In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Wynn welcomes Avani Desai, CEO and President of Schellman & Company, to share her personal and professional journey in leadership. From her family's immigrant roots to navigating male-dominated industries, Avani discusses how she balances ambition with authenticity, motherhood with executive leadership, and passion with purpose. She opens up about the power of mentorship, the importance of prioritization, and how redefining success starts with knowing your core values.
Guest: Avani Desai, CEO and President, Schellman & Company
Website: https://www.schellman.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avanidesai/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/avanidesai
Host: Dr. Rebecca Wynn
On ITSPmagazine 👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/rebecca-wynn
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Episode Description
In this episode of Soulful CXO, Dr. Rebecca Wynn speaks with Avani Desai, CEO and President of Schellman & Company, a leading CPA firm specializing in technology and security assessments. Avani shares her journey from growing up as the daughter of Indian immigrants to becoming one of the few women of color to lead a top 100 accounting firm. The conversation explores how she has built a successful career without compromising her identity, values, or personal life. Avani opens up about the importance of mentorship, prioritization, and staying aligned with your purpose. She also discusses the challenges of leading in male-dominated industries and why it is critical to remain authentic while creating space for others. This episode is a powerful reminder that leadership begins with self-awareness and a clear sense of what truly matters.
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Resources
Roadmap for Assessing and Selecting Generative AI
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/roadmap-assessing-selecting-generative-ai-vendors-dr-rebecca-smc1c
Schellman Blog
https://www.schellman.com/blog/author/avani-desai
MyCryptoAlert App
https://www.mycryptoalert.com
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Leading Without Losing Yourself | A Conversation with Avani Desai | The Soulful CXO Podcast with Dr. Rebecca Wynn
Dr. Rebecca Wynn: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Soulful CXO. I am your host, Dr. Rebecca Wynn. We are pleased to have with us Avani Desai. partner and president of Schellman & Company, the largest niche, CPA firm in the world that focuses on technology and security assessments. She focuses on growth strategies, strategic client and market development, industry analysis, and new services.
She's also the CEO and co-founder of My Crypto Alert, a push notification and portfolio app for cryptocurrency.
Avani. Welcome to the show
Avani Desai: Rebecca. great to be here. Thank you for having me.
Dr. Rebecca Wynn: It always amazed me that you've become the c e o of two companies.
Can you walk us through that technology journey?
Avani Desai: Sure. So bear with me. I'm actually gonna go back to before I was born. People say your journey's written in your stars. my parents were born in India in the 1940s, and both my maternal and maternal grandparents really believed in education.
And they always thought that was the ticket to your success, [00:01:00] which was then passed to my parents. my mother's parents were very progressive Thinking about the 1940s to the 1960s, being the oldest girl in her family. When they say you marry someone like your dad, she really did.
her dad was very progressive. my dad was also a progressive thinker after my mom had two daughters, which were my two older sisters, my dad knew that if they wanted to be successful, they would have to leave. The only life they knew, the only language they knew, the only religion they knew, the only people they knew.
Really what the hopes of America would give my sisters opportunities that India couldn't, and these opportunities would be well worth the sacrifice. I think to myself, can you imagine that? this is the immigrant story.
My story isn't unique. You'll hear the story multiple times. From multiple countries, from first generation, second generation is here. So, my mom and dad came to the States and unfortunately, even though my dad had a [00:02:00] PhD, mathematics, my mom as well, their college degrees really didn't convert.
So my dad ended up mopping floors and my mom made belts. But when you asked them you would think that they lived a great life in India, they were happy. by the time I was born, they saw a country where you're gonna be able to thrive.
I grew up in a family where I constantly heard this story and I knew that my parents gave up so much for my sisters to have a chance for me to have a chance. And that's really when you talk about like where my drive came from, that's where my drive and journey started.
I come from an Indian family, and the stereotypes say I was predestined to be a doctor or an engineer. And it's true, like I've always really enjoyed tinkering at a young age. And when I got into college, I was so intrigued how technology was intersecting in business and coding.
Like I loved coding. So I ended up going into computer science. And I really enjoyed the aspect [00:03:00] of breaking things and trying to look at vulnerability assessments. But even during that, I realized my real love was information security. So from there I segued into working for an accounting firm.
And honestly if I could think about is this how I predicted my life? It wasn't. But everything that I consider exciting and attractive about a potential job. Solving problems, data analysis, collaboration, decision making, thinking outside of the box. I found everything there. I spent 10 years at the big four, hands down, probably the most amazing experience that I was able to get.
They'd say being at a big four, working with multiple clients you get the gamut. I did. I spent my first two years focusing on security, being a pen tester, then my next eight years really focusing on information security. I had mentors and sponsors. I had so many education opportunities.
I had amazing friends I'm still friends with, and it was exactly what I needed to find this [00:04:00] seat where I am now. But my life changed. In 2012, I became a mom and needed more flexibility, a firm where I didn't have to choose between being a leader and a mother. that's how I found Schellman.
Schellman was started by Chris Schellman in 2002, and he asked me to come help him really focus on business development marketing, which I didn't know anything about. But I knew the space what clients wanted, and how to increase brand, right? So through the years, I end up taking a bit off Chris's plate.
First I focused on taking over service delivery. Then I focused on the people and talent. Then I focused on finance. And in 2018 I took a route that you probably wouldn't have thought I had to end up getting my c p a because we are a CPA firm. I passed my CPA exam, and then took over as president.
in 2021 we went through a private equity deal. And people ask me all the time, like, how did you prep for it? We weren't actively exploring the [00:05:00] possibility. Really, on the contrary, we're seeing all this investment around us and didn't really pay attention to it. But both Chris and I, as years went on, we had a strong desire to continue to grow and innovate.
But the only way that we could do that was with the strategic partner and the right organization. So I call it an unlooked opportunity. We went through this investment thesis and so forth, and then ended up having a investment in 2021. Chris wanted to retire, but he was able to do it in six years earlier, and that's really my story.
From that Chris exited the firm. October 1st, 2021. I became c e o and President. Yeah.
Dr. Rebecca Wynn: And for the audience, we don't know if she also has her CISSP, CRISC and a bunch of other alphabet behind it and she really can apply it. That's always amazes me when I hear you speak, when [00:06:00] you and I have talked privately and when you've been really nice about me dinner when you're in the Scottsdale area, which I appreciate.
But you think about, you've been in these big roles, c e o variety roles too, plus. You've had to study for exams but, it's not just said and forget it. It's not just, I just passed exams. You can apply that. Was that from early teaching on your family? What is it inside you that you can juggle all these things ?
Avani Desai: I don't know if I juggle them well. But yes I, do think that is part of Innate. I'm gonna say it's definitely I'm a mom, I'm a wife, I'm a daughter. I'm a C e O. But if you really think about how I can do all of that, and you don't do it by yourself The biggest support I have is the village. incredible people have been here for me every [00:07:00] step of the way. So I'm gonna really start like my family close friends, mentors, sponsorship is really important. Chris was a sponsor of mine. everyone should have mentors, but you gotta find that person who's going to allow you to make that decision around the table.
Over and over again. To elevate you. So that's really important. I have colleagues all of them really have given me this unwavering support that has been instrumental in allowing me to grow and my achievements guidance, encouragement, sense of belonging, like all of that has fueled my drive to succeed.
Yeah, a part of it is innate, but I also think it's like the environment around me. The other thing, and it's taken me a long time When I was probably at the big four, I probably didn't prioritize as well as I should have and prioritization today, it plays a vital role in my journey.
Balancing multiple responsibilities is challenging for anyone, but I've learned to prioritize what matters My children, for [00:08:00] instance, are the legacy. I approach every decision and endeavor with their wellbeing and vire mine. This lens of motherhood has really shaped my perspective.
And to me, that's like my guiding light, right? It serves as a constant reminder of the impact I can make, not only professionally, but in the lives of my loved ones. And that really changes. People say gosh, you've changed as a leader from 15 years ago or 20 years ago, to today.
everyone changes as a leader with things that happen in life, Maintaining a strong sense of purpose and passion also has to be key. And I have to I've mentored so many women who say, this isn't what I wanna do, but it pays the bills and it's good for now.
No you have to be deeply passionate about what you do. And for me, that passion drives me to overcome obstacles. Enjoy what I wanna do. Continually strive for excellence. It's like you [00:09:00] need something to fuel your determination to create positive change. And if you don't have that fuel, you're not gonna wanna leave a lasting impact and you're not gonna wanna build a better future for that next generation.
it might be better for you to step away. And I've done that many times within my 21 year journey is I've had to step away for things that were safe and go to things that like I have to really find that passion that I really en enjoy, really love. The other thing is like the importance of continuous con, like continuously growing for personal development, you have to be selfish, like you can't stay stagnant.
In any career because you want to embrace new opportunities. You wanna continue learning, you wanna continue having some new skills. We're in like this rapidly evolving landscape. You gotta continue to learn, but also you have to remain [00:10:00] curious. You have to be open to learning, you have to be committed.
all of that plays into my love for this, and I'm gonna go a little bit on a tangent, another sense of passion for me is I'm one of only a few women who lead an accounting firm, and I'm actually the only woman of color who leads a top 100 accounting firm.
So I recognize that I have this unique opportunity, and I'm gonna say a responsibility as well that comes with my position. And it's not always easy. But I think by doing what I'm doing, I'm making hopefully a significant difference. Like trail blazing in a male dominant field means that I have a chance to challenge the stereotype, right?
We can call it break barriers but really It's just inspiring Others, growing up in computer science, I was one of Four women in a class of 70. If you can't see people like you, you [00:11:00] may not always know what that next step is gonna be. So I, think it's really important for all of us to embrace the vulnerability that comes with being a pioneer.
You have to show there's a path for success and it's not straightforward and it's not effortless, like you have to share your journey like you have, be authentic. You have to say that I've failed many times, I've overcome obstacles. But if you don't do that, and if you're not vulnerable about it, people are just gonna think, oh, it comes easy.
And maybe I'm not gonna be able to do that. And so you, I will constantly do this at the firm. I will tell anyone who asks me like the road is challenging, but I believe these challenges provide me a valuable opportunity for growing resilience. Ultimately, hopefully making an impact. But it is not easy and you have to be vulnerable to tell people that it isn't easy.
And I make an effort to do that [00:12:00] because I think it, it's an obligation that women, especially in tech, accounting and consulting have to do.
Dr. Rebecca Wynn: I, fully agree we have to share our stories and our, bruises. Yeah, because that's what encourages someone else to keep going. If not, they think that it just happens.
We can't hear it through the noise.
So how do you encourage people or mentor people to find that inner voice and their true love
Avani Desai: Yeah, so look I, don't wanna say you have to use an algorithm or a process or anything one thing I do every year, and it's because someone who had mentored me, told me to do this is in an organization you come up with, what's your mission, what's your vision?
What are your core values like? But we should do that as people as well. what is my mission? What is my vision? What are my core values? what are my non-negotiables? I come up with a thousand day plan for me professionally and personally, like what type of mom do I [00:13:00] wanna be?
What things will I not miss and what skillsets do I want to focus on? one of my skill sets and probably my Achilles heel, is staying focused I, always have a checklist because I forget things I'm so strategic in big picture thinking, but there's so many things that I have to do on a tactical perspective.
And so that has probably been like, one of the things that I have to continue to work on is like, how can I get better when it comes from like finishing things, getting things done, moving on without getting so distracted by what's going on in the world.
I think that's important, sitting down, having introspection and saying, What type of person do I wanna be? it's going to change. you have to reinvent yourself every five years, especially where we are in technology, where like technology is outpacing humans.
Like we have to reinvent ourself. But if you don't consciously sit down and think about it and [00:14:00] write out like this is like my, what I want my life to look like, and for the next year, short-term plans, 60 days, 90 days long-term plans, five years, six years. you have to be present to do that, and think it through.
And that really changed the way I thought about my future. I was thoughtful about what I would say yes to, and it's okay to say no. I was thoughtful about what boards I was gonna join. if it didn't fit with my vision, my mission, and my core values, I wasn't going to do it.
And it's okay to say no. And I think a lot of women, including myself, feel like we have to say yes I heard no, is a complete sentence like in all aspects of my life. And you have to go through that and then you realize what's my passion?
What do I wanna work towards? And I think it's really important for all people to sit down every year and think of what your mission, your vision, your values, your core values, your purpose is [00:15:00] gonna be.
Dr. Rebecca Wynn: Our time is short, avani, appreciate you being on the show.
Avani Desai: Thanks, Rebecca. Always great to spend time with you.