By: Shane O’Berg and David Sullivan, Partners, DeWinter Consulting
In the recent DWG press release, Our success begins with our employees, DeWinter Associates celebrated the promotions of three valued team members who focus on the recruitment and permanent placement of accounting and finance professionals. That being said, we thought it only fair to also celebrate the 2017 successes of DeWinter Consulting, the DeWinter Group’s consulting and contract recruitment division!
Last year proved to be a groundbreaking year for DeWinter Consulting. In May, the division celebrated achieving its 2017 annual stretch goal 8 months ahead of schedule. For that, we would like to thank our employees because without their hard work and dedication to the finance and accounting professionals they work with, we would never have been capable of such growth. Our success is a direct representation of each of our employee’s individual successes.
That being said, we are excited to celebrate the individual successes of five valued DeWinter Consulting team members. Sara Gonzalez, Brenna Hyland, Hetal Luhar, Joe Reiver, and Sophia Sun each achieved a record number of placements last year working with Bay Area employers and professionals and met the minimum threshold to advance to the next level of their careers with the DeWinter Group. To celebrate their success, we sat down and asked each individual, “What attributed to your success this past year?” Make sure to take a look and congratulate Sara, Brenna, Hetal, Joe, and Sophia on their recent promotions!
A Senior Director at DeWinter Consulting, Hetal celebrated five years with DeWinter Group in 2017. With over 20 years of recruiting experience, today Hetal focuses on working with Bay Area employers to assist with identifying expert finance and accounting consulting resources for specialized projects and interim talent needs.
Sara Gonzalez, Director of Consulting Services, San Francisco Office
Sara joined DeWinter Consulting in 2015 as a recruiter, working closely with accounting and finance professionals to align their consulting career aspirations with the needs of Bay Area employers. In a little under 3 years she went from a recruiter to a director -- a true indication of her work ethic and the advocation she does for the consultants she works with.
Joe Reiver, Director of Consulting Services, San Francisco Office
With a little under 5 years of accounting and finance recruitment experience, Joe joined DeWinter Consulting in 2016 bringing with him a wealth of knowledge and an expansive network of accounting and finance professionals. Joe currently assists employers with identifying consultants to assist with accounting projects and contract/contract-to-hire needs.
Sophia Sun, Director of Consulting Services, Campbell Office
A Director at DeWinter Consulting, Sophia joined the team in 2016 as a Manager. She has an extensive background in both applied corporate financial planning and analysis as well as accounting and finance recruitment. Sophia currently focuses her efforts on placing professionals looking to develop their career in accounting and finance consulting.
Brenna Hyland, Senior Recruiter, San Francisco Office
Brenna joined DeWinter Consulting in 2016. Upon returning to the Bay Area after attending university on the east coast, she was reconnected with Kelly Burns, a DeWinter Group recruitment queen. Kelly introduced her to the consulting arm of the DeWinter Group and encouraged her to pursue a path in recruitment, a favor that changed her career trajectory entirely (which we are very thankful for).
BRENNA: Buckets of coffee, a new-found confidence with the telephone, and tons of amazing mentorship, advice, and support from the other members of the DeWinter Consulting team.
SARA: First and foremost, my team made me successful in 2017. We work very closely with one another and I could not have reached this success without their constant support and assistance. In addition, I focused on a yearly goal I set for myself and worked towards it on a daily basis. I would block off certain parts of the day for sourcing and recruiting, checking in with my candidates, and matching candidates to the open opportunities we had. It can get a bit hectic managing various jobs and relationships, so it was helpful to set time aside to really focus on each important aspect of the job.
We are also fortunate to not have metric requirements at DeWinter which I believe attributes to my success. Rather than focusing on hitting a certain number of calls a day, I focus on the quality of the calls I make. I believe creating solid foundations with my candidates results in a personal and honest relationship that ensures mutual success.
SOPHIA: The DeWinter Consulting team was extremely supportive and helpful! I also made it a point to stay focused and organized. Working with consultants means you can encounter hundreds of emails in your inbox any given Monday morning. 2017 was a landmark year for me because I was better able to focus on my top priority jobs.
JOE: I credit most of my success to the DeWinter Consulting San Fran recruiting team.They are amazing! I also credit a lot of my success in 2017 to having a strong relationship and partnership with the DeWinter Associates team.
HETAL: My calls are planned by blocking out my calendar based on my current book of business, prospecting for new clients, leads, previous business, etc.
SOPHIA: First, healthy eating and regular exercise. I maintain a strict diet and exercise regularly. Second, I make sure to get the sleep I need. I stop checking emails after 7 pm. Last, I vacation and escape regularly on weekends. It is important to relax and recharge!
BRENNA: DeWinter Group gives us plenty of flexibility and freedom over our individual schedules, an aspect that I could not be more thankful for. However, on the consulting arm, it can often get pretty hectic and one can get bogged down in the timelines and constant flow of emails or needs. In order to maintain a healthy mind and body, I give myself vacations and trips to interesting places to remind myself what everything is all about, and I eat croissants because they make me happy.
HETAL: I've always reflected on my prior year’s challenges and positives to make sure I don't have repeat issues going into the year. I usually spend the last quarter of each year setting the stage and foundation for what I want to achieve in the coming year.
JOE: My goals for 2018 are to realize a 50% increase over the total number of successful placements I made in 2017, become a Senior Director and a seat on the DeWinter Group’s annual Producer’s Trip. Although lofty, it is definitely attainable. I work with great employers here in the Bay Area and am thankful for their support.
SARA: My goal for 2018 is to become a Senior Director. This goal will require meeting at least six strong candidates each week, reaching out quickly to the correct profiles for opportunities we are working on, and ultimately increasing the number of placements made.
On behalf of both the partners and your team members at the DeWinter Group, we would like to thank you for your commitment to the clients and candidates you work with. You are a true reflection of the caliber of service we aim to provide to each accounting and finance professional you work with. Additionally, your dedication to not only your individual success but the success of our team as a whole, is something to be proud of. For that, we would like to thank you.
If you are interested in learning more regarding how Sara, Brenna, Hetal, Joe, or Sophia can help you develop your career or build your team, contact DeWinter Consulting! To learn more, visit us online at https://www.dewintergroup.com/services/finance-consulting/.