Firm Named 2024 Best CPA Firms for Women and Best Firms for Equity Leadership

Campbell, CA (November 4, 2024) – Abbott, Stringham & Lynch (ASL) was named to Accounting & Financial Women’s Alliance 2024 Best CPA Firms for Equity Leadership list, in addition to the 2024 Best CPA Firms for Women list, based on the Accounting MOVE Project.

Highlights of the MOVE Project include how participating firms continue to champion transparency and accountability in pay equity and offer robust career development training that creates new opportunities for growth and advancement. These trailblazing firms are taking proactive steps to meet the diverse needs of their multi-generational workforce with comprehensive wellness and family support programs and employee resource groups. The result? These firms are not just meeting needs, they’re changing lives.

The 2024 Accounting MOVE Project report, released on October 25, 2024, takes a careful look at the ways private equity investment is currently impacting employees by talking to firm leaders as well as prominent intermediaries, including Allan Koltin, Koltin Consulting Group, Bob Lewis, The Visionary Group, and Terry Putney, Whitman Transition Advisors. Some think PE is leveling the playing field, offering oft-overlooked women and people of color more opportunities to prove their value and leadership potential. Others are worried that the intense focus on increasing revenues might undermine the people-centric strategies that many firms depend on to attract and retain employees, who are in increasingly short supply.

Deepa Bhat, Managing Principal at Abbott, Stringham and Lynch, sees PE investment similarly. “We want our employees to grow and understand the firm’s culture rather than outsourcing it,” she said. Additionally, she believes the PE trend could be a boon for independent firms. “There will be fallout from PE deals. Some clients will miss the personalized care they received previously and seek out firms that still make culture and client service their primary focus.”

Abbott, Stringham & Lynch (ASL) is on the leading edge of the accountancy profession, bringing energy and fresh perspective when it comes to work-life balance, internal supports, and career trajectories. From new hires to senior management, the firm remains dedicated to creating a workplace that employees want to be a part of — and its efforts shine through.

Abbott, Stringham & Lynch continues to expand its definition of workplace flexibility, merging in the option to work reduced hours as needed to retain employees who need to scale their volume of work to offset family responsibilities. This policy has retained employees who might otherwise have departed. In addition, the firm rewards employees who participate in certain charity events with ‘wellness points’ that can be redeemed for products or services that further advance their wellness goals.

About Abbott, Stringham & Lynch (ASL)

Founded in 1977, ASL offers a wealth of experience in delivering high-quality services and specialties to its clients. The Firm works with emerging- and middle-market privately held businesses to help them thrive in their markets. It also partners with high net worth individuals – owners, founders, and executives – to help them protect and grow their wealth. ASL identifies untapped opportunities, challenges, and solutions, enabling clients to make the effective and timely decisions today that lead to a fuller and more secure tomorrow.

Designed to facilitate quality decisions, ASL’s services cover corporate tax planning and compliance, assurance and accounting, estate and gift tax planning, litigation support, succession planning and valuation. The Firm’s services are contextualized by its specialties in real estate, construction, technology, family wealth and individual tax, emerging businesses, manufacturing and distribution, nonprofit organizations, renewable energy, and recreation and entertainment.

About the Accounting MOVE Project

The Accounting MOVE Project is based on the MOVE methodology, developed by research partner Wilson-Taylor Associates, Inc., which investigates the factors proven to be essential to women’s career success:

• M – Money: fair pay practices
• O – Opportunity: advancement and leadership development
• V – Vital supports: work-life programs that remove barriers
• E – Entrepreneurship: operating experience for managing or business ownership

 The Accounting MOVE Project is the basis for two recognitions of excellence for women in the accounting and advisory profession, both awarded by the AFWA:

• Best CPA Firms for Women: To earn a spot on the list, an employer must have both a proportionate number of women at most or all levels of management and proven success with the MOVE factors. An employer cannot win by having a rich array of programs but few women in leadership. We believe that if a firm’s MOVE factors are effective, it will have a healthy and growing proportion of women in its leadership pipeline.
• Best CPA Firms for Equity Leadership: This list recognizes firms with at least 31% women partners and principals, as roughly a third is the widely recognized “tipping point” or members of any identity group to have individual impact. The Equity Leadership list recognizes firms that have achieved that milestone through any combination of culture, programs, initiatives, and growth.

Methodology

Since 2010, the Accounting MOVE Project has measured and supported the advancement of women at accounting and consulting firms. MOVE is the only annual benchmarking project that both counts and advocates for women in the profession.

The MOVE Project advisory board includes leaders from association partners the Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance and founding sponsor Moss Adams.

MOVE is made possible by support from its sponsors and by administrative fees paid by participating firms. Firms receive benchmarking reports based on the MOVE Project. See the archives of MOVE Project reports.   

 

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