Data is like a puzzle: Q&A with Binghamton University alumna Stephanie Giammarco ’94

Stephanie Giammarco ’94 serves as partner and national co-leader of BDO Digital and is currently serving her second term on BDO’s Board of Directors. With over 25 years of experience in accounting and information technology, Giammarco is particularly interested in forensic technology and data analytics, and helps clients implement digital solutions to improve performance and revenue growth.

Giammarco has been featured on Crain’s 2019 list of Notable Women in Accounting & Consulting and Consulting Magazine’s 2020 list of The Women Leaders in Technology.

How did you end up studying accounting at Binghamton University?

I grew up on Long Island, and while I had worked really hard in high school, I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go to college and what exactly I wanted to do. My sister had been a School of Management (SOM) student, and she got a great education and had a good job lined up, so it seemed like a good fit at the time. I love numbers, and that’s what ultimately drove me to study accounting.

You were at the ground floor of BDO’s digital services. What has it been like watching these fields grow over the course of your career?

Presently, you won’t find any business that doesn’t use technology to analyze data — and that certainly includes the CFO organization. But 20 years ago, accountants weren’t coming in with the capability, propensity and interest to analyze large volumes of information. I had been lucky to work on a few cases early in my career where we had to figure out how to analyze large amounts of data. I read some books to learn and found it fascinating, and ultimately kind of fell into this data space. We soon recognized this was the future of the profession, so we invested in people and technology to develop a strong practice. After 20 years, we have approximately 500 professionals at BDO providing digital services.

What advice would you give to students interested in data analytics?

Take a class. It is a skill that needs to be honed and developed. A business degree can help in almost any industry, and I feel the same way about a data skillset. Your data is at the foundation of your business. It’s a massive asset. Regardless of what you want to do in your future, being able to understand and gain insight from that data is absolutely foundational.

If you could teach a data course, what would it focus on?

It would focus on effective presentation of data. You can’t just present an Excel spreadsheet with rows of data — that says nothing. Being able to understand and interpret the data, and then being able to visualize it for others — that’s where the value lies.

Data is like a puzzle. You can ask all of these questions from this information, and depending on how you slice it and dice it, you can tell a completely different story. One thing I often tell people is that one data point doesn’t tell a story. One data point is an input. Your job is to understand multiple data points and qualitative inputs, and then you develop the narrative.

I think one of the reasons I’ve found success in this technology field, without being a technologist, is that I’ve always been able to be a bridge between the business and technology areas. I’m like an interpreter. To understand both of those areas enables you to have conversations that many others cannot.

What is something that makes you proud?

When I started in this business, there were not a lot of women in the “important” meetings. I was more often than not the only woman sitting at the table. But over the years, I’ve seen this change. Now, I’m having many meetings where the attendees are mostly women. I see that as progress, and it’s something that makes me proud. Is there room to continue to grow? Yes, but we’ve come a long way.

What advice would you give to SOM graduates entering an economy that will be shaped by the major events of this past year?

One thing I’ve learned is that people who are motivated and focused are always in high demand. If you add value, you will be in high demand in any economy.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Don’t underestimate the people-side of business. I think the human element of business and the importance of relationship building can go unrecognized when you’re just starting out. Beyond that, it can be hard to teach the importance of good presentation skills and the importance of listening. I think some people are fortunate to have some of those abilities naturally, but you can develop these skills. Focus on the soft skills, because the people who can combine soft skills with intellect are going to be the most successful.