Professionals on the Move – Jan. 5, 2023

Professionals on the Move is a round-up of recent promotions and hiring announcements from around the profession.

Schneider Downs Expands Management Team

Schneider Downs & Co. recently announced that Lorelle Geyer, JD, has joined the firm as Senior Manager of Tax Advisory Services.

Ms. Geyer worked in public accounting for 6 years before joining the tax department of a large natural gas company in the Pittsburgh area. She spent 16 years there, serving in several capacities including managing both federal and state compliance for the corporation, sales and use tax, property tax and managing the partnership compliance. At Schneider Downs, she will focus on corporate and pass-through entity returns.

Ms. Geyer received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar.

BPM Elevates Ten to Partnership

BPM LLP, one of the 40 largest public accounting and advisory firms in the country, recently announced the elevation of 10 new partners – David Aiello, Latisha (Tish) Bates, Jeff Carrick, Caila Cohen, Ryan Davis, Paul Fong, James Lichau, Kevin Moyers, Alissia Pope and Winny Wong.

“We are proud to recognize these talented and committed individuals across the Firm. They exemplify the BPM entrepreneurial spirit and will help our Firm continue to reach new heights. In addition to providing world-class services and expertise, they each have demonstrated a genuine desire to help others around them, earning the trust of clients and colleagues alike,” said BPM Chairman of the Board Rich Bellucci.

The newly promoted partners are:

David Aiello works in assurance with privately held startups and publicly traded companies. He specializes in BPM’s SEC practice and focuses on the technology industry with clients that handle capital equipment manufacturing, SaaS and online advertising.

Latisha (Tish) Bates’ industry experience centers around technology, financial and professional services. She offers advisory, implementation and optimization services for Oracle, NetSuite and Salesforce. Bates heads up the Caravel Partners Group’s Salesforce practice, NetSuite and Salesforce Managed Services practice, and Technology Services practices.

Jeff Carrick principally focuses on audit, accounting and consulting services for middle-market privately held companies and nonprofit organizations. His nonprofit experience includes performing compliance audits under the OMB Uniform Guidance. He provides services designed to help nonprofit organizations achieve their governance and operational goals.

Caila Cohen specializes in technology solutions for clients in the high-tech industry, specifically in Oracle NetSuite and common integrated applications. She focuses on architecting business solutions and ensuring business processes align with business systems. Her knowledge of industry-specific requirements and process flows is highly desired when working with her software, renewable energy and med-tech clients. 

Ryan Davis has specialized knowledge of financial services, FinTech, blockchain and digital asset industries. He provides audit and consultation services on all types of employee benefit plans. Davis guides his clients through complex transactions, while also providing valuable insight into financial reporting and industry best practices.

Paul Fong primarily focuses on the real estate and consumer business industries. He provides tax compliance and planning services to clients who primarily operate in flow-through tax structures. He is well-versed in advising clients on various tax issues, including transfers of partnership interests, tax-deferred exchanges, California Pass-Through Entity (PTE) tax elections, and qualified business income deductions.

James Lichau offers assurance services for the technology and financial services industries. This includes work with SaaS, FinTech, as well as peer-to-peer, online and alternative lending companies. He is knowledgeable in complex equity transactions, business combinations and revenue recognition.

Kevin Moyers provides corporate tax services with a primary focus on the technology sector. He has extensive experience serving companies in the application of accounting standards, such as ASC 740 and IAS 12. He has assisted companies with financial reporting of tax implications of complex transactions and life events like acquisitions, divestitures, public offerings and spin-offs.

Alissia Pope’s primary focus is tax and accounting services for high-net-worth individuals and flow-through entities. She has a deep understanding of consumer businesses (wineries, breweries and distilleries) and professional service firms (legal, architecture and engineering), often providing guidance regarding structuring new business entities to maximize tax benefits.

Winny Wong has an emphasis on outsourced accounting services and assists clients in the real estate and technology industries. Her extensive knowledge of industry-specific accounting procedures for real estate companies is commonly sought after by clients who own or operate commercial and multi-family properties, as well as REITs and joint ventures.

Robbins Huddleston to Co-lead CohnReznick’s Manufacturing & Distribution Practice

CohnReznick LLP, one of the leading advisory, assurance, and tax firms in the United States, recently announced that Helana Robbins Huddleston is joining Henrietta Fuchs as co-leader of the firm’s Manufacturing & Distribution practice. Together, they will help to drive practice growth and address the expanding needs of clients.

Robbins Huddleston has over 22 years of experience in financial due diligence, restructuring, cash flow budgeting, financial auditing, internal control evaluation, and business process improvement, with deep expertise in the M&D industry.

Fuchs has helped lead the M&D practice for four years, providing strong guidance to both clients and employees through the industry’s pandemic and post-pandemic issues. She delivers a wide variety of accounting and audit advisory services to publicly traded and privately-held companies.

Adds CohnReznick Chief Strategy and Growth Officer Gary Levy, “Henrietta and Helana are exceptional leaders both within CohnReznick and in the community at large. Their new roles as co-leaders of our M&D practice speaks to their talent, commitment to providing best-in-class client service, and robust vision for the practice’s growth.”

Luke Kiely Joins GetBusy, PLC and SmartVault Executive Team as Chief Information Security Officer

SmartVault, a leading provider of cloud-based document management and secure client portals for accountants and a subsidiary of GetBusy PLC recently announced that Luke Kiely has joined its executive team, as Chief Information Security Officer.

Luke has held several key senior roles overseeing information security, cyber security and data compliance for top SaaS companies. He is a graduate of Charles Sturt University, with a major in Business Administration and Management. Luke has also held law enforcement positions where he was instrumental in covertly monitoring and apprehending perpetrators of data-based cybercrimes.

Luke will be responsible for SmartVault’s and GetBusy’s global information security, risk management and compliance strategies, championing cyber and information security best practices within the GetBusy group businesses and with our customers. 

Sikich Announces 18 New Partners Amidst Significant Growth Year

Professional services company Sikich recently celebrated the election of 18 new Partners across its Business Advisory, CPA and Technology businesses, effective Jan. 1, 2023. Over the last 12 months Sikich has scaled significantly, serving more than 15,000 clients and employing more than 1,500 team members across the U.S., Canada, U.K. and India. 

Sikich 2023 partner class:  

• Nick Bava, CPA 
• Michael Bell, Technology  
• Rahul Bhatia, Advisory  
• Kim Borak, CPA  
• Ken Cranney, Advisory  
• Chris Doemland, CPA  
• Kurt Estes, Advisory 
• Shane Flynn, Advisory  
• Tim Gaber, CPA  
• Allan Lyon, CPA  
• John Mazurek, CPA  
• Henry Mossi, Advisory  
• Anand Shukla, Advisory  
• Brooks Walker, CPA  
• Kip Walle, Advisory  
• Clinton Weldon, Technology  
• Mike Wolf, CPA  
• Andy Wright, CPA