Jeremy Vokt’s vision for locking long‑term value for BKR International members

Jeremy Vokt: As I transitioned out of my full-time role as managing partner at Bland & Associates, I knew I wanted to continue doing something within the industry. There was an opportunity to step into the CEO role, and I found it very intriguing. I laid out a strategic vision I was excited about, and I got the Board of Directors excited about it as well.

JV: It’s time for accounting associations/networks to evolve as I believe the industry are years behind. The reason I say that, is due to PE coming into our industry approximately six years ago and it is quickly consolidating firms. We need to look at the associations and look to those firms that want to remain independent and ask ourselves how we want to serve our members, ask the members what they need to remain independent and then put a plan in place to deliver that for them. It’s a significant opportunity to change this model to provide long-term value to member firms.

JV: I see the biggest opportunities for our member firms is market share. There is going to be a very significant size gap in firms between PE-backed or mega-consolidated firms and those “locally-owned” firms. This creates an exciting opportunity for our independent member firms to grow and serve those clients that want to remain in a professional relationship with their “local” and independent firm.

JV: My number 1 priority is setting the course of BKR by integrating Traction/EOS (entrepreneurial operating system) into our organisation. I believe by setting that strategy in a 3-year, 1-year and 90-day world will allow us to move forward at a much quicker efficient pace.

JV: Personally, it’s exactly that, it’s personal. I have made life-long friendships with people from all over the world. We catch up on family, we support each other, we plan vacations together. It’s great to be part of an organisation that attracts like-minded people from all over the world. Not only that, but personally it has opened my eyes to other parts of the world I would not have otherwise experienced, if it were not for BKR.

JV: One way we have done this is that we started down this path over six years ago with our Centre of Excellence. Within this area, we have explored software and processes together as firms from all over the world. So rather than each firm exploring these tools in a silo, we started doing it together. This has led to quicker analysis and implementations. In addition, over a year ago we started our own Tech Lab, which is doing deeper dives into initiatives such as AI.

JV: I’m very passionate about what I do. When I’m in, I’m all in. I’m excited for this opportunity and I want to help our member firms grow and evolve.