Colleagues

FIRM REPORT 2024-25

Fostering a culture of engagement, belonging and growth.

We strive to create a workplace where each colleague’s contributions are celebrated, and their growth is prioritized. This section highlights our efforts in engagement, DEIB and leadership development, illustrating how BPM empowers every colleague to reach their potential while building a culture of lasting impact.

Measuring colleague engagement

To ensure a consistent and equitable approach to understanding our colleagues’ experiences, we conduct an annual Firm-wide engagement survey. This tool helps us identify factors that contribute to a positive colleague experience and recognize any barriers that may be impacting our team.

Covering key areas such as leadership, development opportunities, belonging and confidence in the future, the survey results are shared both Firm-wide and at group levels. We use this data to inform our people-focused initiatives and benchmark against other leading firms.

2024 engagement highlights

Participation rate

Overall engagement score

Inclusion score

Key findings reflect our strong culture

Understand their contribution to team success

92%

Feel supported by their coaches and managers

89%

Would recommend BPM as a great workplace

84%

Align with our values

89%

Believe we provide equal opportunities for success

87%

Emphasizing the ‘B’ in DEIB

This year, we strengthened our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB). The inclusion of “belonging” underscores our belief that fostering a sense of belonging is essential for a truly inclusive workplace.

Our eight Colleague Resource Groups (CRGs) play a crucial role in promoting belonging by creating spaces for diverse communities to share experiences and support one another.

This summer, we hosted our inaugural CRG Expo, an interactive event that allowed colleagues to explore CRGs through virtual booths, learning about their missions and engaging with members through trivia questions and conversation.

Other highlights that supported belonging this year included

AAPI CRG

Black CRG

Disabilities CRG

Hispanic & Latinx CRG

Interfaith CRG

LGBTQIA+ CRG

Parents & Caregivers CRG

WIN! CRG

Celebrating the Lunar New Year with AAPI CRG luncheons in several offices.

Facilitating a listening session of the 1619 Podcast in celebration of Juneteenth and creating a colleague-driven playlist of Black artists, as well as a list of favorite Black-owned businesses.

Uplifting colleagues of all abilities through a discussion led by Dani Bowman, an animator, entrepreneur, and advocate for neurodiversity who was featured on Netflix’s Love on the Spectrum.

Organizing a multicultural lunch for Hispanic Heritage Month in Santa Monica, featuring a local restauranteur’s American dream story and intersecting identities.

Hosting a talk with Ariel Tovlev, who discussed the intersection of their identities as a transgender person and Jewish Rabbi.

Celebrating Pride by walking in parades and taking part in community events in cities far and wide throughout the month.

Welcoming Kassi Rushing to discuss building inclusive workplaces for women, caregivers and parents.

Teaming up with the Black CRG to feature Black female leaders who shared their career highlights, how they’ve overcome obstacles, and the importance of coaching and mentoring colleagues in underrepresented groups.

Discover more in our recent DEIB Report

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Innovation meets impact

Preparing tomorrow’s leader

BPM’s innovative professional development initiatives reflect our commitment to continuous learning and growth for our colleagues and future leaders.

This year, our Learning & Development team launched Amplifire, an AI-powered learning platform that revolutionizes personalized learning with real-time feedback and engaging multimedia content. BPM is one of nine leading firms that are part of the Accounting Alliance developing training sessions with Amplifire.

Additionally, our LumiQ podcast platform has achieved remarkable success this year, nearly doubling the Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits earned by colleagues from 15,748 in 2023 to over 26,483 in 2024. Feedback from colleagues highlights its effectiveness for continuing education.

“I used LumiQ courses for the Ethics Course requirements for the California CPA license renewal. The platform is very user-friendly, and the courses were far more interesting and useful than any previous courses I've taken.”

Rich Gunn

Advisory Partner

Our pioneering use of virtual reality in onboarding may be one of our biggest differentiators from peer firms, offering immersive experiences in networking, personal branding and professional development.

The cornerstone programs for developing future leaders at BPM are the NextGen and Inspire Leadership Programs. This past year, we noted impressive outcomes, with our current cohort demonstrating substantial growth in creative competencies and leadership effectiveness. Notably, we saw a 33% increase in highly effective leaders and significant improvements in key competencies such as mentoring and developing others, fostering teamwork and demonstrating courageous authenticity.

These accomplishments reinforce our role as innovators in our profession and our dedication to cultivating the leaders of tomorrow.

Celebrating our newest Partners

Seven outstanding leaders were recently selected to join the Firm’s partnership. These individuals are recognized for their creativity, innovation and passion for helping others succeed.

Get to know our new partners.

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Stephen Daughters

Areas of Expertise

Business Transformation, Corporate Finance Consulting, Forensic Accounting, Risk Assurance

Time with the Firm: 2 years

When not helping our clients, Stephen enjoys: Mountain biking

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Danuta Fitzsimmons

Areas of Expertise
Business Process Outsourcing, Outsourced Accounting

Time with the Firm: 21 years

When not helping our clients, Danuta enjoys: Going on mini adventures with her beloved goldendoodle

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Justin Kay

Areas of Expertise
Audit, Reviews & Compilations, SEC Compliance, Technical Accounting

Time with the Firm: 2 years

When not helping our clients, Justin enjoys: Revisiting his musical roots when he played guitar as part of the Warped Tour

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Kendall Kuhn

Areas of Expertise
Audit, Technical Accounting

Time with the Firm: 8 years

When not helping our clients, Kendall enjoys: Painting with oil, acrylic and watercolors

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Sarah Weaver

Areas of Expertise
ASC 740 Solutions, Corporate Tax Services, FIN 48 Analysis

Time with the Firm: 9 years

When not helping our clients, Sarah enjoys: Listening to live music with her nearest and dearest

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Tara Wilson

Areas of Expertise
ASC 740 Solutions, Corporate Tax Services, Planning & Compliance

Time with the Firm: 14 years

When not helping our clients, Tara enjoys: Reading a great fantasy novel

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Edmond Zhou

Areas of Expertise
Charitable Giving, Estates, Gifts & Trusts, Family Office, Fiduciary Accounting Services, International Tax Services, IRS Voluntary Disclosure Program, Private Client Services, Stock Option Planning, Tax Planning & Compliance

Time with the Firm: 8 years

When not helping our clients, Edmond enjoys: Cooking and deep-sea fishing

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