Voice of Experience: Jacqueline Akerblom, National Managing Partner for Women’s Initiatives, Grant Thornton LLP
by Pamela Weinsaft (New York City)
“In my opinion, the number one barrier to success for women in public accounting is the lack of visible role models. If a woman does not see other women succeeding, it is very difficult to aspire to partnership and senior leadership within a male dominated firm,” said Jacqueline Akerblom, National Managing Partner for Women’s Initiatives and Programs, Audit Partner and International Business Center Director at Grant Thornton LLP.
Akerblom started her career 25 years ago at the Los Angeles office of one of the Big 8 accounting firms. She was recruited to Grant Thornton while working as a manager for that competitor, and quickly moved up the ranks, progressing first to senior manager, then partner. As a new partner, she was asked to go to London to head up Grant Thornton’s US transaction group for Europe, where she stayed for four years.
Upon her return to the US in 1999, she was tapped to head up transaction advisory services for the West Coast. She soon became the national managing partner for international client services and was appointed to the Board of Governors for Grant Thornton International in 2000.
But, in 2002, confronted with the challenges of being a new mother and meeting the ever-increasing work demands, Akerblom decided to leave the firm to be a stay-at-home mother. “I believed that I could be the super-mom and super-partner image I had created in my head. I ended up feeling that I was failing as a mother and not living up to my own standards as a partner. I had no role models: at that time, our firm had not embraced the idea of flexibility in the workplace.”
She was lured back to the firm in 2004 with the opportunity to help other women faced with the very difficult choice she had confronted two years earlier. “When I returned…it was with the promise of being part of the creation of a women’s initiative to help recruit, retain and advance our women. [A] major challenge for women [in the industry] is achieving work/life integration once they begin their family. My experience in 2001-2002 taught me to define and understand my priorities, to set appropriate boundaries at work and to be a better communicator of my needs and the needs of my staff.”
In 2007, Akerblom was appointed to her current position as national managing partner for women’s initiatives and programs. In this role, she has overseen Grant Thornton’s efforts to address this issue through both formal and informal flexible work arrangements.
When asked about her proudest career achievement, Akerblom responded, “I am most proud of being part of creating our women’s initiative (Women at Grant Thornton) and then being chosen to be the first national leader of this program. I am also extremely proud of the success this initiative has had since inception in 2004; we have increased the number of women partners in our firm by 174%.”
Akerblom believes that there are a lot of opportunities for women. Her advice to young women entering the industry: “Take advantage of all the options open to you to develop both personally and professionally. Look for those overseas assignments! They can be life changing experiences.” For women already in the industry, she strongly recommends learning how to navigate the politics of the firm. “Just being a great technician will not get [you] to the next level…[you will need to] develop those non-technical skills that are so important to advancement.”
As for the best advice she’s gotten? “A male mentor told me long ago not to be afraid to show my strength. Over the years I have worked to balance my strength of conviction with a heightened sense of awareness of the impact I have on others. I believe this advice has made me an effective leader.”
