Pic credit – Accounting Today
On Friday, September 7, Accounting Today released its list of “Top 100 Most Influential People” in accounting. All honorees have risen to a level of leadership and responsibility and all wield some sort of influence.
The editors of Accounting Today describe the list as a work in process. As the profession changes, whether due to societal, technological or other factors, they claim the list evolves to capture the contemporary stage of the profession.
As technology grows more important in accounting, we include new IT experts; as new regulatory bodies are formed, we add new regulators; as more Millennials and Gen Ys rise to positions of importance, more of them will appear among the Top 100; as the profession explores more new specialities, we’ll add experts from those fields; and as more women and minorities (hopefully) join the profession, we’ll add more women and minorities.
By my count, 75% of the list is male and 95% is Caucasian. Although the editors mention change, in broad composition the list is similar to last year when it contained auditors, regulators, vendors, etc. Change has taken place at the individual level, though. When some previous members retired, they were replaced on the list by their successors.
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