The 2024 Accounting Today Managing Partner Elite

The 2024 MP Elite

To contend with a rapidly changing landscape, today's top accounting firm leaders are required to wear more hats than ever before. Besides embodying the attributes of any great business leader, they often must serve as technologists, deal brokers, and brand ambassadors — not just for their firms but for an entire profession in dire need of attracting more young talent.

Given the current state of transformation in accounting, it's unsurprising that the eight leaders that make up Accounting Today's 2024 MP Elite of outstanding firm managing partners are experts at continually adapting and reinventing to not only survive but thrive amid all this uncertainty.

Eileen Sheridan, for example, welcomes the disruption to her firm, Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf. "In the next five to 10 years, our company will undergo significant changes, potentially becoming unrecognizable from its current state," she shared, paving the way for, among other innovations, implementing new technology and a shift from compliance to advisory and consulting work.

(See how the MP Elite are exploring artificial intelligence — cautiously — and how they're working to help solve the pipeline problem.)

It's a future-ready fearlessness shared by her fellow honorees, like Sikich's Christopher Geier. According to him, "The shifting employment landscape represents an opportunity for forward-thinking companies to redefine what an empowering, trusting and fulfilling work culture looks like in the modern era."

Opsahl Dawson's Aaron Dawson has the inquisitive mindset that drives all members of the 2024 MP Elite: "We are a very curious firm," he said. "I'm a curious CEO. I'm curious about a lot of things. And so I pay attention to little things. One obvious example is that we were an early adopter of private equity."

PE, mergers and acquisitions, and artificial intelligence are all hot topics for the MP Elite, and it is their curious but mindful approach to these industry trends that make them role models in accounting.

And while their respective firms' successes have earned them widespread esteem, many of the MP Elite also serve on external boards and committees that only further elevate their leadership in the profession. AAFCPAs' Carla McCall, for example — a rare repeat honoree on the MP Elite list (having also appeared in 2020) — is currently chair of the American Institute of CPAs, and from this vantage point is enthusiastic about the future of accounting.

"We are super excited about how automation is changing our industry, and it can't come fast enough. This is such an exciting time to be in our profession, and we hope our young professionals realize the amazing opportunities there are to be a part of this shift, which is creating even more diversity of work and leadership opportunities," she said.

Overall, the 2024 MP Elite are approaching the future, and all its emerging challenges, with excitement. For Barnes Dennig's Jay Rammes, this harkens back to the values with which he entered the profession.

"I was obviously drawn to accounting but I feared the stereotypes that came with that: introverted, uncreative and redundant," he shared. "I promised myself early on that I wanted to come at this profession with my own style, which is passionate, outgoing and unorthodox. I love this profession, this firm, and all those I've been fortunate to work with throughout my career."

Aaron Dawson

Jesse Sutton

Opsahl Dawson & Co.
Managing partner since 2009

Aaron Dawson is not a fan of the status quo: "I like to say: If it's not broke, then break it," he explained — but breaking things isn't the point; in fact, it's only the first step in making them better. "Let's look at the details. How does this work? Let's look at the internal operation of this and see if we can redesign it, reengineer it, come up with a better way of doing it."

Vancouver, Washington-based Opsahl Dawson has been breaking with the traditional accounting firm model in multiple ways since its founding in 2009, but easily the most important came when, at the start of 2023, it became the first firm to join Ascend, a private equity-backed platform that lets its partner firms operate more or less independently, while backing them up with a wide range of resources in staffing, technology and other areas, as well as capital and strategic guidance.

"In 18 months we have doubled in size with the help of Ascend," Dawson said, and the numbers bear him out: Opsahl Dawson was the third-fastest growing firm in the country in 2023, expanding over 70% to $24 million, in part through a series of acquisitions that support an ambitious regional growth plan that aims to see it hit $100 million in revenue in five years. One key challenge will be building capacity to support that expansion, but that's another area where Dawson has broken with tradition: The 124-person firm has had a suite of advanced internship, hiring and remote-work strategies in place for half a dozen years that brings — and keeps — top talent on board. That kind of long-term focus is part and parcel of Dawson's stewardship: "Somebody needs to be watching out for the firm," he said. "That's my primary focus. I have one client and that's Opsahl Dawson."

Christopher Geier

Sikich
Joined in 2008; CEO since 2017

Really big goals are a trademark of the MP Elite, and Christopher Geier has one of the biggest: He aims to turn Sikich — which pulled in $363 million last year — into a billion-dollar firm by 2030, and he's busy laying the groundwork to support that goal on a number of fronts.

Perhaps most important, this year he brokered a $250 million minority investment from Bain Capital that will underpin the firm's aggressive acquisition strategy (it has already acquired 20 firms in the last five years under Geier), without giving up control or ownership of the firm. At the same time, he dissolved the firm's partnership model and restructured its equity-sharing model with a managing incentive plan that spreads the rewards of success to more team members.

That is only part of his major emphasis on people, which includes appointing a new chief human resources officer to develop a new blueprint for recruiting, retention and human capital management, doubling the HR team, and a host of other initiatives designed to engage staff deeply in the firm's goals.

Under Geier, Sikich has also launched a large number of new service offerings, including a significant expansion in technology consulting, and invested heavily in its own technology in the pursuit of both innovation and efficiency.

Much of the change Geier has implemented or plans to implement would be unthinkable to the average accountant, which makes sense, since he isn't one. With a background in law enforcement, private equity, management consulting and more, it's no surprise that he doesn't think like an accountant — but given his success at Sikich, it won't be long before more and more accountants are thinking like him.

Al-Nesha Jones

ASE Group
Founded in 2016

If you listen to Al-Nesha Jones talk, it's easy to imagine she's running a very large firm indeed. In fact, ASE Group has just four employees (all moms) but it has a depth of thinking and resources around technology, personnel, client service and more that wouldn't be out of place among the Big Four.

From a fully cloud-based tech environment that's committed to integrated, automated workflows and is incorporating AI, to a four-day work week that offers radical flexibility to all staff members and prioritizes health and well-being, to a scalable, future-focused client relationship model, Jones has built a firm that's as cutting-edge as anything out there and fully justifies her membership in this year's MP Elite.

But what really puts her over the top is her long-held determination to build a firm that works for her — and everyone else. "What makes me stand out is my commitment to finding success on my own terms and timing," she explained. "In trying to solve my own problems, I found that there are many others looking for the same solution. Not rushing or working on others' timelines ensures that I'm seeking the best possible solutions for the firm and myself. My ability to step back, deconstruct processes, and simplify them has created ease and balance for our clients, my team, and myself."

And having proved the model works, she has to share it with the rest of the profession: Part of her vision for ASE Group is to create a dedicated division for mentoring and coaching other professionals and firms. "By sharing our expertise, failures and best practices," she said, "we will contribute to elevating the standards of the accounting industry as a whole."

Vanessa Kruze

Kruze Consulting
Founded in 2012

The best leaders lead by example, and in Vanessa Kruze's case, this applies not only to her 95 employees but to her San Francisco-based firm's clients, who — as primarily venture-backed startups — can relate to Kruze's vision and determination in founding her own firm in 2012.

Since the day she formed Kruze Consulting, Kruze has had a strategic plan in place that she updates annually with input from her executive team, and then shares with the whole firm at their annual off-site meetings. The planning has paid off, with Regional Leader Kruze Consulting ranking No. 6 in Accounting Today's 2024 Fastest-Growing Firms, and measuring significant growth over its 12 years — in revenue, service lines and locations, with the firm adding offices in Santa Monica, California, New York, and San Jose and Austin, Texas, "because that's where the most startup activity is," said Kruze. This type of targeted approach to the firm's client base is one Kruze also applies internally, rolling out a number of employee retention programs based on staff feedback. These include an emerging leaders group coaching program, an onboarding buddy/new hire peer mentor program, a comprehensive parental leave policy, and a variety of live trainings.

Founded as a tech-forward firm, Kruze has continued that innovation with its foray into artificial intelligence, which includes beta testing the latest AI tools for startups and serving on the product advisory councils for large fintech software providers. And because of the firm's deep client specialization, Kruze and her team are on the forefront of this emerging tech: "We serve some of the top AI companies in the market, which gives us a unique keyhole in the latest AI trends and keeps us on top of new advancements."

Carla McCall

Nicole Connolly/Photo by NicoleConnolly.com

AAFCPAs
Joined in 1995; co-MP since 2011; MP since 2020

It's rare for managing partners to appear among our MP Elite more than once, and when they do, it's because they've significantly upped their game. That's certainly the case with Carla McCall, who last appeared on this list in 2020; since then, Massachusetts-based AAFCPAs has become a Top 100 Firm, significantly boosted its headcount, and embraced remote work to the point where they have staff in 22 states and are moving away from the concept of having a headquarters location.

And that's not all: McCall has put in place a vision plan for the next five to 10 years that will, among other things, see the firm reach $100 million in top-line revenue and launch a range of new offerings in environmental, social and governance, nonprofit consulting, forensic and other services. To support all that, she has implemented a number of innovative initiatives in areas like recruiting and retention (where the firm is doubling down on professional advancement and career development for its staff — by, for instance, hiring two full-time professional career coaches), and in technology (where the firm has established an Automation Center for Excellence to streamline work and pursue cutting-edge efficiencies).

But it's not just at AAFCPAs that McCall is upping her game as a managing partner: She's also working on behalf of the profession as a whole as chair of the American Institute of CPAs, bringing the lessons she's learned as a leading MP to other practice leaders across the country, while working simultaneously to bring more young people into the field, and to position accountants everywhere to make the most of new developments in areas like artificial intelligence.

Edward Monborne

Hayman Studio

RKL
Joined in 1994; CEO since 2011

When Ed Monborne became CEO of RKL in 2011, he was taking the helm of a regional firm; 13 years later RKL is a Top 100 Firm, ranking No. 58 on Accounting Today's 2024 list.

Among the strategic priorities he charted in his decade-plus as chief exec was meeting clients' needs. As he puts it, "My focus on expanding relevance for RKL starts with an instinct for the emerging demand among our firm's clients. Recognizing how significantly technology and data impact the industry and the delivery of key services, I paved the way for RKL to play a bigger role in business strategy through the development of cutting-edge capabilities not typically associated with traditional CPA firms."

Under Monborne, RKL has diversified its service offerings into areas like technology, wealth management and the firm's wholly owned subsidiary, RKL Virtual Management Solutions, which provides outsourced accounting/financial management and outsourced HR/HR consulting services.

The firm has also undertaken a staggering number of acquisitions since 2011, which has helped balloon RKL's growth during Monborne's tenure, measuring 316% in revenue and 439% in staff, to a current total of 631 employees.

But for all the impressive goals and benchmarks Monborne outlines for the firm, he stresses a people-first philosophy, cultivating a culture that celebrates new ideas and creative solutions, along with individual development. "We will differentiate our team member experience by offering diverse career paths," he explained, "focusing on well-being, supporting professional and personal growth, and fostering opportunities for connection."

Jay Rammes

Barnes Dennig
Joined in 1994; managing director since 2018

Jay Rammes clearly understands one of the key dilemmas that successful firm leaders face: "As an organization grows larger, it needs a different style of leadership and a more defined corporate structure, including centralization of strategy and decision-making," he explained, and under his leadership Cincinnati-based Barnes Dennig has made great strides in that direction — while at the same time remaining nimble and aggressive.

He fosters an environment that encourages everyone at the 180-person firm to step up with ideas for growth, which helps explain the many new service lines it has launched recently, in areas ranging from HR and technology services, to CAAS, SOC reporting and transaction advisory services, as well as the RIA it's in the process of establishing so it can bring wealth management in-house.

And the growth has followed: Barnes Dennig has nearly doubled its revenue since Rammes took the helm in 2018 and drafted a five-year strategic plan. "We see no reason our firm will not double or triple in size in the next five to 10 years," he said, having developed a new five-year plan at the start of 2024.

But while he is looking forward to ensuring the firm's ongoing success during his tenure, he's perhaps most excited about how the future leaders of the firm — who he has been at great pains to cultivate — will solve the growth challenges they face: "While succession and partner retirements can be daunting for many firms, we see it as an exciting time — the next generation's opportunity to take the helm and lead the firm into the future," he said. "We can't wait to see their vision and how they bring it to life!"

Eileen Sheridan

Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf
Joined in 1987; partner in 1996; MP since 2018

Eileen Sheridan's goal is for Santa Barbara, California-based Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf to be "unrecognizable" in the next five to 10 years, and judging by her intentional approach to one of the profession's biggest challenges — the pipeline problem — she might achieve that evolution. Sheridan acknowledges that the foundational values that have made the 75-year-old firm so successful for all those years will remain in place, including attracting and retaining a skilled workforce and adopting new technologies to meet evolving client needs.

At the same time, she is future-focused. "While the emphasis on compliance in accounting and tax will decrease, our role as a trusted advisor, along with consulting and advisory services, will experience substantial growth. The geographical focus will diminish in importance, and our team will encompass a diverse range of talents beyond traditional accounting backgrounds."

As part of this pipeline plan, she noted "one big distinction that sets us apart and has caught the attention of many other firms we engage with: our strategic use of talented executive assistants." This strategy frees up accounting professionals to focus on the higher-value advisory and consulting work, which both "delights our clients and enables our partners to increase billings significantly."

Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf also hosts a "Discover BPW" day for college students and offers a comprehensive intern program. For the firm's current staff of 80, Sheridan has launched a few new efforts to bolster retention: an employee experience initiative that focuses on recruiting, mentoring, training, development and engagement; a move to use outsourced talent to improve work-life balance; and staff surveys to better understand employee needs, particularly around training and wellness.