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.
Mark Koziel, CPA, CGMA, has hit the ground running to get acclimated to his new position. This isn’t his first experience with this global Association—prior, he had worked with the AICPA for 15 years in multiple capacities before accepting a role as president and CEO of Allinial Global, where he worked from 2020 to 2024 until being selected as Barry’s successor.
So our members can get to know him a little better, Mark recently sat down with INCPAS to share what he’s most looking forward to as he moves the Association and CPA profession into the future.
What excited you most about stepping into the role of CEO for the AICPA?
From the start, I have absolutely loved the CPA profession. I actively promote and encourage others to consider a career in this great profession. I've been fortunate to encounter and accomplish many things, gaining experience in public accounting, corporate finance, politics and public affairs.
For the past five years, I served as CEO of an international association of firms with $6 billion in revenues. When I left the Association in 2020, I didn't expect to become its CEO, but my international experience made me a strong candidate. Since WWII, there have only been five CEOs of this esteemed organization.
It is an honor and privilege to serve. I do not take the role lightly, and I am committed to advancing the profession to serve the public interest and meet market demands.
What are 3 things you're looking forward to in your first year?
1. Additional Pathway to CPA Licensure
First and foremost, advancing discussions already in the market to create an additional pathway to licensure. Creating flexibility for those wrestling with the time and cost of education is critical. This conversation has been going on far too long. It was clear that state societies, state boards of accountancy and members in firms and businesses wanted to see this happen. Even before I started, the team was working on ways to support that. Education is important, as is experience and examination. We will continue to explore how competencies fit into the ongoing health of our profession while maintaining what the public expects of us. I worry about mobility but have said we need to help our members navigate it and solve for it as quickly as we can. Meanwhile, there is much more outside of licensure that needs to be done to shore up accounting talent, including continuing to examine firm business models.
"There is much more outside of licensure that needs to be done to shore up accounting talent, including continuing to examine firm business models."
2. Reconnecting with Members & Listening
We started an email address, AskMark@aicpa-cima.com, and have thus far received just shy of 500 responses—and I’ve responded to all of them. It’s important that we listen and react to members’ needs. For state societies and the AICPA, we have the challenge of keeping the profession self-regulated and having challenging standards to make sure we set the bar high. But we are also here to serve our members, and I’d like to lean into that a little more. I’ve said for years, our members seem to remember more what we do TO them, not for them. I’d like to do more for members. One thing we’re discussing is more focused communities. More on that in the short-term.
"I've said for years, our members seem to remember more what we do TO them, not for them. I'd like to do more for members."
3. Reconnecting with Team Members
I plan to check in regularly to make sure we stay focused on our strategic direction to help our members. It’s a great team, and I’ve missed being part of a larger organization. I’ve been working hard in these early days to reconnect and look for ways to make their jobs easier, so they serve our members better.
What has been the biggest challenge of the role so far?
I regularly receive requests to comment on the Washington, D.C., landscape for our U.S. members, as well as for our professionals worldwide and other accountancy bodies seeking guidance on their readings.
The political landscape is certainly interesting and, dare I say, challenging? During my initial days, the team has been focused on securing meetings with key figures in Washington and globally. It’s a challenging task because the names keep changing and the topics we need to discuss seem to shift by the hour. Working to keep up with the current uncertainty has certainly been at the forefront. Our Washington team has done a great job with it, but I worry greatly that our members might not get the support they need from the IRS based on the current landscape. Keeping up with regulatory changes has been the greatest challenge and will hopefully settle in the second half of the year.
What excites you about the near future of the profession?
As I mentioned before, the CPA profession is the greatest profession in the world! I’m excited to see it continue and will do my best to help shape the future. There are many opportunities to advance this greatness. We need to focus on increasing the pipeline, building on the work of the National Pipeline Advisory Group and collaborating with states. Practice changes and helping firms grow through additional services are crucial. ESG and sustainability remain important, but there’s much more. Artificial intelligence will reduce mundane tasks, allowing us to focus on complex, client-facing work. Expanded services like client advisory services (CAS) enable us to be trusted advisers. New audit tools will add value by providing insights beyond standard reports. We can help Main Street small businesses simplify reporting and oversight. Creating future-ready finance professionals with the Finance Leadership Program is essential. The list goes on, and there’s no shortage of opportunities. That’s what keeps me excited about the future.
To learn more about what Mark does in an “average” day as the leader of a global association, jump over to his Day in the Life of a CPA feature.