Earn free CPE with Earmark! Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz, and download your certificate. Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPE
If 2025 felt different, that’s because it was.
In this special year-in-review episode, Chelsea Summers and Rob Brown step back to examine the defining forces reshaping public accounting. From record-setting mergers to the mainstreaming of private equity, the pace and scale of change reached a new level this year and firm leaders are feeling it.
The conversation covers the headline deals that set the tone, including the Baker Tilly–Moss Adams combination and what those moves reveal about consolidation, capital and competitive pressure. Chelsea shares insights from IPA data on how firms are rethinking ownership models, accelerating advisory growth and investing in technology and AI not just for efficiency, but for client value.
The episode also explores shifts in talent strategy, including stabilizing enrollment trends, expanded recruiting pipelines, the rise of non-equity and corporate-style leadership roles, and the evolution of global teams from short-term staffing fixes to long-term strategic capabilities.
