“Creating & Empowering Future Leaders”

In the three years she has been in her role as Managing Partner/CEO of Briggs & Veselka Co., Sheila Enriquez, has helped the firm transform from a primarily Houston-based local firm, to a regional firm with additional offices in Austin, and The Woodlands. During that time, the firm also made it to the Top 100 CPA firms list in the U.S., debuting at #91 and most recently ranked at #86. In a world facing exponential change and disruption due to technology and innovation, not to mention the pandemic, Sheila is constantly scanning the horizon for threats and opportunities to ensure that the firm is agile and responsive and remains relevant and competitive. Sheila’s resilience trait has helped her lead the firm through crisis and change management, giving the firm the ability to take calculated risks, develop the agility to respond to new situations, and effectively manage crises or difficulties.

“Briggs & Veselka empowers people through diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and encourages them to pave their path to bring satisfaction both in their professional and personal lives. When people are valued for their contributions and given the tools to succeed, they bring their best to the clients they serve.”

Sheila strives to be a true servant leader that helps create organizations and movements bigger than herself. She leads with her heart and believes in authentic leadership. Sheila fosters openness and transparency and always puts the best interest of the organization first. She leads by example and continuously empowers others so they can achieve their greatest potential. Sheila surrounds herself with the best and the brightest, believing that building a pipeline of future leaders ensures the organization's long-term sustainability.

Sheila is a first-generation immigrant who came to the United States on a scholarship to pursue higher education. Through the power of education and the relationships she has cultivated with people who have helped her along the way, she was able to rise and achieve a fulfilling career that allows her to positively impact other people, her clients, and the community. Sheila encourages those she mentors to detect and articulate their “WHY,” i.e., their life’s purpose, and define the values that matter the most to them. She also believes in nurturing a growth mindset, being open to possibilities, and embracing opportunities that come your way. Sheila believes in “work-life integration,” and practices it every day. She believes that the key is finding the right organization that will appreciate you for who you are and what you bring to the organization, much like how Briggs & Veselka did for Sheila.

One of the things that makes Briggs & Veselka so successful is its ability to create a pipeline of future leaders who find a place in the firm to hone their skills and pursue their respective passion while filling needs within the firm. “In a sense, we are an entrepreneurial firm that provides opportunities for professionals to pursue a practice within the practice,” says Sheila. “As an example, we have many service lines in the firm that were developed by individuals that discovered a passion for a particular work and took it upon themselves to develop and grow that specific practice, such as our Employee Benefits Plan, Forensic/Valuation/Litigation Support, International Tax, and many other practices.” The firm empowers its associates and encourages them to pave their own path to achieve satisfaction both in their professional and personal lives.

The company’s 5-year strategic plan lays out a goal to hit $80 million in revenues by 2023, and its objectives include: protecting firm culture, becoming an employer of choice, setting the right governance to support growth, implementing firm efficiencies and innovation, and an M&A strategy that will give them a presence in each of the major cities in Texas. “We have made significant strides in each of our strategic initiatives and by the end of 2019, the firm surpassed a milestone by hitting $50 million in revenues and landed us on the Accounting Today’s Top 100 Accounting Firms nationwide, where we debuted at #91. In the most recently released 2020 ranking, we rose to #86, which is a major milestone in the 47-year history of our firm, and one that we are very proud to have accomplished as a team,” adds Sheila. IE