Episode Details

In this episode of Culture Uncovered, Jena Dunay sits down with Kiley Ewing, Chief People Officer at McGuire Sponsel, to explore what it's like to build culture at a specialty tax firm that helps businesses save money through partnerships with CPA firms across the country.

Kiley shares her unconventional path to the role — joining as an external sales coach for five years before being asked to build out the company's HR function from scratch as Chief People Officer. The conversation dives into how she's spent her first year and a half laying real infrastructure: a new applicant tracking system, a PEO transition that improved benefits, a learning management system in progress, and a relaunched mentorship program.

The episode also covers the redesigned two-year Leadership Academy, built around coaching application over one-time training, and how McGuire Sponsel's GREAT core values (growth mindset, relationships, excellence, awareness, tenacity) show up in hiring, performance reviews, and day-to-day culture — including a hiring strategy built around training new grads rather than requiring tax experience.

What You'll Learn

• How McGuire Sponsel's CPA partnership model drives growth without going directly to businesses
• How Kiley's five years as an external sales coach led to her becoming Chief People Officer
• Why the Leadership Academy expanded from one year to two, shifting from training to coaching-based application
• How the GREAT core values (growth mindset, relationships, excellence, awareness, tenacity) are built into hiring and performance reviews
• Why McGuire Sponsel intentionally hires new grads without tax experience and trains them from scratch
• How employee-driven AI automation projects are reshaping efficiency across the firm

Company Highlights

• Industry: Specialty tax consulting (R&D credits, cost segregation, property tax, international tax, site selection)
• Customer Base: Businesses referred through a network of 500+ partnered CPA firms across all 50 states
• Company Stage: Founded in 2007, ~125 employees, headquartered in Indianapolis with offices in Detroit, Atlanta, Dallas, and Phoenix
• Culture: Relationship-driven, growth-oriented, and primarily in-office to support internal connection
• Focus Areas: Leadership development, structured onboarding/training for new grads, operational efficiency, and AI-driven process improvement

Unique Perks & Programs

• Summer Fridays: A post-tax-season flexibility perk allowing remote, as-needed availability on Fridays through the summer
• Two-Track Leadership Academy: A two-year, nomination-based program split into Emerging Leaders and Advanced Leader tracks
• Fully Paid Core Benefits: Health, dental, vision, life insurance, and short/long-term disability fully covered by the firm
• Generous PTO Scaling: Four weeks of PTO for all employees, increasing to five weeks after five years of tenure
• Pet Wellness Coverage: Supplemental insurance offerings beyond standard health benefits
• Annual Mentorship Program: A refreshed, year-round mentorship initiative for new hires

To learn more about McGuire Sponsel:

Careers Page (they're hiring!)
LinkedIn Page
Kiley's LinkedIn