion also covers the impact of automation and robotics on the accounting industry. Shamis advises firms to have a contingency plan and appoint a tech-savvy employee to monitor industry developments. Attracting talented employees is a challenge, and the speaker suggests focusing marketing efforts on attracting staff rather than clients and changing partner bonuses to include incentives for bringing in talent. A strong brand is also essential for attracting both clients and employees.

You can also watch this on youtube here: https://youtu.be/RiPX4KXYH0c

Key Takeaways

➤ New CPA pipeline has decreased by 50% in the last five years, creating a deep hole in the industry.

➤ Value proposition in public accounting needs improvement to attract and retain talent.

➤ Focusing on clients, people, and growth is crucial for accounting firms to succeed.

➤ Staying up-to-date with competition and re-evaluating the value proposition is necessary.

➤ Automation and robotics are impacting the accounting industry, and firms need a contingency plan.

➤ Appointing a tech-savvy employee to monitor industry developments is crucial.

➤ Marketing efforts should focus on attracting staff rather than just clients.

➤ Partner bonuses should include incentives for bringing in talent.

➤ A strong brand is essential for attracting both clients and employees.

➤ Accounting firms must adapt to the changing landscape of the industry to succeed in talent acquisition and retention.

Guest Bio

Gary Shamis is an accomplished former managing partner of a top 40 US accounting firm that he sold to BDO in 2015. He is now the CEO of Winding River Consulting, which provides high-level strategy consulting to the Restaurant, CPA, and professional services industries. With numerous accolades in the accounting field, Gary was recognised as the EY Entrepreneur of the Year and is a Top Ten Managing Partner Elite by Accounting Today, where he was described as the “very model of the modern managing partner." Additionally, he was named Most Admired Peer by INSIDE Public Accounting and has been featured more than a dozen times on the Most Influential list by Accounting Today. Gary also co-authored How to Manage Your Accounting Practice: Taking Your Firm from Chaos to Consensus.

In addition to his successful accounting career, Gary has served within the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants ranks. You can connect with Gary through his LinkedIn profile or Winding River Consulting's website. He has also been featured in various interviews, including "Accounting Firm Leadership Priorities: Gary Shamis" and "Key Drivers of Change in Accounting with Gary Shamis."

You can connect with Gary here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-shamis-wrc

https://windingriverconsulting.com

Check out these other interviews with Gary:

"Accounting Firm Leadership Priorities: Gary Shamis"

https://bit.ly/3lyBIgW

"Key Drivers of Change in Accounting with Gary Shamis"

https://bit.ly/3xIhneq

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Accountex is Europe’s largest annual event for the accounting and finance profession. It attracts 8,000+ attendees and 250+ exhibitors. Attendees can get up to 16 CPD hours with 200+ free seminar sessions across 12 theatres.

https://www.accountex.co.uk/london/

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About the Podcast

Accounting Influencers
Insights, interviews and commentary for accounting, CPA, bookkeeping and finance professionals
ACCOUNTING INFLUENCERS is a weekly podcast for accountants, CPAs, bookkeeping and finance professionals, together with the networks, associations, fintech vendors and influencers who lead them, work in them and serve them.

The show is hosted by Rob Brown. co-founder of the Accounting Influencers Roundtable (AIR). The style of the show is not overly technical/technological/tax in nature but more on people, performance and success in the accounting world. Popular topics and themes covered include:

☑ leadership, executive presence, trust, integrity & reputation
☑ M&A, business models, future proofing, drivers of change & disruption
☑ performance, values, culture, vision & strategy
☑ employer brand, gen z/millennials & talent - succession, recruitment and retention
☑ industry trends, statistics and patterns
☑ growth, marketing, differentiation & positioning
☑ pricing & profitability
☑ digitisation, cloud, technology & automation
☑ advisory services, niches & emerging markets
☑ environmental & social governance ESG
☑ diversity, equity & inclusion DEI
☑ professionalism, career development & CPE/CPD
☑ business acumen & commercial awareness

Sources and guests come from:
★ EXPERTS - influencers, disrupters, consultants, gurus, podcasters and broadcasters in accounting and fintech
★ EVENTS - live coverage and interviews from exhibitions, conferences and a range of industry events
★ MEDIA - newspapers, online outlets, commentators, writers, bloggers and authors
★ VENDORS - suppliers and providers of accounting apps, platforms, fintech and software
★ REGULATORS - professional accounting bodies, institutes and associations
★ NETWORKS - alliances, associations, networks and communities of professional firms and accounting practices
★ SOCIAL MEDIA - opinion pieces, high engagement posts and controversial conversations

Rob Brown is a renowned presenter, facilitator and chair of high level conferences, panels and events globally for the accounting and fintech profession. He is retained by many professional networks, alliances, associations, practices and vendors to chair their events and provide high-level interview content for their communities.

He is a dynamic speaker and accomplished expert on trust, reputation, employer brand, talent, career development, succession, gen z/generations, executive presence, referrals, networking and winning new business. He is also the bestselling author of Build Your Reputation (Wiley) and his TEDx talk ‘The Personal Brand of You’ has been viewed 320K times on YouTube.
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About your hosts

Martin Bissett

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Martin Bissett is the founder of the Bissett Group of companies that provide practice and personal growth communities, content, and continuing education exclusively to the accounting and bookkeeping professions worldwide.

Previously he established a high six-figure consulting firm while serving as a keynote speaker with over 100 one-off and repeat engagements to his name, as well as becoming the most published author on his topics of specialism with 11 books including 1 bestseller.

Since 1998, he has played a major part in working with over 1800 accounting firms in over 40 countries. These projects have led to those firms acquiring over £500m of recurring fees before inflationary increases, referrals and upselling are factored in. He stopped keeping track of this number over 5 years ago. Martin now advises both accounting practitioners and FinTech companies alike, at board level.

Rob Brown

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Rob Brown is a renowned MC, facilitator and chair of virtual and in-person panels, conferences and events globally for the accounting and fintech profession.

Rob is co-founder of the Accounting Influencers Roundtable (AIR) mastermind group and co-hosts the world’s most popular accounting and fintech podcast: Accounting Influencers.

Throughout the pandemic, he chaired 24 virtual panels with leaders of global accounting networks and alliances to discuss the key issues and challenges. Rob is retained by several associations and vendors to chair their events and provide high-level interview content for their communities.

He is the bestselling author of Build Your Reputation (Wiley) and his TEDx talk ‘The Personal Brand of You’ has been viewed 300K times on YouTube.