​​This week we are excited to share an interview with the newest addition to the Allinial Global team: Ilkay Sarpdag, Regional Director, Europe, Middle East, and India.
Please introduce yourself.
My name is Ilkay Sarpdag. I’ve joined after a long career advising the C-suite on investor relations strategy at publicly listed companies. Typically, these companies have large equity and debt capital structures traded by institutional investors in the global securities markets. My experience has provided me with a wealth of knowledge and insight into public company management, ESG reporting, business strategy, and corporate governance models.
One of my motivations in business is simplifying complex issues to provide clarity. My background affords me a unique perspective on how businesses can differentiate themselves by proactively reporting on the material issues that matter to investors and other stakeholders.
I see an opportunity for the business community, at various stages in their sustainability journeys, to gain confidence in their ESG disclosures by engaging with auditors and advisors from the accountancy profession on these significant challenges.
What are you most excited about in joining the Allinial Global team?
The dedication and commitment of the association’s partners, team members, and staff is inspirational. As an international organization operating out of different continents, Allinial Global has developed a cohesive, collaborative culture that is a truly unique asset.
Another is the impressive volume of commercial deals flowing through a highly reputable membership in all jurisdictions. Allinial Global members share a similar growth mindset while delivering above-and-beyond results for clients on critical international assignments. These joint efforts ensure immediate solutions and facilitate client success.
The association’s technological capabilities enable members to connect instantly and benefit from interaction with experts and thought leaders in specialized communities when focused conversations are needed. This helps address any workforce fatigue issues and offer access to the experience and expertise of renowned members across different locations.
I’m very excited to join an incredible organization led by a proactive membership driving high standards of professional services delivery and working to serve the sophisticated needs of international clients.
Given your highly seasoned background in consulting and experiences covering European and Asia-Pacific markets, how can firms capture opportunities with clients and act as their trusted advisors?Â
Corporations look for forward-thinkers with the ability to meticulously rationalize their analyses and recommendations on key business areas and service lines of the company. They appreciate the ability to look ahead for the company and at the rearview mirror as you pass obstacles like providing support with the reporting activities.
Although often overlooked, soft skills are a critical part of the selection process. Corporations look for crucial human attributes, such as being dependable and acting as a reliable resource in critical situations like preparing for stock price plunges, activist demands, and reorganizations due to loss-making segments or M&A events. Whatever the scenario, often-listed company assignments can be very challenging due to highly regulated stock market rules; the strict information control procedures alone can pose immense challenges during campaigns.
Looking back, I’ve fostered great relationships with people from many unique cultures and languages by paying close attention to their expectations. The corporate unit consists of many multi-disciplined critical points of contact that may not share the same technical know-how, so it is imperative to upskill certain members along the service delivery journey. In most cases, many of the critical project workforces will be in other time zones, so coordination is a big part of serving a corporate and meeting very tight deadlines. I believe all of these together make the recipe for a long-lasting professional relationship.
What are your thoughts on the accounting profession, where it’s headed, and future opportunities for AG firms?
I think that there are incredible challenges today across many operating pillars that require constant business re-evaluation. Mark Koziel, President and CEO of Allinial Global, talks about these moving parts in the profession and how firms can get ahead of the curve by carefully assessing relevant spots within their organizations.
Future-ready organizations are identifying hard and soft trends relevant for their businesses by considering changes they need to make tomorrow today. This is the same for accounting and advisory. In order to be competitive and win market share, Allinial Global emphasizes the importance of keeping your social capital by learning, engaging, and fostering collaboration and networking.
The business landscape is rapidly changing with more operational, regulatory, talent, and technological challenges that constantly force firms to reevaluate their existing strategies. These can be very difficult for firms overall, so Allinial Global is working with members to overcome challenges in these areas, but also to identify opportunities so that commercially members can benefit from a shifting marketplace.
When I look at successful entrepreneurs like Phil Knight, Arthur Blank, and John D. Rockefeller, they founded the largest organizations in the world that have touched people’s daily lives for over decades. This shows that the training and discipline from this profession can empower people to do anything, often leading to impressive results.
We have new global challenges in business, and the accounting profession looks set to be the most reliable partner to ensure the integrity of ESG information. A large part of that role comes from the trusting relationships that clients have with their accountants, who are known for helping clients connect the dots. In my long-term assessment, sustainability will become a regular topic with CPAs, even for individuals’ assets, as the climate is a real threat to us all and has no boundaries.
The international membership of Allinial Global identifies ESG risk as a major area of concern for clients who are evaluating their assets and businesses to position for long-term success. As such, the community regularly comes together with open ideas to serve this need and strive for modern, practical solutions.
That said, there are immediate and medium-term opportunities, such as international tax and audit-related service lines that will continue to dominate firms’ workloads and remain a priority for many given the adverse global economic condition.
Some of our team members have addressed staffing and talent shortages creating operational headwinds as common themes within our member firms. It’s crucial to turn these firm-specific challenges into opportunities and then tackle the broader commercial themes. Succession planning, which is an integral part of sound corporate governance, also applies to most industries, and this could be another area of concern worth paying attention to within member firms. When these issues are addressed, there is a more straightforward path toward success.
What’s your vision of how AG can help with all of the above?
Clearly, the above challenges are on the minds of partners who have shared some of their progress but are also actively deploying strategies to lock in those opportunities independently.
Recruitment
A big part of being a member of Allinial Global is that you will identify with like-minded leaders working concurrently in similar ways to ensure their long-term stability in their markets. Associating with a proactive partnership base affords the ability to speak on actionable items together. This is one of the shared values at Allinial Global—a heightened sense of collegiality.
I know a lot of work has gone into the recruitment process where suitable members with a high frequency of client activity and deep expertise in areas of accounting are onboarded into the membership. This then creates a great networking opportunity at events and community modules.
Leading technological innovationÂ
I’m excited to think about some of the technological platforms in place, recently launched on mobile as of November, offering great benefits to connect with our organization. Allinial Global has invested heavily in developing applications to become the one-stop desktop solution for senior partners in their daily activities.
Allinial Global is a pivotal contributor with a rich history of facilitating technological advancement. The organization is a valuable source of technical expertise that can help businesses prepare for future issues, with collective knowledge based on years of experience.
The future of the accounting profession depends on its ability to sustain the technologies it has developed and shown to be beneficial to its members. It must continue to develop thought processes in order to facilitate change in these areas of expertise.
Now for some fun facts about you. Is there something about you that most people don’t know?
I’m from Nicosia, which is in Cyprus. Before moving back to London, I traveled all over Asia and lived for five years in Hong Kong. My most memorable trip was to the Great Wall of China in Beijing, to see the fortifications built across China’s historical northern borders.
Also, I enjoy reading ancient history and considering how different events might have unfolded if the people involved had been more aware of their mistakes and that they could be repeated.
Anything else to add?
The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty. – Sir Winston Churchill
What motivates me every day is the opportunity and responsibility to focus on bridging the gap between regional members and their most important market needs in the global business community.
