Grant Thornton names seven new Industry leaders

CHICAGO — Grant Thornton LLP has appointed seven new leaders within the firm’s Industry practice. They include:

• Bryan Benoit, national managing partner, Energy
• Sean Denham, national managing partner, Services
• Amy Flynn, national leader, Life Sciences
• Bob Hersh, national managing principal, Manufacturing and Food & Beverage
• Simon Jewkes, national managing principal, Retail
• Alex Rhodes, national managing partner, Hospitality & Restaurants
• David Tyler, national managing principal, Healthcare

The new leaders will spearhead key elements of Grant Thornton’s long-standing Industry practice, which includes 15 distinct industry groups and encompasses the firm’s full range of service line offerings, including Audit, Tax and Advisory.

“Our new leaders have sterling reputations for delivering quality, value and innovation to clients,” said Lisa Walkush, Grant Thornton’s national managing principal for Industry. “What’s more, they have the experience and know-how to address our client’s complex needs during this time of historic disruption and uncertainty. The simple truth is that the stakes have never been higher, and I know our clients will benefit tremendously from the capabilities our new leaders bring to the table.”

The newly appointed industry heads join a line-up of eight current leaders driving Grant Thornton’s additional industry groups. They include:

• Michael Patanella, national managing partner, Asset Management
• Graham Tasman, national managing principal, Banking
• Matt Tierney, national managing principal, Insurance
• Deborah Newman, national leader, Media & Entertainment
• Dennis Morrone, national managing partner, Not-for-Profit & Higher Education
• Greg Ross, national managing partner, Real Estate & Construction
• Steven Perkins, national leader, Tech & Telecommunications
• Randolph Smith, national managing partner, Transportation & Distribution
  

About Bryan Benoit

Assuming his new role, Benoit was the national managing partner of Grant Thornton’s Corporate Value Consulting practice and partner-in-charge of Energy for Advisory Services. Based in Houston, he possesses 35 years of experience in corporate finance, restructuring, accounting and valuation. He specializes in providing opinions to U.S. and international corporations on transaction matters and tax issues — as well as financial-reporting requirements and dispute-related matters. Internationally, he serves as the global co-head of Valuation. He is a certified public accountant (CPA) accredited in business valuation and a registered investment advisor in Texas. Benoit received a master’s of business administration degree from Louisiana State University and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

About Sean Denham

In addition to his new role, Denham is the Global Services Industry leader and office managing partner for Grant Thornton’s Philadelphia office. Denham serves some of the firm’s most prominent clients, primarily in the professional services space. For more than 25 years, he has honed his professional experience serving Fortune 1000 companies and middle-market public and private companies. He is a CPA in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey and received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Lehigh University. He is a member of the AICPA.

About Amy Flynn

Flynn, who is based in Princeton, N.J., has more than 25 years of experience working with pharmaceutical companies and businesses in the medical device and diagnostics space. She possesses leadership experience across a range of business functions, including research and development, operations and quality — as well as marketing and business development. Flynn has coached and developed leaders responsible for major change initiatives such as merger and acquisition (M&A) activities, partnerships, and process-improvement projects. She received a master’s of business administration degree from Rutgers Graduate School of Business and a master’s in education degree from Temple University. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Rutgers University.

About Bob Hersh

Hersh joined Grant Thornton in 2011 as a principal in the firm’s Business Advisory Services practice and was the practice leader for that area in the firm’s Metro New York and New England market territory. Based in Stamford, Connecticut, Hersh has more than 25 years of consulting experience in enterprise systems, technology strategy and process analysis and design — as well as strategic planning and operations management. He received a master’s of business administration degree from the University of Notre Dame and a bachelor’s of science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Connecticut.

About Simon Jewkes

Based in New York, Jewkes brings extensive retail and e-commerce experience to his new industry leader role, in addition to experience heading Grant Thornton’s Retail and Consumer M&A Transactions practice. Jewkes leads delivery of the firm’s Audit, Tax and Advisory services in the retail space and specializes in providing due diligence services. He also has significant experience in merger integration, carve outs, restructuring, refinancing, SPAC transactions and IPO readiness. He is a Chartered Accountant and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom.

About Alex Rhodes

Rhodes joined Grant Thornton in 2004 and is a partner in the firm’s Audit Services practice based in South Florida, which includes the firm’s Miami and Fort Lauderdale offices. He has led the Real Estate & Construction industry practice and the Hospitality & Restaurants industry practice for the firm’s Florida offices since 2015. Rhodes has spent almost 20 years serving clients in an accounting, auditing and advisory capacity — with a focus on hospitality, restaurants and real estate. He has extensive experience serving public and private clients including hotel investors, developers and operators, as well as timeshare developers and operators. In addition, he has worked with many restaurant chains and franchisees. He received a bachelor’s of science degree in accounting from Penn State University with highest distinction. He is a CPA in Florida and Virginia and is a member of the AICPA.

About David Tyler

Tyler, who is based in Atlanta, joined Grant Thornton in 2011 and is a principal in the firm’s Advisory Services practice. Before assuming his new role, Tyler led the firm’s Healthcare Business Consulting practice. He has more than 25 years of healthcare experience primarily in the health-system, academic-medicine and health-plan areas — serving premier clients across the nation. His primary areas of expertise include finance, performance improvement and provider strategy, as well as information technology, revenue cycle, M&A, strategic planning, and payer operations. He received a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Georgia.