Grant Thornton appoints new leaders to key roles

CHICAGO, June 14, 2023—Grant Thornton LLP, one of America’s largest audit, tax and advisory firms, today announced that it has appointed several new leaders who will help further advance the firm’s business strategy and accelerate its growth for the benefit of clients and team members. The new leaders complement recent additions to the firm’s Senior Leadership Team, announced last November.

The appointments will contribute to Grant Thornton’s ongoing momentum and strong market position heading into its next fiscal year, which starts in August.

“The challenges confronting our clients require us to continuously deliver high-quality, integrated offerings that are personalized to meet their unique needs,” said Seth Siegel, CEO of Grant Thornton. “Our new leaders will do this by bringing us closer to our clients, delivering the right solutions and drawing our highly-skilled professionals together to act as one.” 

An industry and regional orientation

To help ensure the firm provides clients with industry solutions that are aligned with its geography teams and service lines, Grant Thornton has appointed national managing principal for Industry, Lisa Walkush, to its Senior Leadership Team. Walkush has a deep industry background and was recently honored by Consulting magazine for “Excellence in Leadership.”

In a companion move that will help Grant Thornton better orient its offerings for clients regionally, it has named several partners at the firm to fill leadership roles in a newly-designed regional structure. They include: 

• Sean Denham ― regional managing partner, Atlantic Coast
• Carlos Ferreira ― regional managing partner, Northeast
• Nichole Jordan ― regional managing partner, Texoma
• Mark Margulies ― regional managing partner, Southeast
• Tony Perazzo ― regional managing partner, West
• David Platt ― regional managing partner, Central 

Nichole Jordan will continue to serve on the firm’s Senior Leadership Team and hold her current role as the national managing partner of Geography.

Additionally, Grant Thornton has named Greg Westfall as its national managing principal for Private Equity ― succeeding Carlos Ferreira as he moves into his new regional managing partner role for the Northeast (mentioned above). Westfall’s passion for private equity and his proven track record in the space will help clients drive their strategic growth goals and create value throughout the transaction lifecycle.

New leader for people and community; new head of sales

Grant Thornton has hired Jeanna Shapiro as its new chief people and community officer — a position held by Michael Monahan since December 2019. Monahan helped steer the firm through the COVID 19 pandemic and will re-engage with the market as a client-service principal, tapping into his extensive experience providing human capital and workforce solutions to clients.

Shapiro brings to Grant Thornton nearly 25 years of experience in broad-based talent, human resources and operational leadership within professional-services firms such as Oliver Wyman and Booz Allen Hamilton. Grant Thornton will tap into her knowledge and leadership to continue strengthening its community, caring for its people and delivering on a commitment to quality and integrity.

The firm has also promoted Omri Avdi to the position of chief sales officer, succeeding Karen Hudson, who is retiring in August after six highly successful years fueling growth at the firm. Avdi joined Grant Thornton just over nine years ago and most recently served as a managing director and business development executive in the Los Angeles area.

Further, Greg Wallig ― who currently serves as Grant Thornton’s market managing principal for Washington, D.C. ― will take on added responsibilities as the head of Public Policy. In the role, he will serve as the firm’s primary liaison with members of Congress, while also representing policy positions with standard-setters, regulators and other policymakers.

Finally, David Hazels will assume the role of managing partner for Grant Thornton’s shared-services center in Bangalore, India. He assumes the role from Verne Bragg, a longstanding Grant Thornton leader who is rotating back to U.S.-based responsibilities.

About Grant Thornton LLP

Grant Thornton LLP (Grant Thornton) is one of America’s largest audit, tax and advisory firms — and the U.S. member firm of the Grant Thornton International Ltd global network. We go beyond the expected to make business more personal and build trust into every result. With revenues of $2.3 billion for the fiscal year that ended July 31, 2022, and almost 50 offices nationwide, Grant Thornton is a community of more than 9,000 problem solvers who value relationships and are ready to help organizations of all sizes and industries create more confident futures. Because, for us, how we serve matters as much as what we do.

“Grant Thornton” refers to Grant Thornton LLP, the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd (GTIL). GTIL and the member firms are not a worldwide partnership. Services are delivered by the member firms. GTIL and its member firms are not agents of, and do not obligate, one another and are not liable for one another’s acts or omissions.

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