The 2025 Top 100 People: Times a-changin'

December 30, 2025 11:45 AM

The accounting profession has not only weathered major changes throughout its existence, it has experienced the most seismic shifts in recent years.

Given the rapid pace of transformation, we asked this year's Top 100 Most Influential people: "What has been the most important change in accounting during your career?"

From new technology to historic regulations to practice restructuring to so much more, the Top 100 shared what they deemed the most significant transformations.

(To see the full responses of all the candidates for the Top 100, click here. And to see who the Top 100 voted the most influential, see here.)

STEVE RIDZON

The most significant shift I've witnessed has been the fundamental rethinking of pathways to CPA licensure. For many years, the 150-hour education requirement stood as the official gateway to the profession, which many saw as a cost- and time-prohibitive barrier, but now we're seeing state societies, the AICPA, and NASBA embrace alternative routes to licensure that protect the quality of a CPA license while acknowledging there are multiple ways to gain the requisite training and experience. This transformation is a recognition that we can expand access to the profession without compromising excellence, as the real qualifier for licensure has always been demonstrating competence through the rigorous CPA examination itself.

The number of students entering accounting programs and pursuing CPA licensure has been on the decline, even as demand for accountants and high-quality assurance grows. The profession is working on a host of initiatives — like the CAQ's student awareness campaign Accounting+ — to attract today's brightest and most promising talent. Now, we're ensuring that anyone who can pass the CPA exam and meet experience requirements has a viable path to licensure.

— Julie Bell Lindsay, CEO, The Center for Audit Quality

In my time entering and serving the accounting profession from the perspective of a technology vendor, the most important shift has been the entrance of private equity into our profession — and its success. This latest round of capital isn't just experimenting — it's working. These deals are reshaping firm governance, accelerating modernization, and fundamentally raising the bar for how firms operate and what leadership looks like. We're still in the early innings of this transformation. The consolidation trend is just beginning, and the capital pouring into the profession signals more to come. What's changing isn't just firm structure — it's the expectations around speed, innovation, talent, and value creation. PE has brought a new operating tempo and strategic lens to accounting, and it's influencing everything from how we define firm growth to how we build for the future.

– Ellen Choi, CEO & Founder, Edgefield Group

I'd think Sarbanes-Oxley was probably the most significant. Though the profession faced intense scrutiny, it emerged more resilient, ultimately enhancing protections for the investing public. There was more work created during that time. Firms grew exponentially, allowing firms of all sizes to move up market. It was at a time the profession couldn't keep up with demand, and the pipeline was at its greatest strain.

– Mark Koziel, president & CEO, American Institute of CPAs; CEO, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants

JEREMY HARRIS

The most important change in accounting during my career has been the shift toward becoming a technology-focused profession. While some firms are still clinging to old ways of operating, we're seeing more and more firms embracing what the future of accounting supported by technology might look like. By welcoming and investing in technology, we're creating efficiency to better serve our clients and making investments in our talent.

– Tim Brackney, CEO, Springline Advisory

The most important change in accounting during my career has been the shift to remote work, particularly in how it has transformed leadership mindsets and organizational culture within the firms, which is exciting! This change didn't just redefine where we work, it challenged traditional assumptions about how we collaborate, lead, and innovate and this was overdue!

Remote work opened the door for firm leaders to think differently about team structures, client service, and talent acquisition. It encouraged flexibility and adaptability, two qualities that weren't historically emphasized in the profession and it was having a negative impact. More importantly, it created space for innovation, whether in adopting cloud-based technologies, streamlining workflows, or rethinking how we support team development and client relationships in a digital environment.

This shift also allowed firms to expand their talent pool, hiring exceptional professionals regardless of geography. It's been a game-changer for diversity, inclusion, and long-term firm growth.

— Angie Grissom, owner, chief relationship officer, The Rainmaker Companies

The most important change in accounting during my career most certainly has been the alternate practice structure. The APS model first emerged in the 1990s when firms like American Express and CBIZ began the separation of attest function services from tax and other advisory service offerings. This was done to permit outside investments and broader service offerings. The AICPA, as well as state boards of accountancy recognized there was a need for greater operational flexibility. What started in the 1990s is the structure that allows the rising investments being made by private equity that we are seeing over the past three plus years.

— Philip Whitman, CEO, Whitman Transition Advisors

What comes to mind are CPAs providing consulting services, computer technology and merger mania. But those may have been predictable by people wiser than me. The most important change — that could not have been predicted — is the introduction of private equity to CPA firms.

— Marc Rosenberg, managing partner and founder, Rosenberg Associates

The most critical change has been the shift from a shared services business model to a shared vision business model. Today, firms operate more like true businesses, guided by a clear vision and strategic plan. This approach prioritizes people-first strategies, treats technology as a vital asset, streamlines processes across the organization and drives intentional growth. Seeing this transformation take hold across the profession is refreshing and inspiring.

— Sandra Wiley, president, Boomer Consulting Inc.

The shift from paper or paperless to cloud fundamentally rewired the profession. Remote work, real-time data and new business models all came from it. And don't forget pricing… But AI will be even bigger and faster. Cloud disrupted workflow. AI disrupts identity. And it will happen by 2030! Yeah, I know that's a bold statement!

— Jody Padar, co-founder, XcelLabs

The most important changes in accounting during my career have been the rise of offshoring, which fundamentally restructured how firms deliver services and manage capacity, and the influx of private equity capital, which has transformed firm economics and succession planning across the profession. However, I believe we're now on the cusp of an even more profound shift as AI begins to augment and automate core accounting functions, creating possibilities that will redefine what it means to be a trusted advisor.

– Justin Adams, CEO & co-founder, Aiwyn

The quiet revolution: proving that firms can thrive without the billable hour and tracking time. Those were shackles, not tools. They died years ago — we're just waiting for the funeral procession. The billable hour and time tracking are dead. We need to stop embalming them.

— Ron Baker, co-founder, Threshold

The change of ownership structure of CPA firms, driven by PE.

— Joe Woodard, CEO, Woodard

The biggest shift has been moving from after the fact compliance to real-time, insight driven partnerships with clients. Cloud platforms, e-filing, automation, and now AI have turned once manual processes into connected workflows that surface issues earlier and free time for higher value guidance. That technical change reshaped expectations around speed, transparency, and collaboration — and elevated the accountant's role from recorder of history to interpreter of what's next. It's changed how firms staff, how they price, and how they invest in data and skills.

— Elizabeth Beastrom

The most important change in the accounting profession during my career was automation and digitalization. When I first stepped foot into the profession computers were few and far between. I remember sharing an office PC between 5 of us and also checking out a Compaq portable computer and dot matrix printer, every time I left the office when I needed to bring "my office" with me.

Today, we are a technology company, unable to do what we do without today's technology.

— Jim Bourke, managing director, advisory services, WithumSmith+Brown

AI is a once-in-a-generation shift — not just in how we analyze and advise, but in how we deliver outcomes. It's fundamentally reshaping the expectations clients have for speed, insight, and impact. And it's forcing us to evolve our capabilities and our mindset.

But what matters just as much is how we lead with AI. That means staying grounded in what's always set this profession apart: trust, quality, and human judgment. It's not just about doing things faster — it's about doing them right. And that's what gives AI its true value in this profession.

– Paul Griggs, U.S. senior partner, PwC

Kevin Kleitches

I believe the most important change in accounting has been the entrance of private equity. It's clear at this point that there is no stopping this trend, which is accelerating the pace of consolidation and changing competitive dynamics at a rapid pace. PE's entrance is forcing all firms to seriously consider how their business models and strategies will enable them to be relevant in the future. This has always been good practice, but now it is an urgent imperative as the industry is evolving at its fastest rate ever.

— David Wurtzbacher, founder & CEO, Ascend

There have been two very significant changes. First, the creation of the PCAOB with the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. This was a massive change in the profession in terms of new regulation, new standards, new inspection and enforcement.

Second, related to the use and advancement of technology.

— Jennifer Burns, chief auditor, AICPA-CIMA

The most important change in my 40-year career has been the shift from compliance-only firms to multidisciplinary, advisory-driven organizations. When I started, firms were measured by audit and tax revenue. Today, the firms that thrive are those that build broader advisory platforms — combining technology (which I consider a close second in impactful change), strategy, and people development with compliance. That shift has changed what it means to be a CPA firm.

— Gary Thomson, managing partner, Thomson Consulting

SUEBARR

The profession has evolved significantly over the course of my career, as business and the world has evolved. One thing important to me has been the growth of women leaders in the profession. When I started, there were very few women partners and CEOs in CPA firms or CFOs and CEOs of major businesses. While not yet representative of our population, there's been progress and many amazing women now lead their organizations.

— Susan Coffey, CEO, public accounting, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants

The most important change I've witnessed in my 40-year career is the adoption of cloud technology. It gave firms freedom of space — breaking the traditional office model — and that shift has been pivotal in enabling the profession to recruit and retain the next generation of talent.

— Darren Root, co-founder, Better Everyday

The infusion of capital into the equation. It turned our growth consulting business for accountants into a leadership role with decision makers in every firm that change their direction, wealth, and abilities of the entire firm. We are one of the few sources providing firms with objective insight into capital and independence because we have systems in place to support both the M&A and independence options.

— Bob Lewis, president, The Visionary Group

Over the past 30 years, the most important change in accounting has been the shift from compliance-focused services to strategic advisory, especially through the rise of client advisory services (CAS). This transformation has been fueled by technological advancements, particularly cloud computing and now AI, which have automated routine tasks and empowered accountants to deliver deeper insights and real-time guidance. The profession has evolved from record-keeping to becoming a proactive partner in business growth and decision-making.

— Kane Polakoff, partner, client advisory services practice leader, global consulting solutions, CohnReznick Advisory

Initially, the move from generalist to specialist which is super important for relevance to those we serve, ability to add heightened value, and pursuit of specialty-related skills and credentials. This ties to the more recent change in the direction of worth-based pricing. Together, specialization and pricing for worth are a winning combo.

— Michelle Golden River, CEO, Fore LLC

Dobek-Sarah-Inovautus Consulting NEW 2023

The shift from compliance-focused work to advisory-driven models. Firms are no longer just preparing returns or audits — they're guiding clients through strategic decisions, technology adoption, and long-term planning. This evolution has redefined what clients expect and what firms must deliver.

— Sarah Dobek, president and founder, Inovautus Consulting

FASB chair Richard Jones at AICPA Conference on Current SEC and PCAOB Developments

As I see it, the most important change in accounting has been the move from a self-regulated to a government-regulated audit industry.

— Richard Jones, chair, Financial Accounting Standards Board

Aprio CEO and managing partner Richard Kopelman

Scott Areman

The most important change in accounting during my career has been the shift from compliance to advisory, and I've been fortunate to experience that transformation firsthand. When I began my career, accounting was largely about looking backward: preparing tax returns, audits, and financial statements that told the story of what had already happened.

Over time, I saw clients start asking different questions, ones that required foresight, not just analysis. That evolution challenged all of us to think beyond the numbers and become true business partners. Today, the most successful firms anticipate what's next, using technology, data, and insight to help clients make smarter, faster decisions. For me, that shift redefined what it means to be a CPA. It's no longer just about technical skills; it's about curiosity, agility, and impact.

— Richard Kopelman, CEO and managing partner, Aprio