RSMs Industry Eminence Program announces class of 2021

RSM Canada, the leading global provider of audit, tax and consulting services focused on the middle market, is pleased to announce the fourth class of the firm’s Industry Eminence Program. The new eminence class recently kicked off their participation in the three-year program, joining the current 31 senior analysts. Sonya King will represent RSM Canada in the 2021 program, and will focus on business and professional services (BPS).

"With our fourth industry eminence class in place, we now have 17 additional highly accomplished people in this focused program who are committed to bringing valuable industry data and insights to the conversations we're having with our clients," said Joe Adams, managing partner and CEO with RSM US LLP. "I’m thrilled that we have expanded the program to include talented professionals from across RSM US, RSM Canada and RSM UK, and I'm excited to see what this new class will bring to the table. I am confident they will continue to strengthen RSM’s position as the first-choice advisor to middle market leaders globally."

“We are incredibly proud to have Sonya join this prestigious group of analysts,” said Harry Blum, national managing partner with RSM Canada. “I am certain she will play an integral role in the continued growth of this program, and in turn learn key insights to subsequently offer new perspectives and ideas to support and inform staff, and our middle-market clients and prospects.”

Terri Ellis, who leads the RSM Canada Alliance and was recently appointed business and professional services regional industry leader, added, “The business and professional services industry represents a significant proportion of Canada’s gross domestic product and continues to be one of the steadiest growing sectors. The Industry Eminence Program will provide Sonya with expert-level understanding of the issues and opportunities within this important industry.”

Created and led by RSM US Chief Economist Joe Brusuelas and RSM US Deputy Chief Economist and National Industry Eminence Program Leader Kevin Depew, this cutting-edge program will position this new class of senior analysts to understand, forecast and communicate business, economic and technology trends shaping the industries RSM serves. Over the course of the three years, these senior analysts will focus on learning the foundations of industry analysis and thought leadership development, and bringing that knowledge to current and prospective clients, the marketplace and their colleagues within the firm.

“Businesses have faced unprecedented challenges since the start of the pandemic, and how they respond to changing economic conditions will be imperative as they look ahead to the future,” said Brusuelas. “Through their ability to analyze and interpret economic and industry trends and data, our senior analysts continuously help our clients navigate these ever-evolving developments in the global economy. We’re thrilled to expand the program and look forward to the added value that this new class of talented individuals will bring to our clients and the marketplace.”

“When we began the program three years ago, we knew it could be something truly unique and innovative," said Depew. "It has far exceeded those expectations and there's no doubt it's due to the dedication and passion of our senior analysts. The 17 individuals joining the program now brings our economics and industry analyst team to 50 people across three countries. We’re confident our new class of senior analysts will benefit from the mentorship of our current team, and we are looking forward to the knowledge that this new class will bring to the program. We’re excited for another successful year with our Industry Eminence Program.”

Sonya has more than nine years of experience within the business and professional services industry. As a management consultant, Sonya provides business transformation services to the offices of the CFO and CIO. She specializes in operating model assessments and designs solutions that bring efficiencies through process improvement and automation. She utilizes data-driven insights to build business cases to optimize their processes using cutting edge technology like robotic process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning.

Prior to joining RSM, Sonya worked at a professional staffing agency, a boutique IT consulting firm, and a boutique rebrand implementation firm. Her broad experience in the business and professional services industry and as a management consultant enables her to provide a holistic and valuable perspective to clients. Sonya graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Commerce in Strategic Management, Marketing, Retail and Services in 2011.

Following the completion of this degree, she then completed her Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Ivey Business School at Western University in 2020. She also holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, which is a designation given by the Project Management Institute (PMI) to professionals who meet certain education and experience criteria.

To learn about the other members of the 2021 class, visit RSM’s Industry Eminence Program page. 

“It's amazing that we are welcoming our fourth class to the Industry Eminence Program," said RSM US National Industry Leader Don Lipari. "Our 17 new senior analysts are passionate about their industries and about finding new and innovative ways to serve their clients. It's that mentality that will not only continue to make the program successful, but the firm and our clients as well.”

“We are excited to add two UK professionals to the RSM Industry Eminence Program,” said Simon Hart, International Partner, RSM UK. “This will enable us to provide deeper industry insights to our clients both in the UK and globally, while strengthening cross-border relationships and collaboration with our colleagues in the U.S. and Canada. It’s great that RSM US and RSM UK are able to collaborate like this for our clients.”