Learn how a team member took advantage of My Opportunity, a firm program that supports career change and development.
Himanshu Sharma took his first accounting class as a high school sophomore. He was on the path to being a financial statement auditor for life. Or so he thought.
When he joined Baker Tilly in 2013 as a first-year auditor, Himanshu was already thinking about other possibilities. “Recently, I was cleaning out files and found my onboarding notebook where I had written ‘How easy it is to transition to the consulting team from audit?’”
Himanshu started on our financial services audit team in Milwaukee, enjoying his work during busy season from January through March. During downtime in other seasons, he started trying out consulting with risk advisory with the support of his senior manager and mentor.
As he contributed more to risk advisory, Himanshu considered making the switch. “I still felt there was more for me to learn on the financial statement side — to make me a double threat,” he laughed. Finally, in 2019, he approached his coach Jackie Hensgen, a risk advisory director who had always encouraged Himanshu’s exploration. Jackie asked, “Are you sure this time?” The answer was yes, and Himanshu transitioned to risk advisory as an experienced senior.
Himanshu’s outgoing personality is well-suited to his new role. “My audit background brings another level of insight to my client relationships,” he said. “My people skills are strong, and that has really helped me be successful in the advisory role. It’s energizing.”