Five minutes with Tifphani White-King
An unconventional start
My undergraduate degrees are in Dance, Philosophy and Economics. I thought I would graduate university and travel the world’s theatres. However, I quickly learned that I could not make enough money to support myself with dance alone, so I went on to law school. Fast forward a few years and now I travel the world consulting in tax.
Changes and challenges
Talent and technology are top of mind for accounting firms today. They are no longer just recruiting traditional accounting and finance majors. You can major in theatre, engineering, architecture or journalism and have a rewarding and successful career in this field. It’s not just about human capital either; we have all made significant investments in automation, bots, AI and beyond to deliver our services.
As the first black female partner at a Big 4 firm
I had a great sense of accomplishment. But the achievement was bittersweet because we still have a long way to go to acknowledge, celebrate, and accept the benefits of diversity and inclusion in this profession. I am thankful to be part of a firm where our CEO, Victor Wahba, recently signed the pledge for the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion.
Diversity and inclusion
I like the way our Mazars Talent team describe the difference between diversity and inclusion: diversity is getting an invite to the dance, and inclusion is being asked to dance once there. If we all just took the time to acknowledge, celebrate and accept differences in the room then the world could be even greater than it is today. Just ask someone new to dance; you never know how they may enrich your day, week, business, life, or world!
A cautionary tale
There was a pitch a few years back for a Fortune 100 company. A Big 4 firm was elated to participate in this RFP and assembled what it thought was the right team – five seasoned white male partners. The team was greeted by the prospect’s team which was diverse in culture, gender and generation, and led by a woman of color.
Before the teams could even exchange pleasantries, she said, “This can’t be your ‘A’ team. Please rethink your team composition for this pitch.” So, the team assembled a new group of diverse professionals with the requisite experience in the prospect’s industry. They went back for a second meeting and won the RFP. For me, this story illustrates how diversity can impact business and bottom line in our profession.
The Praxity difference
Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration! All the Praxity firms have our own unique identities and company culture. We also each have our own specialisms within the field of accounting and finance. When our clients need a certain specialism then collaboration with each other is critical and key. This adds great value to our clients and prospects in the marketplace. You know the saying: Teamwork makes the dream work. In Praxity, we have mastered this!
Inspiring other women
When I was promoted to the US National Tax Service Line Leader at Mazars, I was offered the ‘coveted corner office’ with spectacular views of midtown NYC. I was so comfortable in my existing office space that I said no thank you. After saying no, I received a welcome reminder that we need more women leaders in business, so when we make it, we need to celebrate that promotion and inspire the women around us so they believe they can become leaders too. So, I took that office, not for me, but to signal to them that yes, you can do it too!
Fit for purpose
To perform at your best, you need to be your best, and that starts with how you fuel, nourish, support and grow your body. Yoga keeps me focused and aligned with my goals. I also enjoy jogging. Coconut water gives me a good energy boost throughout the day, and I eat lots of plants, too. This profession is very demanding, so we must keep it together in whatever way works best for our individual bodies.
I am reading
Every morning during my commute, I read something spiritual to inspire my day; usually it’s my Daily Word subscription. I also just finished reading The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance– What Women Should Know.
This interview was originally featured in HUB magazine.
Published on September 17, 2019
The information provided here is for general guidance only, and does not constitute the provision of tax advice, accounting services, investment advice, legal advice, or professional consulting of any kind. The information provided herein should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional tax, accounting, legal or other competent advisers.