Grant Lam, CPA

Bio

Grant Lam began his career in public accounting in 2003 and currently is a Partner in Armanino’s San Francisco office. Grant provides audit, trust and consulting services for companies and organizations in a broad range of industries. He works extensively with nonprofit organizations and leads the firm’s Social and Human Services niche. Grant also serves as the firm’s government and compliance practice leader. Grant brings a collaborative approach to working with his clients and seeks to be a trusted advisor for all his clients.

Grant graduated from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley with a B.S. in business administration. He is a CPA and a member of both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of CPAs.

Q&A

Coming from a family of business owners, I’ve always been interested in how businesses operate and what makes them successful. I studied business administration in college and quickly gravitated towards accounting as a way to learn how companies operate across different industries. I was specifically drawn to public accounting and auditing because it allows me to work with a variety of different business entities. I get to see all facets of a company’s operations and help them be more successful.

The people and the environment. I’ve been with Armanino since I graduated from college and love it here. From the time I took my first tour of the firm’s offices, I was sold. When I was given the opportunity to come work at Armanino, I cancelled all my other interviews and signed up right away.

I predict the culmination of what we are already seeing: increased globalization and reliance on technology. Tomorrow’s successful companies are going to be the companies that can fully understand and utilize technology in real time, as it develops. We’re going to see growth in overseas markets, and companies that are able to fully engage with new markets will be set up for success.

I’d like to see an easing of the regulations around federal spending, so that organizations don’t have to spend excessive time dealing with burdensome administrative requirements. Ensuring federal funds are used for their intended purpose is still very important, but I think there are better ways to achieve that. The government recently issued reform in this area, but I think more is necessary. And with nonprofits in general, I’d like to see organizations measured more on the results they achieve for our communities and less on the financial data they report. The focus needs to be on performance and results.

Thinking about the future. My mind is always on “what’s next” and what’s coming up around the bend.

My parents have been my biggest influence. My dad taught me the importance of hard work and sacrifice. He’s a business owner and I don’t think he has taken a single day off in 30 years. I get my work ethic from him. My mom influenced me by teaching me how to be a good person and live my life the right way. She taught us the Golden Rule and to always do what’s right. They both sacrificed a lot for my sister and me, something I didn’t fully understand or appreciate until I was older.