The Next Generation – Jr. Board Member Interview
In this month’s WISE Jr. Board highlight, we are featuring Kirsten Taylor, Senior, Business Systems Analysis-SAP Finance at Treehouse Foods. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing in social sports leagues, and spending time with her husband and her fur babies (2 cats and 2 dogs). Kirsten was born and raised in the northern Illinois area, but during COVID she and her husband moved down to Knoxville, TN where she is enjoying the mountain views over the cornfields in IL. She joined WISE in March 2021 and is excited to be a part of the WISE Junior Board! At TreeHouse, Kirsten is also a Committee Chair for the women's employee resource group (ERG) and truly has a passion for DEI and women empowerment.
WISE: Kirsten, please give us some background on your degree and experience prior to working at Treehouse Foods.
KIRSTEN: I got my bachelor’s degree in accountancy and my master’s degree in management information systems both from Northern Illinois University. I then went on to obtain my Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license. I started my career in Internal Audit at PwC, one of the big four public accounting firms before joining TreeHouse Foods in Internal Audit in 2019. I then moved over to the IT team at TreeHouse Foods in 2021 where I work closely with business partners in the finance team to make sure financial IT systems are running smoothly and to help optimize financial systems.
Funny enough, I only got my degree in management information systems because I needed more college credits to obtain my CPA license. I am glad I did though because early on in my career I realized a career path in IT was a better fit for me than accountancy! I always joke that I must have been a good auditor though if my boss in IT hired me after auditing her for two years.
WISE: Do you have any advice on how to best manage work/life/committee balance, and some tips and tricks that help you as you manage your daily work tasks while also being a part of various committees?
KIRSTEN: So, in addition to being on the WISE Jr. BODs, I am also a committee chair for Women @ Treehouse (THS) our women’s employee resource group and I am also a member of the IT culture committee.
I joined the leadership team for Women @ Treehouse Foods back when the ERG started two years ago. It has been an amazing experience watching the ERG grow over the past two years and getting to be a part of building the structure for it. I then joined the IT culture committee in 2021 when I joined the IT organization at Treehouse Foods. I have been working from home since March of 2020, so by being a part of both these committees at Treehouse Foods I have been able to network with so many amazing individuals across various departments which I would have never had the chance to meet otherwise. It is also nice being so young in my career and being able to network with multiple VP, directors, senior managers, etc.
If you are on the fence about joining a committee at your company due to a time commitment, I would say just give it a shot! Normally, it’s just a couple of hours a month commitment extra in addition to your daily workload and it provides you with a brain break. It also provides you with a way to build your network. Plus, if you are stretched thin in a particular month, you normally have other people to lean on to help you complete tasks on your committee.
WISE: How long have you been a part of WISE? Tell us all about what you’ve done within the organization.
KIRSTEN: I joined WISE back in March 2021 after the Women @ Treehouse Foods ERG started and did a WISE information session. Since joining WISE, I have attended multiple webinars, WISE connects, and participated in a WISE mentor circle. I have been able to network with so many amazing women in the industry and have been able to gain so many important career tips. I loved WISE’s mission, and I truly enjoy getting to help WISE grow by being a part of the WISE Jr. BOD.
WISE: How would you sum up your experience in this industry, and what advice would you give to those considering joining this industry?
KIRSTEN: I kind of fell into the opportunity at Treehouse Foods as it was one of the first companies I interviewed with after transitioning out of public accounting. Public accounting is different in the fact that during my time at PwC, my clients were across various industries such as professional services, manufacturing, etc. and I never got to really learn or understand each industry. Since joining Treehouse Foods, I have learned so much about the private label food space. It is such an interesting industry with various challenges and opportunities. I love networking with individuals at our plants and learning about how different food products are made and how it is different than the branded space.