Bruce Zicari

Bruce Zicari

CEO & Managing Partner, The Bonadio Group

Years in current role: 3.5

What has been your organization’s biggest success over the past year?

As a firm, we have spent a ton of time devoted to maintaining and optimizing our employee experience. We recently launched our To Be Greater campaign, which embodies the way our employee experience comes to life. Over the past year, we have been hyper-focused on our people and ensuring we support a healthy work-life balance and create a new dynamic for those in the field of public accounting. We’ve been committed to giving our professionals the flexibility they want and deserve, while maintaining our philosophy of being better together. There’s still work to be done, but I’m proud of the success we’ve had to date in reducing compression and building an organization that values change, innovation, and feedback to ensure our people are equipped with the resources they need to collaborate.

What are your expectations for the next 6-12 months?

I anticipate that there’s going to be a huge focus on bringing people back together in meaningful ways to allow for enhanced culture, stronger relationships with colleagues and clients, and additional training and development. We will also see firms across the country doubling down on investments in innovation, including enhanced technologies to optimize efficiencies and the employee experience. I expect that businesses in all industries will have a continued focus on their employees in the coming months. I’ve said it before, but people are looking for more than just a job now — they are looking to join a company driven and guided by purpose and core values that align with their own personal values. As a result, recruiting and retention strategies will continue to be critical.

What advice would you give somebody just starting out in your industry?

It is so important to forge relationships in this industry — never discount the value of building meaningful relationships with colleagues and clients. That’s truly one of the keys to a successful career, especially in public accounting. Be sure to take the time to identify mentors and foster relationships with them, outside of your direct managers and leaders.

What is one personal goal you have for the next year?

One of my goals is to spend more time with the people of our firm, especially in different regions. We have grown so much as a company and it’s important for me to continue having relationships with our teams across our footprint. I’d also like to prioritize mentoring young professionals both within and outside of our organization, gathering feedback about what’s most important to them in their careers.

What are your favorite things about Rochester?

Rochester is unique in that there is a lot of emphasis on personal and professional relationship building. I’ve met many people in my career that are both friends and colleagues, and I have witnessed first-hand the willingness to work together, lift each other up and help everyone find success. I also really value the way the people in this community come together to do great things for those in need. Every year, my family’s nonprofit, Nancy & Friends Fighting Cancer, Inc., holds an annual fundraising event to support those impacted by cancer, and our community members always join together to support the cause and raise funds and awareness.

This profile is part of Rochester Business Journal's Power 30 Banking & Finance list for 2022. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. View the full list at rbj.net.