Grant Thornton’s Cathy Hyodo and Marla Hummel win Women of Influence awards in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES — Grant Thornton, one of America’s largest brands of professionals providing end-to-end audit, assurance, tax, and advisory services, has seen two of its leaders receive awards in Los Angeles: Cathy Hyodo and Marla Hummel have both been named “Women of Influence” by the Los Angeles Business Journal (LABJ).

As the firm’s market managing principal in Los Angeles, Hyodo drives Grant Thornton’s growth in the region while helping hundreds of audit, tax and advisory professionals provide personalized services to their clients. Hummel is Grant Thornton’s Not-for-Profit Industry leader in Southern California and a member of the firm’s national Not-for-Profit Industry leadership team.

Both leaders have more than 30 years of experience in the accounting and consulting industry, and their honors continue Grant Thornton’s streak of recognition in the city.

Cathy Hyodo creates high-performance culture

Hyodo was recently named to the LABJ’s “LA500” list for the sixth consecutive year, and earlier this year, the magazine honored her and Alfredo Castillo, a managing director in the firm’s Tax service line, as part of their “Leaders of Influence” awards. 

Tony Perazzo, the managing principal of Grant Thornton’s West region, says the string of notable wins is a result of the high-performance culture Hyodo has cultivated in Los Angeles.

“Cathy has assembled and empowered a team of industry-focused leaders who are helping clients navigate the most urgent challenges they face, and Marla is a core part of that team,” Perazzo said. “Both of these incredible leaders have shown, time and again, what it means to invest in people and use their unique skills to benefit clients and teammates.”

Through her decades of successive leadership roles for Grant Thornton, Hyodo — a Los Angeles native — has helped clients in the technology, digital media, e-commerce and manufacturing spaces earn their growth goals and distinguish themselves in the marketplace. Outside of work, she has spent years giving back to her alma mater, the University of Southern California (USC).

Through multiple advisory boards ― including a current stint on the USC Marshall School of Business’ corporate advisory board ― Hyodo has shaped policies and programs that develop graduates ready to make an immediate impact in the business world. She is also a past president of the USC Leventhal Accounting Circle, a role through which she mentored aspiring accountants and enhanced the diversity of the industry’s talent pipeline.

“Every honor I receive is a result of the supportive people in my firm and my hometown who have shared their time and knowledge with me,” Hyodo said. “My support system — including Marla — has made me the leader I am today, and I’m endlessly grateful for them and the LABJ’s kind recognition.”  

Marla Hummel leads within the nonprofit industry

In a career spanning three decades and five cities, Hummel has carved out a niche as a preeminent leader within the nonprofit industry. Her experience serving some of the country’s largest nonprofit organizations has made her a sought-after mentor and project leader across the firm. She carries those skills outside of the office, too: Hummel is a board member for the organization Community Partners, which helps entrepreneurial-minded people kickstart their own nonprofits.  

Hummel is often asked to speak at major industry events, and prior to her nonprofit leadership role in Southern California, she was part of a team chosen to help open Grant Thornton’s office in Phoenix.

“I’m thankful to the LABJ for this humbling recognition, which is a testament to my talented Not-for-Profit Industry team and all of my colleagues in Los Angeles,” Hummel said. “Together, we’re bringing a distinctive level of personalized service to clients throughout our city and the country, and I can’t wait to do more great work by their side.”