Firm Management
Crowe Appoints Steve Strammello as CEO-Elect
The 30-year firm veteran will succeed Mark Baer as CEO of Chicago-based Crowe at the start of its fiscal year on Jan. 1, 2025.
May. 28, 2024
Steve Strammello will succeed Mark Baer as CEO of Crowe at the start of its fiscal year on Jan. 1, 2025, the Chicago-based top 10 accounting firm said on May 23.
Baer—who took over as CEO on April 1, 2021, after Jim Powers completed two terms as Crowe chief executive, the maximum tenure allowed by the firm—will conclude his full four-year term on Dec. 31.
Crowe’s board of directors, which governs the firm, appointed Strammello as CEO-elect after an extensive vetting process.
“Steve was chosen to lead our firm for many reasons but primarily due to his deep understanding of how our profession is changing and a strong vision for how Crowe can continue to innovate and thrive in this dynamic environment,” Dawnella Johnson, Crowe board chair, said in a written statement. “A confluence of factors is altering our landscape—the proliferation of advanced technology and AI, evolving business models, shrinking talent pipeline, and new entrants to the profession, just to name a few. However, amid those factors, certain truths remain critical to our business—quality, integrity, our values, client service, and the stakeholder experience. We believe Steve is the right leader for our firm at this pivotal time.”
Johnson also called Strammello “a strong communicator and inspirational leader who blends a connection to our rich history with a future-ready mindset.”
Strammello, a 30-year veteran of the firm, currently serves as the global markets leader for Crowe. He has also served in numerous senior leadership roles at Crowe, including chief risk officer and managing partner of the firm’s Risk Consulting practice. He spent the first nine years of his career in Crowe’s Audit & Assurance business. Strammello joined the firm in 1993 and is based in the Indianapolis area.
“I’m honored to be chosen as the next CEO of this great firm,” Strammello said in a statement. “Crowe exists today because, for over 80 years, our past leaders put quality first and focused on our clients and people. It’s my obligation to pay that forward to our future leaders. The business environment has certainly changed over the years, and no doubt will continue to change in the years ahead. But the identity of Crowe remains a constant. Quality first, with focus on our clients and people, is what the world can and should expect of Crowe.”