When Kim Hartsock took over as the office managing partner for the Atlanta office of Warren Averett LLC in January 2020, little did she know that in three months, COVID would completely disrupt the world. “It was an interesting transition because while I felt prepared to lead a team through adversity, the pandemic threw us curveball after curveball,” Hartsock said. “I knew that if I could keep our team focused on our shared culture and values, we could adapt to each challenge and help our clients through this crisis.”
The past two years have reinforced to Hartsock how important it is to keep open communication with your team. “And now more than ever, I realize that as leaders, we must focus on relationships and people,” she said. “While everything else can change, those are the two constants and in a time of crisis, we must work to strengthen those relationships that keep us focused on the vision, mission and goals.”
Warren Averett LLC is a professional accounting firm with a culture that embodies integrity, intense client focus, a passion to win, a team mind-set and solid relationships.
When Hartsock began her career at Warren Averett, she set a goal to move up in the company ranks within 12 years. During her early days at the firm, she found mentors, took ownership of her own accomplishments, and acted for the benefit of the company to enrich the lives of her clients and her team members. “Her dedication to the firm, her clients and the relationships that she had built with the local community led to Kim being appointed as the Atlanta office’s managing member,” said her colleagues. “She is the third female office managing member in the firm’s history, and she can’t wait to continue growing and learning in her career.”
The firm’s vision is to be much more than an accounting firm, but a business advisory firm that can offer many different kinds of value to its clients. Hartstock has used her career at Warrant Averett to help the Atlanta office become more of a powerhouse through her influence and her leadership, said her staff.
Her influence also extends to her work with advocating for accounting as a career path for college students. “It is especially important to me to help foster more diversity and inclusion in the accounting field,” said Hartstock.
