Innovation Ignite lights a fire for early-career professionals
Innovation Ignite lights a fire for early-career professionals
Kristen Russell
Managing Director
Ethan Bach
Managing Partner, Innovation, Solutions and Corporate Development
Everyone can be an innovator
On the surface, most large accounting firms are separated into teams that specialize in assurance, tax and advisory services. A deeper dive typically is required to reveal the true connective tissue that unites the individual departments within a major firm. At Baker Tilly, it is our commitment to innovation, which is at the heart of our overall purpose – to unleash and amplify the talent of our team members by investing in game-changing resources such as Innovation Ignite.
Innovation Ignite is a comprehensive leadership program that empowers our early-career professionals to develop innovation skills, enhance business acumen and build cross-functional relationships. During this three-month program, Baker Tilly associates attend virtual innovation sessions before experiencing a one-week, hands-on workshop at our Innovation Lab.
Team members not only learned the fundamentals of design thinking but also applied the process to actual challenges and questions facing our firm, including company culture, artificial intelligence, business process optimization and customer experience. Take a look!
“It was so impactful to come together with colleagues, be empowered with the tools of design thinking, and then have the opportunity to leverage those skillsets to present to leaders in our firm,” said program participant Magnolia Decker. “Our ideas and presentations highlight how innovation can enable optimized problem solving and how we can bring our collaboration and creativity skills to make a difference on our teams.”
Innovation Ignite was built around the mindset that anyone can be an innovator, regardless of specialization in assurance, tax, advisory or internal services. We infuse our young professionals with this mentality as part of our pledge to provide a unique career experience for all Baker Tilly team members who, in turn, utilize this innovative mindset as they deliver outstanding personalized value to our clients.
At Baker Tilly, we believe everyone can be an innovator. By embedding innovation into our professionals’ career experience and our culture, we give people the tools and frameworks to propel their own creativity and advance our firm’s strategic objectives.Kristen Russell, Managing Director, Innovation & Solutions
Looking ahead, many of the creative concepts developed at Innovation Ignite are actively being used at Baker Tilly – with more innovative ideas in the works. The program continues to make an immediate impact on our team members and our clients, helping to sustain the growth of our firm and foster Baker Tilly’s unique culture of innovation.
