Mark Koziel calls for CPA firm transformation amid industry disruption.

Gear Up for Growth
With Jean Caragher
Capstone Marketing

Mark Koziel, newly appointed president and CEO of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA & CIMA), recently appeared on the Gear Up for Growth podcast, reflecting on his tenure as CEO of Allinial Global and the challenges facing the accounting profession. Koziel, who spent 14 years in leadership roles at AICPA before joining Allinial Global, emphasizes the urgent need for firms to rethink their business models in response to industry shifts.

• More CPA Trendlines podcasts here | More Jean Caragher here

In his conversation with host Jean Caragher, Koziel outlines how external pressures, including hybrid workforces, private equity investment, and shifting talent expectations, are reshaping CPA firms. He argues that while the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated these changes, the profession was already moving in this direction.

"Firms were always capable of hiring talent beyond their geographic boundaries, but it took a pandemic for them to act on it," Koziel says. "We now have a hybrid profession that is adjusting to these realities."

Study finds job embeddedness, not engagement, drives retention.

Know-How Korner
With Donny Shimamoto
Center for Accounting Transformation

A new study by Dr. Amy Cooper, CPA, CFE, CGMA, an assistant accounting professor and program director at University of Alaska Fairbanks, challenges conventional wisdom, revealing that job embeddedness—not engagement—is the key to keeping accountants in public firms.

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“I assumed smaller firms would foster stronger embeddedness, but my research showed the opposite,” says Dr. Cooper. “Larger firms offer more career mobility, specialization, and structured support, which increase long-term commitment.”

While job engagement—enthusiasm for daily tasks—seems important, it did not significantly predict turnover intentions. Instead, employees with deeper professional and community ties were less likely to leave.

Progressive firms are the key to the future of the profession.

The Disruptors

With Liz Farr

The world of M&A is full of disruption, distraction, and disorientation these days, says Ira Rosenbloom, CEO of Optimum Strategies. While the headlines focus on private equity’s increasing role in CPA firm acquisitions, two new types of acquirers are playing a bigger role: Family offices and wealth management.

MORE PODCASTS and VIDEOS: Roman Villard: Ditch the Suit & Shine | Monique Swansen: Align Firm Values with Services | Tina McGill: How to Create Lasting Client Impact | Stefan van Duyvendijk: Develop Operational Mindset | Steve Evans: Why Traditional Hiring Methods Fail | Roger Knecht: Can You Be an Accountrepreneur? | Beth Whitworth: Focus on Outcomes Not Hours |Mike Sylvester: Learn to Say No | Salim Omar: Identify Your Client's $100,000 Problem | Jackie Meyer: Earn More with Fewer Clients | Jack Fleherty: Don't Be a 'Yes' Person | Greg Adams: From Finance to Storytelling | The Disruptors | Jody Padar: Make Radical Changes Now If You Want to Be Relevant in 2030 | Rebecca Driscoll: Amplify Reach By Helping Other Firm Owners | Rory Henry: Create the Return on Relationships | Mike Maksymiw: Be the Leader You Wish You Had | Terrell Turner: Build a Solid Business Showing Up as Yourself | Kelly Mann: Be the Bull in the China Shop | Alicia Katz Pollock: Create A Human-Centric Business | Nancy McClelland: Be the One Your Clients Ask First

These different participants are disrupting “the more traditional marketplace, which for years has been driven by two CPA firms getting together that had a lot in common, except one was larger and the other one was smaller,” says Rosenbloom. “I just think that what we've seen is there's not one approach that works for everybody. We're seeing dimension now. We're seeing a whole bunch of choices.”

Transform your workday with generative AI and discover practical ways to save time.

Quick Tech Talk

With Steve Yoss

CPE Today

Generative AI tools are revolutionizing how we approach work, offering practical, efficient, and innovative solutions for professionals across industries. If you haven’t explored tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude, now is the time to dive in. These cutting-edge technologies are as accessible as they are powerful, requiring no special training—just your ability to clearly express your needs.

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Imagine completing a 10-hour workload in just six hours. That’s the promise of generative AI: helping you work smarter, not harder.

Leaders must empower others, share leadership, and foster an inclusive culture to ensure long-term success.

Gear Up for Growth

With Jean Caragher

For CPA Trendlines

In a rapidly evolving profession where mergers, acquisitions, and private equity investments dominate headlines, many CPA firms face a critical choice: sell, merge, or remain independent. For firms determined to chart their own course, leadership is the key to survival and success.

Gear Up for Growth spotlights the best strategies for smart and efficient growth in today's competitive landscape. More Gear Up for Growth every Friday here | More Capstone Conversations with Jean Caragher every Monday | More Jean Caragher here | Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here | More CPA Trendlines videos and podcasts here

Sarah Elliott, co-founder and principal of Intend2Lead LLC, joins Jean Caragher on the "Gear Up for Growth" podcast to discuss how conscious leadership can help CPA firms maintain independence, foster innovation, and develop future leaders. Her insights underscore a fundamental shift in leadership—one that requires vision, empowerment, and adaptability.

According to Elliott, firms that want to remain independent need to cultivate three critical leadership qualities.

“I’d go through cancer again before I’d go back to not having confidence.”

Accounting ARC

With Arpan Grewal

Center for Accounting Transformation

When Kelly Mann left her public accounting job, she had no clients, no roadmap, and no guarantee of success. But what she did have was a vision—and a willingness to take risks. Today, she is the CEO of AuditMiner, a groundbreaking software company that simplifies 401(k) audits for CPA firms across the country.

MORE Accounting ARC: Are We Ready for the Hidden Risks of AI in Accounting? | The Research Imperative: Why Data Drives Accounting Success | How Coaching Can Unlock Professional Success | Demystifying Accounting Governance | Top 10 Red Flags to Watch for in Accounting Offices | Jeremy Dubow: Private Equity as a Catalyst for Growth | Break the Burnout Cycle in Accounting | Accounting in Transition: 2024 Reflections & the Road Ahead | Ron Baker: Visions for the Accounting Profession | Angie Grissom: Next Gen Inspo for Accountants | Does Accounting Belong in STEM? | Rose Wang: Where Numbers Meet Strategy and Creativity | TikTok Fraud Exposes Gaps in Financial Literacy | How Accounting Pros Own the Stage in Public Speaking | Greg Kyte: Being a CPA Is Like Being the Marie Kondo of Numbers | Rachel Bashore: A Lawyer's Case for Reinventing Accounting | Beyond the Basics in Ethics Education

“I was always told to stop being a bull in a china shop,” Mann recalls. “But I realized I was okay with being a bull—I just needed to leave the china shop.” That realization set her on the path to entrepreneurship.

In 2020, Mann was preparing to launch AuditMiner when she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Facing both a global pandemic and a personal health battle, she nearly gave up.

Dress for the job you want, not the job you have - yes, seriously.

The Disruptors

With Liz Farr

Traditional accounting firms are undergoing a seismic shift, and at the forefront of this transformation is Roman Villard, founder of Full Send Accounting. In this episode of The Disruptors podcast, Liz Farr sits down with Villard to explore his unconventional approach to running an accounting and data consultancy. From redefining firm culture to embracing technology, Villard shares how his firm is reshaping what it means to be a modern accountant.

MORE PODCASTS and VIDEOS: Monique Swansen: Align Firm Values with Services | Tina McGill: How to Create Lasting Client Impact | Stefan van Duyvendijk: Develop Operational Mindset | Steve Evans: Why Traditional Hiring Methods Fail | Roger Knecht: Can You Be an Accountrepreneur? | Beth Whitworth: Focus on Outcomes Not Hours |Mike Sylvester: Learn to Say No | Salim Omar: Identify Your Client's $100,000 Problem | Jackie Meyer: Earn More with Fewer Clients | Jack Fleherty: Don't Be a 'Yes' Person | Greg Adams: From Finance to Storytelling | The Disruptors | Jody Padar: Make Radical Changes Now If You Want to Be Relevant in 2030 | Rebecca Driscoll: Amplify Reach By Helping Other Firm Owners

Many in the accounting industry grew up hearing, “Dress for the job you want.” But for Villard, that meant rethinking what kind of job—and firm—he actually wanted. Tired of the rigid expectations of traditional accounting firms, he built Full Send to foster authenticity, allowing professionals to bring their whole selves to work. From casual attire to a brand identity inspired by adventure sports, Full Send is a firm built on passion, energy, and going all in.

Adopting these tools will define future success in the profession.

Accounting Influencers

with Rob Brown

Randy Johnston, a pioneer in fintech and technology for accounting, shares his insights on the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) with a deep dive into its history and future potential. Johnston traces AI’s roots back to Alan Turing's groundbreaking work in the 1950s and walks listeners through decades of milestones, from the first neural networks to OpenAI's ChatGPT.

More Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown here

Highlighting the shift to generative AI, Johnston explained how tools like ChatGPT leverage vast datasets through large language models (LLMs) to deliver advanced, nuanced responses. “AI isn’t prescient or conscious,” Johnston clarified, “but it’s a significant leap forward in what machines can do.”