Art of Accounting: Notable leaders beyond accounting

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Crain's New York Business' July 10, 2023 issue had a list of Notable Leaders in Advertising, Marketing and PR, and two people on it caught my eye. I know one of them, but not the other. The one I know is the chief marketing officer for Grassi and the one I did not know is a partner at Anchin. I also include here the experiences of two partners from Withum, Robert Fried and Karen Kowgios. I find all four of their stories compelling, with important takeaways, and want to share them with you. 

Michael Belfer is a CPA and partner at Anchin, and him being on this list struck me as either out of place or extremely unusual. He is a practicing accountant and is not directly involved in his firm's advertising, marketing or PR. His brief bio states that he is the practice leader of the firm's public relations, advertising and media group, as well as a member of its fashion and art groups. The thing that caught my eye and where I want to call your attention is he's a member of the PR Council that has hosted his presentations and where he willingly shares his industry knowledge. The takeaway is that you have to be out there, involved, and a presence in the industries your clients are in and understand the dynamics of that industry if you want to better serve your clients and grow your practice in that industry. You need to be a doer, not a bystander. He was recognized because of his value-added involvement in this industry.

Sarah Cirelli is chief marketing officer at Grassi and a friend. She also got me started with blogs when Sarah was at Withum. Obviously, she is very active in the industry. She also dedicates considerable time to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and was a Woman of the Year honoree for her service to this fine organization. Further, Accounting Today has honored her on its list of Top 100 Most Influential People in the accounting profession two years in a row, which also helped land her a spot as a hand-selected attendee at the first-ever Forbes Under 30 Summit. The takeaway is that she goes further than her job, which she made into a career, and uses her knowledge, experience and talent to help an important worthy charity. As with Michael, she is out there, involved, a presence in her industry, and extends herself beyond it.

As a further illustration, Withum partner Robert Fried was recently awarded a special Tony Award for Excellence in the Theater, celebrating his lifelong contributions to Broadway. He's had a long career serving the theater and entertainment industry. He and his partner and wife Karen Kowgios' firm merged into Withum a few years back and immediately became the core of Withum's theatre and entertainment services team. You can read more about Robert's accomplishments here. I also posted my insights into Karen Kowgios' career here. 

I get many calls from younger practitioners who ask me how they can grow their practices and become recognized as experts. The answer is to take a clue from Michael, Sarah, Robert and Karen. Become involved in your clients' industries, professional societies and charitable organizations, and write and make presentations to become known and then recognized as a mover, doer and expert. It's not that hard. Just show up!

Michael, Sarah, Robert and Karen are all role models who went beyond the expected to provide extraordinary value. Try to copy some of what they did.

Do not hesitate to contact me at emendlowitz@withum.com with your practice management questions or about engagements you might not be able to perform.