Consultant Spotlight | Meet Susan Sowl, Consulting Director. CPA

November 3, 2022

Longtime TGRP Solutions colleagues and past clients might know Susan Sowl, our most tenured consultant, who joined our firm in 2013. At that time, Susan had several years of consulting experience with another Denver-based firm, but the majority of her 17-year career was with publicly traded high tech and telecom companies and in public accounting with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Tech, Telecom, Aerospace, Oil & Gas, and Many Other Industries

At TGRP, Susan has worked on a wide range of projects for companies in many different industries, including telecommunications, software and technology, health care, manufacturing and distribution, aerospace, and oil and gas, among others. Clients turn to Susan for guidance on everything from Sarbanes-Oxley design and controls testing to audit preparation, from purchase accounting, mergers and acquisitions integrations to due diligence, from process automation to improving and maintaining efficient accounting operations to SEC reporting.

Sarbanes-Oxley, SEC Reporting, Audit Prep, Internal Close and More

Susan joined TGRP Solutions from The TriZetto Group, a health care systems provider, where she was the associate vice president of accounting. Prior to that, Susan spent five years at tw telecom as its senior director of accounting operations and compliance, a role in which she oversaw the accounting operations team and led all compliance efforts. She’s also worked as an SEC and internal audit/SOX consultant (for publicly traded telecom and financial technology companies); a controller (for a teleconference bridge manufacturer and a software engineering/system integration services firm); and a manager of external reporting (for an e-commerce consulting firm). At PwC, Susan worked in the audit and assurance practice.

There’s much more to Susan’s professional background, but we’ll sum it up by saying this: Susan is capable of making an immediate impact at any organization. She works as effectively with executives as she does with staff and is focused on solving problems and delivering lasting, efficient solutions. Ask us if you want to learn more about her areas of expertise, consulting experience, or anything else.

Most Recent Project

Accounting integration, purchase accounting, and audit readiness project for a privately owned hospitality company.

Specializes In

  • Audit
  • Controllership & Corporate Accounting
  • General Ledger Management
  • Internal Controls
  • M&A, Integrations
  • Period Close Management
  • Process Improvement
  • Purchase Accounting
  • Sarbanes-Oxley
  • SEC Reporting
  • Shared Services
  • Technical Accounting

Board Service

  • Financial Executives International | Treasurer (2008-2009, 2012-2013)
  • American Institute of CPAs | Member
  • Colorado Society of CPAs | Member

Speaking

  • Financial Executives International Leadership, Summit Conference 2016
  • University of Denver, Daniels College of Business, School of Accountancy, Student Information Session, “What Else Can I Do?” January 2020

Five Fun Facts About Susan

  1. Born and raised in Chicago, IL, where her family still lives
  2. Once flew to Chicago O’Hare, handed her newborn son (and his gear) to Grandma at curbside pickup, then flew on to Boston for a last-minute, critical business trip
  3. Has backpacked through Glacier National Park and canoed through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area
  4. Is married to a CPA
  5. Spent her senior year of high school in Spain living with a host family

Five Questions with Susan

  • Outside work, where would we find you?

Spending time with my family, working on our cabin in the mountains, or cooking or baking.

  • What personal achievement are you most proud of?

I’m really proud to have raised two well-adjusted kids, who are now 21 and 18.

  • Best advice you ever received?

A boss once told me not to focus on people’s weaknesses, but instead figure out their strengths and put them in positions where they excel.

  • What words would your closest friends use to describe you?

Optimistic, loyal, trustworthy, hardworking and compassionate.

  • Ever have five minutes of fame?

When I was eight years old, my family sat in the audience of The Bozo Show, a live children’s TV show that filmed in Chicago. I got picked to go on stage to play a game where I rolled a potato across the floor with my nose. I lost!

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