Women Of Excellence: Susan Bell
Atlanta Office Managing Partner, Ernst & Young
Terri Thornton
July 1, 2008
sponsored by:
W
hen Susan Bell's brothers played T-ball, she saw more than what was happening on the
field. She saw the opportunity to start a business. "There wasn't a refreshment stand at the
ballpark, so I decided to create one," she recalls. The 12-year-old bought ice, soft drinks and
candy bars from the store, resold them at a profit, then relaxed and counted her money.
Bell landed her first bookkeeping job in junior high when her aunt, a college professor, hired her to work at the office of her uncle, a doctor.
"That was motivating," she says, "because she challenged me – gave me dutiesand things to do that I probably wouldn't have had otherwise."
A successful career in accounting followed. Now the only female head of alocal office for one of the "Big Four" accounting firms, Bell is responsiblefor the work of 1,100 professionals. " There's always something fun on the agenda, whether it's a new client project, developing people or doing something in the community."
Her immediate focus is on sharing information with all the local Ernst & Young employees through town hall meetings and executive gatherings. Her success, and the chance to lead the Atlanta office, simply evolved over time. "I started out 24 years ago serving clients and that's really all I cared about doing."
A decade ago, most people assumed accounting was a quiet, uneventful field.But the turbulence of the past few years, in which the word "accounting" was frequently followed by " scandal," changed all that. The former Arthur Andersen partner says recent years have brought challenging, yet positive, changes. "People forgot that public accounting has a significant duty to the capital markets and to all people who invest – business owners, banks, all those involved in the capital markets."
Bell says the Sarbanes-Oxley Act strengthened the emphasis on internal controls, compliance and good corporate governance so that shareholders are in much better shape now than they were 10 years ago.
The best way corporate America can overcome the past is to continue on its current path. " The corporate environment all begins with the tone at the top. So good examples must be set by leadership – leaders who are doing the right thing and communicating the message that they want the company to do the right thing."
Bell's own community work includes serving as a board member and financechair of the Atlanta Historical Society, and serving on the board of trustees of the Woodruff Arts Center.
Says Tom Hough, Ernst & Young's area managing partner, "With Susan'soutstanding people perspective, her dedication to excellent service for our clients and her numerous board and community engagements – she truly exemplifies outstanding leadership."
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