Grant Thornton’s Cathy Hyodo and Alfredo Castillo win “Leader of Influence” honors from the Los Angeles Business Journal

LOS ANGELES — Grant Thornton LLP, one of America’s largest providers of audit and assurance, tax and advisory services, is celebrating two new award winners: Cathy Hyodo and Alfredo Castillo have been named Leaders of Influence by the Los Angeles Business Journal. Both professionals were honored in the Minority CPA category.

For Hyodo, an LA native and the firm’s market managing partner in Los Angeles, this honor continues a strong pattern of recognition that stretches back five years. The longtime Grant Thornton leader has been named a Los Angeles Business Journal Woman of Influence and Top 100 Accountant for three years in a row, and she has also made the publication’s “LA500” list five years in a row.

She has more than 30 years of experience serving in a steady progression of key leadership roles, including a tenure on the firm’s Partnership Board and leader of the firm’s Technology Industry Practice in Los Angeles. Her vast industry experience includes client service in sectors like digital media, e-commerce, software and much more. Additionally, she is a staunch advocate for women and people of color, and she has served her alma mater, the University of Southern California, in several board roles.

“I’m tremendously grateful for the Los Angeles Business Journal’s ongoing recognition, which is only possible because of my talented Grant Thornton colleagues in LA and across the country,” Hyodo said. “Our people make me a better teammate and leader every day, and the unrivaled attention and care they show to our clients is a constant source of inspiration.”   

This is the first LABJ award for Castillo, who is a managing director in the firm’s Tax service line. He, too, grew up in Los Angeles, and he is grateful the Los Angeles Business Journal is honoring diversity within the accounting profession.

“When I was a kid, I didn’t know anyone who was an accountant, and now I have a terrific career because kind, compassionate leaders invested in me,” he said. “I share this recognition with those leaders and all of the talented mentees who have been part of my journey at Grant Thornton, and I plan to continue paying it forward every chance I get.”

Castillo worked full-time to put himself through college, ultimately graduating from California State University, Los Angeles with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He has been with Grant Thornton for more than 13 years, and in that time, he has mentored dozens of professionals and volunteered countless hours with the Association of Latino Professionals for America: an organization that provides scholarships and mentorship opportunities to young Latinos.

Tony Perazzo, the managing partner of the firm’s West region, says both Hyodo and Castillo embody what it means to be a Grant Thornton professional.

“Cathy and Alfredo are excellent business leaders because they prioritize relationships,” he says. “They know that diversity — in every sense of the word — benefits everything we do, and they work hard to elevate diverse perspectives and put their colleagues in a position to succeed. I’m proud to call them my teammates.”