CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Grant Thornton LLP appointed a new Senior Leadership Team following the announcement earlier this month of J. Michael McGuire’s appointment as chief executive officer (CEO)-elect, succeeding Stephen Chipman on Jan. 1, 2015. In order to help facilitate the CEO transition and prepare for the start of the firm’s fiscal year in August, these appointments are effective immediately.
“The new Senior Leadership Team structure, which combines the firm’s Operating Committee and the Senior Leadership Team, is designed to empower our people to achieve several objectives: speed Grant Thornton’s strategy execution; focus on service delivery to our clients; build operational excellence through a flatter and more efficient infrastructure, and accelerate our culture development,” said Chipman and McGuire. “We are confident that the vast knowledge, experience, and extraordinary leadership personified within this group will be key to positioning Grant Thornton for long-term success.”
The new Senior Leadership Team members are as follows:
- The firm will consolidate its five regions into three, with Jacqueline Akerblom remaining as West regional managing partner; Rick Gebert will serve as East regional managing partner — encompassing the firm’s former Northeast and Southeast regions; and Ed O’Brien as Central regional managing partner will oversee the former Central and Midwest regions.
- Jeff Burgess is appointed the national managing partner of Audit Services after serving as the national managing partner of Professional Standards and Partnership Board member.
- Ken Cunningham will continue as the firm’s chief legal officer.
- Pamela Harless will continue to serve as the firm’s chief people & culture officer.
- Nichole Jordan will serve in a newly created role as national managing partner of markets, clients and industries. Previously, she served as the New York cluster’s assistant managing partner for Industries and Markets, national Banking and Securities leader and Partnership Board member.
- Randy Robason moves into the role of national managing partner of Tax Services. Most recently, Robason served as national managing partner of Grant Thornton’s Tax Accounting and Risk Advisory Services practice and International Tax Services practice as well as a Partnership Board member.
- Srikant Sastry transitions from national managing principal of the Global Public Sector (GPS) practice to take on the role of national managing principal of Advisory Services. GPS will continue to report to Sastry as a national practice.
“We extend a heartfelt appreciation to Trent Gazzaway, Doreen Griffith, Mike Hall, Steve Lukens and Russ Wieman as they transition their time as Senior Leadership Team and Operating Committee members. Their contributions to strengthen Grant Thornton during a time of slow economic recovery, industry consolidation and pricing commoditization have set groundwork from which we can grow,” added Chipman and McGuire.
About Grant Thornton LLP
Founded in Chicago in 1924, Grant Thornton LLP (Grant Thornton) is the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd, one of the world’s leading organizations of independent audit, tax and advisory firms. In the United States, Grant Thornton has revenues in excess of $1.3 billion and operates 56 offices with more than 500 partners and 6,000 employees. Grant Thornton works with a broad range of dynamic publicly and privately held companies, government agencies, financial institutions, and civic and religious organizations.
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