President & CEO – American Institute of CPAs, and CEO – Association of International Certified Professional Accountants
In 2025, a new CEO of the American Institute of CPAs and Association of International Certified Professional Accountants took the reins from long-time leader Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA.
So you can get to know him a little better, Mark shares what an “average” day can look like for him as he settles into his new leadership role.
As the CEO of a global organization, I’ve already found myself with a very full travel schedule. In this job, there is rarely a day that’s the same. As of day 42 as CEO, I’ve visited three of our offices, including London for CIMA Council, Durham, NC, and New York City for staff meet-and-greets and other meetings. Today, I am in NYC.
5 A.M.: Wake up and get the day started. Typically, I first catch up on overnight emails, then check the day’s headlines (global, then profession). Next will be any social media to catch up on and respond to.
5:45 A.M.: Head to the office. Today I’m in NYC, so it’s a quick walk from where I typically stay.
6 A.M.: Grab my cup of coffee and get to work answering the highest-priority emails from what I reviewed in the morning.
7:30 A.M.: Today is an unusually late start for my first meeting—a briefing from our team in North Asia. I’ve been checking in with each region as I get up to speed on their top priorities, how we can help them in their roles, and discovering their greatest areas of growth. I usually schedule these meetings in the time zone most suitable for the region and, today, they selected this later time.
8:30 A.M.: Town Hall final run-through before we go live later today. The AICPA Town Halls were created by Erik Asgeirsson, president and CEO of CPA.com, and I in 2020 during the pandemic to help members stay informed of critical issues. Back then, the big topic was the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Now it’s the Washington, D.C., landscape and tax. We started with about 400 attendees back in April of 2020. That quickly grew to about 1,000 attendees when I left in August 2020. Now there are over 10,000 attendees per session. The popularity and audience growth are just amazing. This run-through is to make sure we all have our topics set and, more importantly, includes a time check so we stay on time.
9 A.M.: I’m double-booked, so I quickly stop into a breakfast celebration for my executive assistant, Donna Wolf, who is retiring at the end of the month. I then join a Zoom meeting with the Audit & Finance Committee to discuss audit-related matters, final Association financial statements, internal audit reviews and what will be presented at the April live board meeting. This call runs much of my morning, to approximately 11:20 a.m.
11:30 A.M.: Immediately following the Audit & Finance meeting, I hustle to the other side of our office to the studio to record a congratulatory video message for the president-elect of a state CPA society who will be named president at an upcoming annual meeting. I was invited to attend live but unfortunately had a conflict, so they asked if I could record a video. It is someone I know well, and I am more than happy to do so.
NOON: Following the recording, I make my way to an informal luncheon with the office staff. I share a quick introduction about my thoughts on the future of our organization and the profession. I thank the team “live” for all the things they do for our members, and we share some pizza, wings and cake (with my picture on it!). It’s been a really great experience getting to meet all the people who have largely been thumbnail video boxes on my computer screen.
1:30 P.M.: After the announcement of my return to the Association, we had several requests for interviews from the media that cover our profession. This was the first week in which my schedule was able to accommodate some of these requests, so today I’m speaking with Courtney Vien, senior reporter at CFO Brew.
2 P.M.: Quick check-in with my assistant to see if she needs me for anything or if there are any pressing matters to discuss.
2:30 P.M.: The AICPA Town Hall starts in 30 minutes, so I head back to the studio to get set up for sound and prepare for the show. At this time, all presenters are on video in a green room waiting for the start and nailing down final instructions.
3 P.M.: Erik Asgeirsson kicks off the Town Hall. I’m up first to discuss feedback I’ve received from members both on the road and through the AskMark@aicpa-cima.com inbox. At a prior Town Hall and in several articles after, we’ve asked members to reach out to me directly to provide feedback on the profession. I present the results to the audience and am followed by our D.C. team with an update on BOI, the IRS, DOGE and other D.C. topics. The last session focuses on Quality Management and new requirements about to be introduced in audit. To finish, we open it up to questions from the audience. On this day, there are 11,400 participants.
4 P.M.: I return to my office to join another Zoom meeting with the Association’s firm services team to discuss the agenda and topics for the Major Firms Group meeting in July.
5 P.M.: Time to catch up on emails and any calls I need to make before leaving the office for the day.
6:30 P.M.: I take a walk around NYC, clear my head and figure out where I want to grab a quick dinner.
8 P.M.: I head to the Carnegie Club, where I have a scheduled cigar call with an IT confidante that I check in with regularly. We usually talk once per week, and he helps me sort out any IT challenges I may be dealing with.
9:30 P.M.: I grab a glass of red wine and do a final review of text messages, emails and social media. I choose a Zinfandel from Grgich Hills Estate in Napa.
10 P.M.: Call my wife, Maryann, to check in on her day, fill her in on mine and discuss our schedules for the next few days and weekend.
10:45 P.M.: Final check of current events and profession news headlines.
11 P.M.: Lights out.
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Stopping in for an AICPA team lunch and retirement party.
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Virtual media "meet and greet" interview with senior reporter at CFO Brew.
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All systems go for the AICPA Town Hall session.
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Cruising around in his free time with wife, Maryann, and dog, Ozzie.
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About Me
NAME: Mark Koziel, CPA, CGMA.
JOB TITLE: President & CEO, American Institute of CPAs, and CEO, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants
ORGANIZATION SIZE: AICPA & CIMA, together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (the Association), advance the global accounting and finance profession through our work on behalf of approximately 600,000 AICPA and CIMA members, candidates, and registrants in 188 countries and territories.
PREVIOUS POSITIONS: Most recently, I was president and CEO of Allinial Global, an association of independent accounting and advisory firms with 268 member firms worldwide. I started there in 2020 after 14 years with the Association (previously the AICPA), where I served in a number of roles, including executive vice president of firm services.
ALMA MATER: Bachelor of Science in accounting from Canisius University (Buffalo, NY) in 1991.
When I'm Not at Work
FAMILY: Wife, Maryann, and son, Ben
PETS: Dog, Ozzie
HOBBIES: In my down time, I enjoy the beautiful mountains of North Carolina (home); spending time with my wife, Maryann, and my family; and boating, golfing and smoking—both a fine cigar (with a glass of wine) and BBQ.
To learn more about what Mark is aiming to accomplish in his new leadership role, jump over to INCPAS Q&A with AICPA’s New CEO: What He Wants You to Know.
Do you think a day in your life would make a good addition to our series? Contact Katie Kirkton at kkirkton@incpas.org to find out how you can share your story.