Smith Undergrads Meet with Grant Thornton

Smith student Philip Peker ’18 writes about an employer networking event on Sept. 15, 2016, with Grant Thornton LLP and undergraduate students in the Information Technology and Business Transformation Fellows program at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Students in the Information Technology and Business Transformation Fellows program (iTBT) met recently in Van Munching Hall with four representatives, including a Smith School alum, from Grant Thornton LLP, the sixth largest accounting and advisory organization in the U.S.

During the evening of Sept. 15, the guest speakers gave a brief overview of Grant Thornton, its three fundamental practices (audit, tax and advisory) and its projects in both the public and private sector. Grant Thornton (GT) stated its mission statement loud and clear with a clever acronym, “CLEARR,” that stands for “collaboration, leadership, excellence, agility, respect, responsibility,” all virtues that GT expects to see from Smith students, interns and future employees.

GT’s training and instructional program is one of the most elaborate and substantial in the industry. They understand the power of technology and how important it is to harness the proper digital and computer skills in order to leverage data into information. At GT, new team members are given training seminars in software programs like R, River Logic, Power BI, and more, in order to equip the team and its individuals with cutting edge statistical analysis tools. Whether a team is working with a government contractor or organization, or a private corporation, GT teams must be able to adjust to their clients’ data needs by providing the technical framework through which these companies can reach their fiscal goals.

The representatives then moved on to talking about the unique company culture at GT, which is employee-centered and offers tons of flexibility and wiggle room. Their message: Interested in traveling? GT can accommodate you. Interested in trying your hand at consulting, even though you are a practicing tax auditor? No worries, there are rotational programs that allow you to get a taste of each practice if you so desire. GT has offices all over the U.S. and the world and if you are someone who is interested in the global consulting network, you are able to interface with clients and team members from London, Australia, Germany, and beyond. GT is breaking the preconception that accounting firms are dry and square; the company hosts a slew of events each year such as BBQs, parties, bowling, picnics, marathons, and charity events.

“Everybody wants to be self-sustaining when they graduate school; Grant Thornton helps you find your feet professionally, socially, and financially,” says Shane Repas, Smith alum and associate at Grant Thornton, Baltimore branch. According to Repas, Grant Thornton makes sure each and every employer is at their best, and wants to help you grow at all points in your career. GT oftentimes helps you continue your education at a graduate level, paying for MBA classes and school time.

Kunpeng Zhang, assistant professor at Smith, as well as iTBT fellows program champion was crystal clear in his belief that information technology is the future of business. Professor Zhang comes from a heavy technical background, studying machine-learning processes to analyze large-scale social media data structures for companies like Twitter and Facebook. “The iTBT fellows program aims to use the latest in technology for digital innovation,” said Zhang. Zhang stressed the importance of Big Data, and more specifically not only looking at the size of the data, but the structure and the content, too. “We previously were not able to analyze large chunks of data, but with the birth of parallel computing, we now have the capability to not only look at this data, but find out how to use this data to power decision making on a macro scale,” he said.

If information is power, then the iTBT fellows program is well on its way in harnessing a powerful future lineage of business professionals.

Applications for the iTBT Fellows program for 2017-18 will open December 2016. The Smith School offers 15 unique Fellows programs. For more details on all of them, go to the website.