A conversation with Tyler Donnelly, Partner

Tyler Donnelly is a Partner in HKA’s Forensic Accounting and Commercial Damages practice and is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Tyler, tell me about your background.

I am a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified in Financial Forensics, and a Certified Information Technology Professional, among other designations. I started my career in public accounting, primarily working on financial statement audits for municipalities, school districts, non-profits, and construction companies.

Very early on in my career, one of our school district clients asked us to investigate concerns about money missing from its student activities fund. We attended an event where cash transactions were expected to take place, observed the collection process, and ultimately identified issues that led to the individual involved admitting what had happened. I remember coming out of that meeting with the Board of Education and saying, “Why are we not doing this all the time? This is so much more interesting. Why are we auditing?”

Less than a year later, I left that firm and joined a top 10 accounting firm in its forensic litigation and valuation services practice. From there, I moved to a boutique consulting firm before eventually finding my way to HKA, where I’ve now been for about seven years.

What attracted you to your specialty?

It’s really interesting work. No two cases are alike, which I really enjoy. I like getting in there, learning about industries, learning about companies, pulling down as much research as I can, and really understanding what’s going on.

Years later, I’ll still remember projects because of some obscure thing I learned while working on them. Whether it’s offshore drill fleets or food warehouses in Afghanistan, I enjoy understanding how things work and working through complex problems.

I’m a very curious person, and that’s a big part of what attracted me to this field.

What do you love about the field you work in?

The variety. I work across commercial damages, economic damages, construction quantum matters, and investigations. I’ve testified in commercial damages cases, construction matters, and criminal fraud and financial matters.

I’ve always said that I’m happy to work on anything, as long as it’s interesting. That’s really been my guiding principle throughout my career. There’s always a new industry, a new challenge, or a new problem to solve. That’s what keeps the work engaging.

Why is HKA a stand-out employer for you?

One of the things I’ve really enjoyed about HKA is that hard work is rewarded. Earlier in my career, progression often felt tied to spending a certain number of years in a particular role. HKA has been different. People are promoted when they’ve demonstrated they’re ready and have met the competencies for the next level.

That’s something I try to reinforce with my own team. If you’re a senior, you should be operating as a manager. If you’re a manager, you should be operating as an associate director. That’s how you get promoted, by already doing the job you’re working toward.

The other thing that stands out is the people. I’ve had amazing conversations with colleagues from engineering, architecture, construction, and technical disciplines. Through those experiences, I’ve learned about everything from nuclear power generation and renewable energy projects to building codes and complex construction methodologies, all things I likely never would have encountered as an accounting professional.

HKA has a great collective of really smart people, and I’ve had the opportunity to learn from them over the years.

What do you think have been the key reasons for your success?

I’ve always let my curiosity guide the projects I pursue. If someone is working on an interesting matter, I’ll find a way to get involved, whether it’s because of the subject matter, the challenge, or the opportunity to learn from a particular expert.

I enjoy being challenged. I like putting myself in situations where I have to learn, think, and work through complex problems. I think that’s how you grow and evolve as a professional and as an expert in this field.

Looking back, the formula has been fairly simple: work hard, deliver high quality work, and stay open to opportunities. That’s probably the simplest way to explain it, you never know which project will end up shaping your career.

What was a project you were involved in that stood out to you or are you most proud of?

One project that immediately comes to mind was a major resort development that was one of the first large matters I worked on after joining HKA.

A few months into the case, I identified documents and information that helped connect key relationships within the matter. Being able to work through the evidence, identify those connections, and contribute to the wider story behind the case was incredibly rewarding.

The case ultimately resulted in a $1.6 billion judgment in favor of our clients. I had the opportunity to support the team through trial preparation and see first-hand how the work of our experts contributed to the outcome. Knowing that I played a role in that result makes it one of the projects I’m most proud of.

What are your passions outside of work?

I’ve always enjoyed understanding how things work. I’m a lifelong enthusiast and have been involved in motorsports since I first got my driver’s license. While I enjoy the technical side of understanding what makes a car perform, I’ve always been equally drawn to the competitive aspect and the challenge of continually improving.

I’m also very interested in technology, which is one reason I’ve become so involved in AI initiatives and other emerging technologies.

Another passion of mine is escape rooms. I’ve completed more than 80 of them. A lot of people laugh when I say this, but I think there is a direct connection between escape rooms and what we do professionally. You’re given information, some clues, and a problem to solve. You then have to determine what matters, connect the pieces, and build a coherent story. Whether it’s an investigation, a commercial damages matter, or a construction dispute, the process is often very similar. You’re gathering information, testing hypotheses, and figuring out how all the pieces fit together.

What would you as a teenager think about the person you’ve become today?

He would definitely approve of my car collection. As a teenager, I was convinced I’d end up working in IT. I expected to go into app development, cybersecurity, or something similar.

I’ve always been fascinated by new technology and understanding how it works, which is probably why I’m so interested in AI today.

Looking back, I think teenage Tyler would be happy that those interests haven’t changed too much. They’re still a big part of who I am and how I approach my work.

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