Professionals on the Move - September 2021

Professionals on the Move is a round-up of recent promotions and hires in the accounting space.

Grant Thornton Names National Managing Director of Culture, Immersion & Inclusion

Grant Thornton LLP, a leading audit, tax and advisory firm, has promoted experienced people and culture leader Rashada Whitehead to a newly-created role: national managing director of Culture, Immersion & Inclusion. Whitehead, who has been with the firm since 2019, will join its National Leadership Team (NLT) and be responsible for the firm’s NLT Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) task force, while continuing her role as Grant Thornton’s head of Colleague Experience, People & Community.

Whitehead has more than 15 years of experience as a senior leader. A former PRWeek “40 Under 40” honoree, she began her career in public relations before becoming a culture transformation executive. Since 2014, she has been an adjunct professor of public relations at Roosevelt University in her native Chicago. In 2016, she received the university’s “Most Valuable Professor (MVP)” award for part-time instructors.

Whitehead holds a bachelor’s degree in English writing from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from Roosevelt University. She has served as a consultant through the University of Chicago Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies, and she provides culture insights and coaching to a wide variety of organizations.

Bennett Thrasher Adds Chief Growth Officer

One of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing certified public accounting and consulting firms, Bennett Thrasher, recently announced the addition of Adam Klein as its new Chief Growth Officer. Working directly with the partner leadership team, Klein will help to enhance growth strategies and business development processes that drive revenue in the market. He will also have a direct impact on Bennett Thrasher’s continued investment in specialty tax and other advisory services.

For the last eight years, Adam worked at a Top-100 Atlanta-based accounting firm, where he most recently served as the Director of Strategic Partnerships. Adam currently serves as chair of the Business Development Committee for the Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM). Adam earned his Bachelor’s degree from James Madison University.

Crowe Welcomes Upaya Team

Crowe LLP has signed an agreement to welcome personnel from Upaya – The Solution Inc., a firm with expertise in cloud consulting. The transaction has an expected completion date of Oct. 1, 2021. Crowe is a public accounting, consulting and technology firm in the U.S. with offices around the world.

Based in Palo Alto, California, Upaya delivers cloud-based solutions supporting business transformation, serving clients across numerous industries, including software, financial services, manufacturing, wholesale distribution, education, nonprofit, retail, sports and healthcare.

Upaya was founded in 2006 by Bhavna and Kapil Agarwal and supports global delivery with locations in Manila, Philippines, and Delhi, India. As part of the transaction, Bhavna Agarwal will join Crowe as a principal and Kapil Agarwal will join as a managing director. Financial terms were not disclosed.

As part of this transaction, the firm has established a subsidiary based in Manila, Philippines. “In addition to helping us better serve our clients whenever they may need support, our new Manila office offers an exciting chance for Crowe to expand our talent in the Philippines,” said Baer.

Seth Siege Named CEO-Elect of Grant Thornton

The Grant Thornton LLP Partnership Board has named Seth Siegel, 49, as the firm’s CEO-elect. Siegel will succeed Grant Thornton’s current CEO, Brad Preber, when Preber retires on July 31, 2022 after almost two decades in leadership roles at the firm.

The firm’s Partnership Board appointed Siegel, a longtime leader at Grant Thornton, following a comprehensive succession planning and search process. His appointment was subsequently ratified by the firm’s partners and principals. His term as CEO will begin on August 1, 2022.

Siegel is an experienced leader who has spent more than 25 years with Grant Thornton. He currently serves as the managing partner for South Florida, which includes offices in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. He also currently serves on the Grant Thornton Partnership Board.

Siegel joined Grant Thornton in 1996 and became a partner in 2006, having briefly left the firm in the late 1990s to work as a controller and a registered representative in the financial-services sector.

During Siegel’s time at Grant Thornton, he has also served on the firm’s Audit Quality Advisory Council, providing practical and objective advice to ensure Grant Thornton consistently delivers high-quality audit services to the marketplace. Furthermore, he served as a member of the inaugural Grant Thornton Experience Leadership Council, which helped the firm’s CEO and Senior Leadership Team shape strategic and operational decisions across all service lines and geographies.

Siegel received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Florida Atlantic University. He is a licensed certified public accountant (CPA) in Florida and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA). He is also a member of the Florida Atlantic University School of Accounting Advisory Board, and he previously served as the board’s president.