March is Women’s History Month! Originating in 1981, this month-long observance is dedicated to acknowledging the contributions made by women throughout American history, in and out of the workforce.
The critical role women play in the accounting industry only continues to grow so it’s incredibly important to support and honor their contributions. In fact, in 2022, women made up almost 60 percent of accountants and auditors in the United States, according to Statista.
Women in Leadership at TBG
At the start of 2023, our firm promoted four Partners from the Rochester, Albany, and Buffalo offices, three of which were women—Jennifer Arnold, Kait Bloss and Karen Lynch.
These promotions not only support our firm’s goals for growth and excellence, but they align with TBG’s commitment to supporting the ambitions of our talented female leaders with greater opportunities for career development, which also helps develop a diverse group of mentors for the younger generation.
Jennifer has spent the past 20 years exploring opportunities within the accounting industry and working towards becoming a leader at the firm. “I hope to demonstrate to the women in this firm and others who aspire to be in a position of leadership that you can be a successful Partner. Hard work and determination are key. We, as women, need to take risks, learn from our failures, and never give up,” shared Jennifer.
Kait, who has been with the firm for over 16 years, shared that one of her main goals for the year ahead as a new female Partner is to show others at the firm, specifically women, that they can be a successful working parent.
“It can be difficult to balance having a full-time, demanding career and being a parent as well,” said Kait. “As a new parent myself, it is very important to me to set an example and show others that not only can it be done but be done in a fulfilling way.”
Karen shares a similar perspective, denoting that every woman should have the ability to forge their own path and make decisions that best support their personal and professional goals.
“It was important to me personally to spend time raising my family. Reaching your goals is not a race, but rather a journey and you have to get there on your own terms. I knew I had other personal goals that I wanted to accomplish first.”
Gender Equity in the Accounting Industry
The accounting industry has historically struggled with incorporating diversity and inclusion in the field. However, the industry has made great strides when it comes to gender equity.
“We are now at a place where we are far ahead in gender equity as an industry, and at our firm in particular,” shared Kristen Clark, Partner and member of the firm’s Management Committee. “However, this took significant time— the industry had not historically had to recognize the different values and backgrounds people have and find creative ways to accommodate this growing gender diversity.”
For seven consecutive years, TBG has been named a Best CPA Firm for Women and a Best CPA Firm for Equity Leadership by the Accounting MOVE Project, an annual industry report sponsored by the Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance.
The project, which investigates the factors proven to be essential to women’s career success, found that our firm’s commitment to “career fluidity” has allowed for greater career advancement opportunities for its female CPAs than the majority of its industry counterparts.
According to the 2022 report, over one-third (37%) of our firm’s principals and partners were women, and the retention rate in the transition of female employees to the partner role was at 86%, as compared to the national average of 50%.
“While there’s still work to be done, I’m proud of the progress we’ve made as an industry and as a firm,” said Kristen. “I know Bonadio is committed to implementing initiatives that drive growth and success among all our people, including the dedicated women on our team.”
If you’re interested in a career in public accounting, look no further. Learn more about our firm and check out current openings on our careers page, and don’t hesitate to reach out today if you have any questions!
