Date: Aug 21, 2024 at 7:30 am- 9:00 am (PST)
Location: Hilton Bellevue, 300 112th Ave SE, Bellevue, WA 98004
Speakers: Alex de Soto, Partner CFO Selections
Quinn Finnigan, Partner ASP
How HR can influence the accounting department?
Please join two local finance and accounting recruiting experts, Quinn Finnigan of ASP, and Alex de Soto of CFO Selections as they lead this interactive workshop on how HR can influence the accounting department by the work done during recruiting to fill positions. They will share some data to help you understand the challenges in recruiting for finance and accounting professionals, including providing a quick summary introduction to “what is accounting”. They will also offer tips and ideas on what you can do to fill these tough to fill positions. You will learn why there is a shortage of accounting employees, learn about changes over the years in media that has made it harder to attract candidates, and what steps an HR professional should take when working with a hiring manager from the accounting department. They are both former accountants turned recruiters, so they know what it is like being in an accounting department and in working with HR professionals. Alex even held an SPHR designation for nine years and worked in the HR department at Premera Blue Cross.
Specific topics will include:
Accounting 101 – a five minute primer on what is accounting.
Where are the accountants?
Provide data on graduation trends covering the last 25 years
Unemployment rates for accountants
Where and why are people looking for job?
Lack of central point
Indeed effect – how a new generation interacts with employers
The mind of the young accountant
More are going into consulting/data-oriented jobs
Flexibility and path forward is critical
What to do:
Finding them: multi-pronged approach
Engaging them: Know how to attract them
Retaining them: understanding the rungs in the ladder for growth in accounting/finance
Bio:
Alex de Soto anchors the CFO Selections search practice and brings over 30 years of experience in accounting, finance, human resources, and executive search to his role as leader of the search team. Since 2008, he has spent most of his time helping CEO’s and CFO’s of Pacific Northwest based companies find that unique match they seek in a CFO or Controller.
He began his career with eight years as a CPA with Coopers & Lybrand in their Seattle and London offices, and served nearly 15 years as a member of or advisor to numerous executive management teams in the Puget Sound area. He has been a CFO of a small biotech company, held FP&A and HR management positions at Premera Blue Cross, and a member of management of two ultrasound start-up companies. He also spent a number of years leading the recruiting efforts for Pacific Edge Software.
He serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Compass Health, a large community behavioral health organization serving the five northwest counties of Washington. Alex’s years as a Board member, former CPA and CFO, HR consultant, and recruiter provides a unique combination of experiences enabling successful CFO and Controller placements.
Alex has a BS in Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting from the University of Southern California and held a SPHR designation from 2001 to 2010.
Alex lives in the Everett/Mukilteo area and with his wife remains busy helping their young adult children launch to a new phase of life. Alex and his wife are very committed to building strong communities and spent 25 years in the city of Snohomish where his wife was on city council for nearly 12 years and Alex was co-chair of a city strategic planning committee. Alex enjoys wandering around Whidbey Island throughout the year, reading or watching crime mysteries, and is creating an infinity bottle of scotch.
Company Website Link: www.cfoselections.com
Bio:
Quinn serves a dual role in the CFO Selections group of companies: leading the Contingent Recruiting Practice with The ASP Team (ASP) and assisting with Retained Executive Search services for CFO Selections. His 8-year career in recruiting combined with 11 years of experience in finance, audit, and accounting for several nationally recognized companies have given him a unique insight into the needs and requirements expected of finance professionals. He is equally skilled in working with clients and candidates.
A proud alumnus of The University of Portland, he received his undergraduate degree in accounting and began his career at Deloitte in the audit practice for three years prior to taking a “quarter-life crisis” break to live and play in Maui. After a year of fun and soul searching (surfing and sailing) he returned to his accounting roots and for the next seven years grew professionally in corporate accounting and finance working for the Seattle Seahawks and Amazon.
Quinn actively sought out the recruiting industry in 2015 seeking to redefine his definition of career success and has been serving Puget Sound based middle market companies helping them fill Accounting and Finance positions through contingent placements for over eight years.
A native Washingtonian, Quinn was born and raised in Tacoma and Lakewood. Having lived and traveled all over the world with stints in Portland, OR, Salzburg, Austria and Maui, HI, he returned to his roots in 2008 and now lives with his wife and two children in Issaquah.
Company Website Link: www.theaspteam.com