Sharada Bhansali
Co-Founder and Executive VP
AccountantsWorldwww.AccountantsWorld.com
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Click here to see the other honorees of the 2015
“Most Powerful Women in Accounting” awards.
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What advice would you give to female college students about the opportunities for women in the accounting profession?
Certainly, accounting is a rewarding profession. You should evaluate your options very carefully. Decide whether you want to go towards public accounting or corporate environment. Public accounting has demanding peak periods of long work hours. Choose what meets your personal goals and lifestyle.
What advice would you give accounting firms on ways in which they can better retain and advance more qualified female staff?
Use technology to provide women professionals more flexibility in their work schedule. Cloud technology enables accountants to work more efficiently from home using a flexible schedule than working in the office under a regimented schedule. Create an environment that enables employees to keep the right work/life balance. That keeps team members excited and makes them more productive.
What is the name of one book that has been a great influence to you?
Happiness at Work: Be Resilient, Motivated, and Successful – No Matter What. By Srikumar Rao
In what ways do you participate in the professional community to change/improve the accounting profession?
Most of my activities for the professionals are behind the scene. I do a lot of brainstorming with accountants and industry experts. That cross-pollination of ideas helps both the profession and AccountantsWorld.
What changes do you foresee in the accounting profession of the near future (3-5 years)?
Real time data access, real time collaboration with clients and mobile devices will have profound impact on the profession. It has already started to increase productivity of accounting firms. Now accountants are turning from being reactive ‘number crunchers’ to proactive trusted advisers in real sense. That is having a positive impact on the accounting profession as well as SMB segment.
How do you see yourself participating in shaping the future of the accounting profession?
I’ve led a highly motivated and talented team to turn AccountantsWorld into the pioneer in cloud solutions for accountants. We’ve developed highly innovative solutions to change the landscape of two core services—payroll and accounting. Our Payroll Relief is the first cloud-based professional payroll solution that has enabled accountants to offer highly profitable payroll services. While most accounting solutions sold to accountants have DIY (Do-It-Yourself) systems created for small businesses or have that foundation, Accounting Power is the first accounting system created exclusively for professional accountants.
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Click here to see the other honorees of the 2015
“Most Powerful Women in Accounting” awards.
————————
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Tags: Accounting, Firm Management
