CPAs from SC&H and Cherry Bekaert LLP Named Runners-Up

NEW YORK (Sept. 7, 2017) –  BDO executive Kelly Johnson, CPA, is the winner of CPA.com’s 2017 Innovative Practitioner Award, which recognizes innovation in process, services or technology implementation in public accounting firms.

Johnson, BDO’s national leader of business services and outsourcing, led the development of BDODrive, a cloud-based, integrated solution for financial management, accounting services and business intelligence. The platform provides real-time, streamlined accounting information via dashboards for clients, operational efficiencies and access to the Top 10 accounting firm’s specialized expertise for businesses. While CPA.com administers the voting process online, winners of the Innovative Practitioner Award are chosen by their peers.

“The tangible growth in client accounting services that’s been documented in research by the AICPA and CPA.com is due to the kind of fully realized offerings being developed by BDO and others,” said Erik Asgeirsson, president and CEO of CPA.com. “Kelly is a deserving standard-bearer for our Innovative Practitioner Award, and I want to thank all our finalists in the competition who are helping drive innovation in the profession. It was a strong field this year.”

Johnson will be recognized as the award winner at the 2017 Digital CPA Conference, which she will be invited to attend as a guest. The event will be held Dec. 4-6, 2017, at the Marriott Marquis in San Francisco.

Among the finalist group, two other runners-up were recognized for their innovative work. They are:

First Runner Up

• Michael Lynch, CPA, principal of SC&H Group’s CFO Advisory Services practice, developed an outsourced accounting practice focused in part on emerging life science and software-as-a-service companies. He uses technology to automate workflow and transactional processing, and acts as a trusted advisor for management on business development, financial leadership and strategy.

Second Runner-Up

• Jonathan Kraftchick, CPA, managing director, Cherry Bekaert LLP, developed training programs to educate auditors on coming changes in artificial intelligence and machine learning and how these innovations might impact the profession. Within his firm, he is also involved with two beta projects with vendors to improve data analytics and machine learning in audit applications.

To read more about these practitioners, please visit the award page. More information about the Digital CPA Conference can be found at digitalcpa.com.

About CPA.com

CPA.com offers a growing list of products and services for practice management, client advisory services and professional development. The company has established itself as a thought leader on cloud technology and has been a driving force around the reemergence of virtual CFO/controller services by firms.

CPA.com is a majority-owned subsidiary of the American Institute of CPAs, the world’s largest member body representing the accounting profession. For more information, visit CPA.com.

Netflix Co-Founder and IBM Data Science Director Among Keynote Speakers for Dec. 4-6 Event

NEW YORK (Aug. 16, 2017) – Artificial intelligence, blockchain and the continued evolution of data analytics are all expected to reshape the accounting profession, and CPA firms looking to gain insight into these changes can hear from a broad lineup of tech leaders at this year’s Digital CPA Conference, an event run by the American Institute of CPAs and its technology subsidiary, CPA.com.

This year’s conference will be in San Francisco, one of the world’s most vibrant technology hubs. The Dec. 4-6 event, held in collaboration with CalCPA at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis, will include tracks for leadership development and practice management, as well as technical discussions on accounting technology.

Speakers at the event include:

• Marc Randolph, Netflix co-founder, who will discuss how CPA firms can embrace innovation and start thinking like startups
• Leon Katsnelson, director and chief technology officer of the IBM Strategic Partnership for Data Science, who will speak about the practical applications of artificial intelligence in the accounting profession
• Ron Quaranta, chairman of the Wall Street Blockchain Alliance, who will give a primer on blockchain and digital ledgers
• Richard Price, research associate at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, who will discuss disruption in professional education and how that applies to accounting
• John O’Leary, motivational speaker and author of “On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life”
• Barry C. Melancon, CPA, CGMA, president and CEO of the American Institute of CPAs, who will give an update on issues affecting the accounting profession
• Erik Asgeirsson, president and CEO of CPA.com, who will give a “state of the union” on Digital CPA trends.

The Digital CPA Conference is designed for CPA firm partners, managers and members of client accounting services teams, staffers responsible for rolling out cloud solutions for practitioners, and business development, firm marketing and human resources directors within firms.

Reporters interested in covering the event can apply for on-site press credentials or make arrangements to hear live broadcasts remotely. Members of the media can contact Jeff May, jeffrey.may@aicpa-cima.org, for more details.

For more information about the conference, please visit digitalcpa.com/dcpa17.

About CPA.com

CPA.com offers a growing list of products and services for practice management, client advisory services and professional development. The company has established itself as a thought leader on cloud technology and has been a driving force around the reemergence of virtual CFO/controller services by firms.

CPA.com is a majority-owned subsidiary of the American Institute of CPAs, the world’s largest member body representing the accounting profession. For more information, visit CPA.com.

About the American Institute of CPAs

The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) is the world’s largest member association representing the CPA profession, with more than 418,000 members in 143 countries, and a history of serving the public interest since 1887. AICPA members represent many areas of practice, including business and industry, public practice, government, education and consulting. The AICPA sets ethical standards for its members and U.S. auditing standards for private companies, nonprofit organizations, federal, state and local governments. It develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination, offers specialized credentials, builds the pipeline of future talent and drives professional competency development to advance the vitality, relevance and quality of the profession.

The AICPA maintains offices in New York, Washington, DC, Durham, NC, and Ewing, NJ.

Media representatives are invited to visit the AICPA Press Center at www.aicpa.org/press.

About the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants

The Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (the Association) is the most influential body of professional accountants, combining the strengths of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) to power opportunity, trust and prosperity for people, businesses and economies worldwide. It represents 650,000 members and students in public and management accounting and advocates for the public interest and business sustainability on current and emerging issues. With broad reach, rigor and resources, the Association advances the reputation, employability and quality of CPAs, CGMAs and accounting and finance professionals globally.

Asgeirsson Cites Coming Changes in Tax and Audit, Further Evolution of Client Accounting Services

LAS VEGAS (Dec. 7, 2016) – A significantly faster pace of innovation in tax and auditing will lead to the same kind of transformation that is occurring in client accounting services, spurring CPA firms to devise more refined advisory offerings and seek personnel with specialized skills, CPA.com President and CEO Erik Asgeirsson said in a final day keynote at the 2016 Digital CPA Conference.

Cloud computing has helped turn client accounting into a high margin, high growth line of business, Asgeirsson said. Research from the AICPA Private Companies Practice Section and CPA.com shows that client accounting services have become an important slice of revenue in all CPA firm segments, with increased penetration in larger firms. As more firms find success and build marketable brands around virtual CFO and controllership services, client awareness and expectations are also continuing to rise, he said.

“We need to meet these rising expectations with evolving levels of service, training and best practices,” Asgeirsson said. “In short, we need to continue raising the bar for professionalization in client accounting services – and from what we’ve all seen at Digital CPA this week, we’re moving in the right direction.”

Technology will have a similar impact on tax and audit, he said. On the tax side, practitioners will one day be able to review a client’s entire financial situation on a single dashboard, allowing them to spot patterns and opportunities and deliver higher-value planning and advisory services. The audit, meanwhile, will become more dynamic, complete and real-time in nature.

For client accounting services, Asgeirsson cited three broad areas where CPA.com is helping elevate firm elevate their performance:

Training – CPA.com and the AICPA are launching a Client Accounting Advisory Services Certificate early next year, which will demonstrate defined expertise in this area for practice leaders, key staff and partners. Professionals who earn the certificate can display a digital badge on their website or LinkedIn page.

Leadership Development – CPA.com is offering two virtual classroom programs to help firms develop their most valuable resource: leaders who can anticipate change and inspire top performance. They are:

• A seven-part, on-demand program with leadership training coach John Engels called “Owning Your Leadership,” which allows CPA firms to broaden leadership and interpersonal skills
• The “Anticipatory Organization: Accounting and Finance Edition” program by Daniel Burrus, an on-demand course designed to hone CPA practice leaders’ ability to spot trends and position their firms and clients to take advantage of change

Expanded Offerings – Asgeirsson said firm solutions are moving beyond core accounting and financial applications to “pre-accounting” categories (such as expense management and personal finance management) and “post-accounting” categories (budget and forecasting, among others). Earlier at Digital CPA, he noted, CPA.com introduced its new strategic alliance with leading expense management provider Expensify.

Asgeirsson also gave an update on RIVIO Clearinghouse, the online financial document exchange for private companies that CPA.com developed in partnership with Confirmation.com. RIVIO has drawn broad interest from CPA firms and other stakeholders in investing and lending since its launch in May, he said.

At the conclusion of his remarks, Asgeirsson announced that next year’s Digital CPA Conference will be held in San Francisco on Dec. 4-6, 2017. For more information, visit digitalcpa.com.

About CPA.com

CPA.com offers a growing list of products and services for practice management, client advisory services and professional development. The company has established itself as a thought leader on cloud technology and has been a driving force around the reemergence of virtual CFO/controller services by firms.

CPA.com is a subsidiary of the American Institute of CPAs, the world’s largest member body representing the accounting profession. For more information, visit CPA.com.