After two decades serving in senior finance roles across organizations ranging from EY to Abbott, Aaron Staloch was ready for the next chapter in his distinguished finance career.
Curious to explore new options, he reached out to Kelly Weight, a friend and industry colleague, to learn more about potential opportunities with her finance, accounting and HR consulting company Brillect.
The Perfect Trifecta
While he was initially intrigued about a career path in finance consulting, Aaron was quickly drawn to the role of Client Solutions Director (CSD). After all, the role was focused on the perfect trifecta of Aaron’s areas of passion: building relationships, working through complex challenges to provide solutions, and mentoring professionals throughout all stages of their career.
“Being a Client Solutions Director isn’t something that I had thought about, but I found the role and responsibilities to be very exciting,” said Aaron. “The more I thought about being able to connect with people and build relationships with new clients, reconnect with old colleagues, learning new industries and challenges, the more it felt like it was the right next step.”
A Guiding Force
As a CSD at Brillect, Aaron is responsible for leveraging and growing his expansive network to build relationships, help clients solve pain points and identify new consulting opportunities for Brillect’s high-performing talent pool of finance, HR and accounting professionals.
“I’ve been able to apply my industry experience working through a variety of transformational initiatives to help clients think through different ways to solve their own challenges,” he said. “I’ve sat in their chair and tackled many of the same challenges which gives me the insight to find the right person and strategy to help them navigate murky waters.”
A Profile in Partnership
Recently, one of Aaron’s clients found themselves in a situation where they were 20 years behind where they wanted to be. Following several leadership changes, including a new CFO, the client was deeply invested in assessing their needs including people, process, and technology organizational priorities.
While there wasn’t a specific position to fill, they reached out to Aaron to be part of the conversation to help them think through their future path. Instantly rolling up his sleeves to identify needs and pain points, Aaron proposed putting together a project team that could work through several different work streams. He handpicked a team that was quickly deployed and has been instrumental in helping the client modernize their finance function.
“I hear often in the marketplace that Brillect is not just about transactions,” said Aaron. “We don’t just send you 10 resumes, you get to pick one and off you go. We invest the time to understand not only your situation, but also the culture of the company and the top priorities and mindset of key decision makers to identify the right talent and strategy.”
Shaping Future Leaders
In addition to helping clients, Aaron also enjoys his role in mentoring and developing talent.
“Throughout my career, I’ve loved helping people grow and develop their career paths,” said Aaron. “As a CSD, I have the opportunity to continue that work, helping our consultants think through new problems and challenges and nurture emerging skillsets.”
Aaron highly recommends Brillect’s Elevate program, a salaried finance and accounting rotational program for top-performing talent with 2 to 6 years of industry experience. In addition to ongoing support during rotation assignments, participants receive one-on-one coaching to gain feedback on their work experiences, maximize development opportunities and chart their career paths.
“I wish Brillect’s Elevate program would have been in place early on in my career,” he said. “Elevate really helps steer top talent in the direction of their passion and find the best next step after they graduate from the program to launch them into highly successful career paths. This provides an opportunity to explore both Finance and Accounting roles and help find their passion around size of company and industry.”
Opening Doors
Whether building relationships with clients or mentoring consultants, Aaron says some of the key ingredients to having a successful career as a CSD are confidence and persistence.
As Aaron was transitioning industries, he was overwhelmed by the number of people who were willing to help make introductions or build relationships in the market. “One of the most surprising aspects of my new role is how much I enjoy networking,” he said. “Getting to know people and consistently showing up as a partner who helps them when they’re in need, opens up so many new opportunities. Truly, no day is the same, from the consultants I talk to or the clients I connect with, and I love that.”
The Perfect Fit
While Aaron hadn’t envisioned a role as a CSD in his initial career search, he says it’s provided the opportunities for personal growth and development that he craved after more than 20 years in finance. He’s also appreciated the opportunity to work outside the more regimented finance industry where his work isn’t so closely tied to the predictability of the finance calendar. He enjoys being able to manage his own “adventure” every week and describes the change of pace as “energizing.”
In addition to finding a role that fits like a hand in glove, Aaron also found his perfect match at Brillect where he appreciates the collaborative, team-based environment. “There is a strong sense of partnership that allows us all to work together to help our clients and consultants succeed,” he said. “It’s really a team effort, and at the end of the day, what makes Brillect click is the people, culture, values, and talent.”
Taking the Next Step
If you are in the finance, accounting or HR industry and are interested in learning more about the role of Client Solutions Director, please check out our job description.
