IN PLAY: Anna C. Gomez, CPA

Whether it stemmed from her obsession with American franchises, or it’s just simply built into her DNA, Anna C. Gomez, CPA, recipient of the Illinois CPA Society’s 2024 Women to Watch Experienced Leader Award, knew from an early age she had a passion to do more.

Growing up in the Philippines, Gomez was surrounded by a family of businesspeople. Her grandfather, who she calls her “total mentor” and “idol,” had his own business ventures, and she would often lean on him for professional advice.

“As a family, we would vacation to the States, and I became obsessed with Arby’s,” Gomez laughs. “So, after I graduated from college with a degree in accounting and finance, I asked my grandfather if he would help me set up a franchise in the Philippines.”

But Gomez’s grandfather didn’t leave her with the advice she expected to receive: “He said, ‘Why would you pay another company, and pay for every plate, every cup, every fork and spoon, when you could just create something on your own and make it your own.’”

Gomez took that advice, and at age 23, with the help of a friend, she opened a small restaurant. “We both flew to San Francisco, did some research, and became obsessed with Cinnabon and cinnamon rolls. So, we brought that idea home but with a Filipino twist,” Gomez explains. “Before we knew it, we had lines out the door.”

Yet, even with this success, including receiving some franchise offers of her own, Gomez still had a desire to do more with her career. After having her second child, Gomez and her husband made the decision to pursue a move to the United States, and like many immigrant stories, she would be met with some hard lessons on resilience.

“Despite coming into the U.S. with an education and so much business experience, it’s a reality check when you learn it doesn’t matter—I had to start from scratch,” Gomez admits. “I took the train from Indiana to downtown Chicago every day and sat in recruiting offices with a folder and all the humility I could muster.”

For Gomez, this process went on for about a year until she received a call from a recruiter seeking a copy girl. “I took the job and just said to myself, ‘I’m going to be the best copy girl ever,’” Gomez laughs. “I think this is where I found the strength to just continue to be humble and keep at it.”

Today, Gomez is far from her position as a copy girl. She now serves as global chief financial officer (CFO) and partner of Mischief USA and No Fixed Address Inc. However, the hardships she endured while immigrating to the U.S. have fueled Gomez’s career with a passion for advancing women like her.

“As an immigrant, I really had a front row seat to how it is for people who aren’t from here or who don’t look like everybody else,” Gomez stresses. “They don’t have that self-confidence—and for women, it’s so much worse.”

In the accounting profession, Gomez says it can be especially difficult for women of color who want to rise up the ranks. “I think for a lot of diverse women in this industry, there’s a tendency to shy away and stay in the background. There’s no impetus to help us rise into a strategic or operational role.”

To combat this challenge, Gomez stresses the need for greater mentorship: “There’s so much room for women like me to grow, but there’s not enough opportunity. I was lucky enough to have mentors that saw my potential and hunger for challenges and learning.”

Interestingly, leaning on her mentors opened another career venture for Gomez: writing romance and women’s fiction. Specifically, writing gave Gomez an opportunity to connect with other women and talk about her culture and other experiences. “I wanted to show commonality. It doesn’t matter where you come from: friendships are friendships, love is love, business is business, and it’s the same all over the world.”

While writing has become a passion for Gomez, she insists it’s just a side gig and has no plans of giving up the accounting career she fought so hard to earn. In fact, writing books has carried over into her role as a CFO.

“From my books, I have a Facebook group of about 300 women. Just the humanity that goes through this group—it’s really opened my eyes to the plight of women and what women go through, and it’s made me a better leader.”

Of course, making Gomez an even better leader is ultimately remembering where it all started.

“I think a lot of who I am today started when I was 23 and owned my restaurant. I would never have been able to lead the way I lead today, or have the insights I do, if I didn’t have that experience of starting something on my own,” Gomez says. “I come from a third-world country, and I was always very cognizant of the hardships of some of my restaurant employees—I’ve carried that into my leadership today.”

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