Professionals on the Move: Sept 2023

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

TAG Alliances Welcomes Ray Polantz of Cohen & Company as New Advisory Board Member

TAG Alliances, a leading multidisciplinary alliance of independent professional services firms, recently appointed Raymond Polantz, Tax Partner at Cohen & Company as its newest Advisory Board member. Ray will join the TAG Alliances Advisory Board as a member of its Global Strategy Committee.

TAG Alliances’ Advisory Board is composed of leading practitioners who provide guidance and perspective to the organization’s Executive Team on various matters such as strategy for the organization, updating the Charter and Code of Conduct, assisting in member matters, and approving prospective members.

The complete TAG Alliances Advisory Board includes:

Kurt Baker of ESV Business advice and accounting (New South Wales, Australia – TIAG);
Mariano Batalla of Batalla (Costa Rica – TAGLaw);
Basil Bielich of Atla Group (Isle of Man – TIAG & TAG-SP);
Gbenga Biobaku of Gbenga Biobaku & Co. (Nigeria – TAGLaw);
Russell Brown, OBE of LehmanBrown (Beijing & Shanghai, China – TIAG) and Acclime (TAG-SP);
Pablo Brusco of Brons & Salas (Argentina – TAGLaw);
Jennifer Clarke of LK Shields Solicitors (Ireland – TAGLaw);
Jim Dankenbring of Spencer Fane LLP (Missouri, USA – TAGLaw);
Markus Dankl of INTERCURA (Austria – TIAG);
John Delaney of Delaney Partners (Bahamas – TAGLaw);
Jan Depoorter of SBB Accountants & Advisors (Belgium – TIAG);
Anna Derewenda; Williams Mullen (Virginia & North Carolina, USA – TAGLaw);
Armand de Romémont; Actheos (France – TIAG);
Neil Dinnes; AAB (Scotland – TIAG)
Sibina Eftenova of Popov, Arnaudov & Partners (Bulgaria – TAGLaw);
Jamison Firestone; FDS Law (Russia – TAGLaw)
Cameron Hancock; Kirton McConkie, PC (Utah & Idaho, USA – TAGLaw)
Paul Hopkins of Carter Newell (Australia – TAGLaw);
Irwin Kishner of Herrick, Feinstein LLP (New York, NY, USA – TAGLaw);
Robert Levy of Kuit Steinart Levy LLP (Manchester, England – TAGLaw);
Paul Maberly of Mercer & Hole (London, England – TIAG);
Greg Noschese of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. (Texas, USA – TAGLaw);
Wendy On of Fineman West & Co. LLP (Los Angeles, CA, USA – TIAG);
Ray Polantz; Cohen & Company (Ohio, USA – TIAG)
Felipe Pestana of Grupo Planus (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – TIAG); and
Paul Tauber of Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass LLP (San Francisco, CA, USA – TAGLaw).

Baker Newman Noyes Announces 14 Senior Promotions in Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire

Baker Newman Noyes (BNN), a nationally recognized top 100 accounting and advisory firm, recently announced 14 senior-level promotions in its Boston and Woburn, MA; Manchester and Portsmouth, NH; and Portland, ME offices, and an additional 29 promotions for experienced staff.

Boston, Massachusetts

Zachary Smargon, CPA, MSA, of South Boston, MA, has been promoted to Manager in the assurance practice. Smargon earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration, with a concentration in accounting, and his master’s degree in accounting from The University of New Hampshire.
Samantha Troegner, of Portland, ME, has been promoted to Advisory Consultant in the assurance practice. Troegner earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine.

The following employees in the Boston office were also promoted: Kristen Dionne, CPA, MSA, has been promoted to Senior in the assurance practice; Taylor Fredricks has been promoted to Senior in the business technology advisory practice; and Kyle Walsh, MSA, has been promoted to Senior in the assurance practice.

Woburn, Massachusetts

Amanda Auriemma, CPA, of Wakefield, MA, has been promoted to Manager in the assurance practice. Auriemma has experience providing audit services to clients in the commercial industries, banking and financial institutions, as well as a variety of benefit plans. She earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The following employees in the Woburn office were also promoted: Theresa Davis has been promoted to Billing Specialist in the operations department; Michael Famiglietti, CPA, has been promoted to Supervising Senior in the tax department; Kaitlin Marques has been promoted to Senior in the assurance practice; Athina Rodriguez, MBA, has been promoted to Supervising Senior in the tax practice; and Daniel Sheldon has been promoted to Senior in the tax practice.

Manchester, New Hampshire

Marissa Mamet, CPA, of Hollis, NH, has been promoted to senior manager in the tax practice. Mamet specializes in serving partnerships, primarily in the real estate and professional services industries. Mamet earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration, with a concentration in accounting, from the University of Massachusetts.

The following employees in the Manchester office were also promoted: Jason Innerfield, has been promoted to Senior in the tax practice; Lucas Jones has been promoted to Senior in the assurance practice; John Karch has been promoted to Senior in the tax practice; Madeline Moynihan, CPA, MSA, has been promoted to Supervising Senior in the tax practice; Paul Mullen has been promoted to Supervising Senior in the tax practice; and Tiffany Young, MBA, has been promoted to Senior in the assurance practice.

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Ashley Barbera, of Hampton, NH, has been promoted to Manager in the tax practice. Barbera holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of New Hampshire.

Michael Casale, CPA, of Kennebunk, ME, has been promoted to Senior Manager in the tax practice. Casale earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting, with a minor in business law, from Villanova University.

Shaun Cote, CPA, of Nottingham, NH, has been promoted to Senior Manager in the tax practice. Cote joined the Firm in 2015 as part of the William Steele & Associates team. Cote earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of New Hampshire.

Lauren Hale, of Berwick, ME,has been promoted to Manager in the business and technology advisory practice. Hale joined BNN last year after nearly two decades of experience working in healthcare operations and management. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration management from the University of New Hampshire.

Ian Robinson, CPA, MSA, of Amesbury, MA, has been promoted to Manager in the transaction advisory practice. Robinson earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance, and his master’s degree in accounting from The University of New Hampshire.

Douglas Uhl, of Haverhill, MA, has been promoted to Manager in the tax practice. Uhl joined BNN in 2022, after spending several years at a Massachusetts- based CPA firm. He received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southern New Hampshire University.

The following employees in the Portsmouth office were also promoted: Megan Elwell, CPA, MSA, has been promoted to Senior in the assurance practice; Molly MacNeilly has been promoted to Senior in the assurance practice; Michelle Morrison, MSA, has been promoted to Supervising Senior the tax practice; and Justin Pelletier, J.D., Tax LL.M.,has been promoted to Senior in the tax practice.

Portland, Maine

Crystal Jones, of South Paris, ME, has been promoted to Billing Manager in the operations department. Jones oversees the billing functions of the firm. Jones earned her associate degree in business administration from Southern Maine Community College and her bachelor’s degree in health science from the University of Southern Maine.

Gregory Knight, of Gorham, ME,has been promoted to Senior Manager in the healthcare advisory practice. Knight joined the firm in 2011, after earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Maine.

Nathan Somes, CPA, MBA, of Durham, ME, has been promoted to Manager in the tax practice. He joined the firm in 2018 after completing tax internships in the Portland office. Somes holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and master’s degree in business administration from the University of Southern Maine.

Benjamin Staples, CPA, MBA, of Scarborough, ME, has been promoted to Manager in the tax practice.. Staples earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting, and his master’s degree in business administration from Husson University.

The following employees in the Portland office were also promoted: Anirudh Jhanji has been promoted to Senior in the transaction advisory practice; Kathryn Johnson has been promoted to Staff II in the tax practice; Gage Kennedy has been promoted to Supervising Senior in the tax practice; Kristen Lebreux has been promoted to Senior in the tax practice; Ian Lichtenberg has been promoted to Senior in the assurance practice; Kyle Lonabaugh has been promoted to Senior in the tax practice; Derek McDonough has been promoted to Supervising Senior in the tax practice; Nicole Pelletier has been promoted to Senior in the assurance practice; Mikayla Roy has been promoted to Senior in the tax practice; Patti Watters has been promoted to Supervising Senior in the tax practice; and Julie Weglein has been promoted to Audit Supervisor in the assurance practice.

Forensic, Litigation and Valuation Partner Joins EisnerAmper

Global business advisory firm EisnerAmper announced that Tami Clemenza has joined the firm as a partner in its Forensic, Litigation and Valuation Services (“FLVS”) Group.

Tami has more than three decades of experience providing forensic accounting services, focusing on matrimonial litigation support and dispute resolutionTami has a B.B.A. from the University of Miami and an M.S.T. in Taxation from Florida International University. She has earned the Certified Public Accountant (“CPA”) and the Certified in Financial Forensics (“CFF”) designations.

Bennett Thrasher and Partner Ben Miller Receive Global Recognition

Bennett Thrasher, a nationally acclaimed full-service accounting and advisory firm headquartered in Atlanta, recently announced its recognition in the 2024 International Tax Review’s (ITR) World Tax rankings. Ben Miller, a partner at the firm, stands out with the 2024 Highly Regarded Practitioner in World Tax and World Transfer Pricing awards.

This marks the sixth occasion that the firm’s outstanding performance has secured it a Tier 2 ranking, positioning it as the sole accounting firm headquartered in the Southeast to achieve this prestigious placement.

Additionally, Ben Miller has been recognized for the third consecutive year. He works with clients to design, implement, and maintain transfer pricing policies that align strategic business objectives with local and foreign transfer pricing rules and regulations. He currently serves as DFK International’s Vice Chair for Transfer Pricing, assisting with the international coordination and advancement of tax advisory services among member firms worldwide.

Mochizuki Joins CohnReznick as Transaction Advisory Services Partner

CohnReznick LLP, one of the leading advisory, assurance, and tax firms in the United States, today announced that Greg Mochizuki has joined the firm as a partner in its burgeoning Transaction Advisory Services practice. He will be focused on growing CohnReznick’s transactions practice in the technology sector and is based in the Bay Area. Mochizuki has more than 17 years of experience advising private equity and corporate clients on mergers and acquisitions across the technology sector.

Before joining CohnReznick, Mochizuki held executive positions in the transaction practices for Big 4 and middle market accounting firms. Mochizuki has also held finance roles at startups where he advised C-suite executives on sell-side M&A and capital raising strategies.

Mochizuki holds a BA, Business Management Economics (accounting concentration), from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is a licensed CPA and member of the AICPA and CALCPA.

CohnReznick Takes Root in the Rocky Mountain Region with New Denver Office

 CohnReznick LLP, one of the leading advisory, assurance, and tax firms in the United States, today announced that it is opening an office in Denver, Colorado to house a growing team of professionals in the area. The Denver office, CohnReznick’s 30^th office in the U.S., will officially open in early October and is part of a continuing growth strategy for the firm that focuses on locations with dynamic business communities, expanding populations, and a diverse, highly skilled labor force. The office will be home to a team with robust experience in the broad array of industries that comprise the Denver market, including real estate (commercial, affordable), financial services, and hospitality.

CohnReznick has leased 5,000 square feet in the LEED Gold Certified and Energy Star certified building, which features outstanding city views, a fitness center, a tenant amenity center, and easy access to mass transit and the freeways. The firm worked with its national broker Gregg Metcalf (JLL) and Denver-based broker Emily Ragan (JLL) in securing the space.