Professionals on the move is a recap of recent promotions, hiring, and other staffing announcements from across the profession.
Foley Adds Partner Jose Sanchez, Strengthening Securities Enforcement and Litigation Capabilities and Expanding California Presence
Foley & Lardner LLP recently announced that Jose Sanchez has joined the firm’s Los Angeles office as a partner in its Securities Enforcement & Litigation Practice Group, adding to Foley’s deep bench of seasoned regulatory, investigations, and trial attorneys. Sanchez comes to Foley after nearly six years in the Office of General Counsel at Deloitte Global, where he served as Americas lead counsel and senior managing director.
Sanchez brings over 25 years of experience navigating high-stakes litigation, government investigations, crisis management, and compliance challenges. At Deloitte, he led cross-functional, cross-border teams in complex regulatory, enforcement, and civil litigation matters globally. He also advised business, risk, and legal stakeholders at Deloitte Global and its member firms on internal investigations, legal compliance, and corporate governance. Prior to Deloitte, Sanchez spent 12 years at Sidley Austin LLP, where he was a litigation partner and practice group leader, focusing on regulatory investigations, white collar matters, and civil litigation.
Sanchez has defended U.S. and international accounting firms, audit professionals, public companies, investment firms, and other regulated entities in enforcement and regulatory investigations before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the Department of Justice, state boards of accountancy, and other U.S. and foreign regulators. He has successfully defended securities fraud class actions, shareholder derivative suits, and professional malpractice claims and led independent investigations and anticorruption risk assessments across the U.S., Latin America, and Europe.
Sanchez’s arrival reflects Foley’s continued growth in California, following several recent additions this year, including partners Rajiv Dharnidharka, Jeanette Barzelay, and Brian Wheeler in San Francisco, and partner Nick O’Keefe in Silicon Valley.
Steve Menna Joins Withum’s Financial Services Team
Withum recently welcomed Steve Menna as a Partner in the Financial Services Team. Menna, who brings extensive experience and innovative leadership, will spearhead the firm’s national alternative investments expansion, focusing on the Southeast and Southwest regions.
Steven’s career has been driven by his commitment to helping clients navigate complex financial environments. His background in the alternative investment space and strategic mindset are a great fit for our team. We’re excited to have Steven on board to spearhead our strategy of casting a wider net nationally and throughout the Southern regions.
Menna brings over 30 years of experience to the Financial Services Team, having served as a partner at two Big-Four CPA firms as well as Rothstein Kass. Throughout his career, he has built a reputation for providing tailored, high-quality service to his clients, particularly in the hedge fund and private equity sectors. His hands-on approach and deep understanding of the financial landscape have earned him the trust of clients, including emerging managers and established institutions alike.
Menna’s dedication to developing and cultivating new relationships is underscored by his engagement with the broader financial services community. He is a frequent contributor to industry publications, where he shares insights on market trends and regulatory developments. He is also a frequent speaker at local conferences and forums, where his expertise and vision contribute to shaping discussions on the future of alternative investments.
Additionally, Menna was instrumental in founding the “Private Investment Fund Forum” in Texas across multiple organizations (Ernst and Young, Rothstein Kass and KPMG), which brings together industry professionals to tackle emerging challenges and share best practices.
Avantax Welcomes Independent Financial Advisor Carolyn Bare, Founder of Trust Matters Financial
Avantax® Inc. (Avantax), a unique community within Cetera Holdings and a leader in tax-focused financial planning and wealth management, recently welcomed independent financial advisor Carolyn Bare, founder of Trust Matters Financial, a wealth management firm that prioritizes working with small-business owners and clients who want legacy planning and wealth transfer advice. Based in Greenville, South Carolina, Bare has more than 16 years of licensed experience in the financial services industry.
Whether helping retirees with their day-to-day financial needs and long-term legacy planning or advising small-business owners on being more intentional about reaping the financial benefits of their business, Bare said she’s always looking through the lens of tax as she seeks to help clients manage, protect and transfer their wealth. Bare said her emphasis on tax efficiency regarding investment portfolios, including minimizing clients’ capital-gains tax, was key to her joining Avantax.
Before founding Trust Matters Financial, Bare operated a consulting firm that educated financial advisors on advanced trustee services. She also served as a postgraduate economics instructor at California and Nevada universities for eight years while serving as a Wealth advisor.
Kayla Kania Named Aprio Mid-Atlantic Regional Leader
Aprio, a top 25 business advisory and accounting firm, announces Kayla Kania, CPA, Lead Government Contracting Assurance Partner, will become the Mid-Atlantic Regional Leader, effective Jan. 1, 2025. Based in Rockville, Md., Kayla will assume responsibility for operations, client service, and growth across the Mid-Atlantic region, succeeding Lexy Kessler, CPA, CGMA, who has successfully led the region since 2023. Lexy will remain a partner and will support the accounting profession as vice chair of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants® (AICPA®).
Kayla is widely admired for her ability to engage and motivate teams and build sustainable growth. In this new role, Kayla will oversee the day-to-day management of the region, strategic growth, and uphold Aprio’s commitment to exceptional client service. She will also continue to manage her robust government contracting practice, helping companies navigate the challenges of doing business with the U.S. government, supporting clients at each stage of their business lifecycle.
Having spent her entire career in the Washington, D.C. region, Kayla was recently named president-elect of the Association for Corporate Growth National Capital Chapter, where she also serves as a board member. She was also honored as one of DCA Live’s NEW Power Women of GovCon in 2024, highlighting her influence in the government contracting space. Additionally, she was named a Greater Washington Area CPA Women to Watch.
Sanjil Ramchandani Joins KSM as Director of IT Operations at KSM
KSM (Katz, Sapper & Miller), a leading advisory, tax, and audit firm, is pleased to announce that Sanjil Ramchandani has joined the firm as director of IT operations.
In this role, Ramchandani will lead and oversee all aspects of KSM’s IT operations, including infrastructure, security, business applications, and support services. He will work closely with KSM’s chief technology officer to ensure IT strategies align with the firm’s business goals, focusing on system availability, scalability, and security across KSM’s multi-office and hybrid work environments.
With more than 15 years of leadership experience in IT operations, software engineering, on-premises to cloud migration, digital transformation, and infrastructure management, Ramchandani brings a proven track record of leading complex, multi-year initiatives in mid to large-sized organizations. Prior to joining KSM, he served as the director of IT and technical platform owner for CNO Financial Group.
Ramchandani earned a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Mumbai and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Houston.
Financial Accounting Foundation Names Four New Members to the Board of Trustees
The Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) Board of Trustees recently announced the appointment of new Trustees Lara Abrash, Luis A. Aguilar, Pratik S. Bhatt, and Paul A. Quinsee. All four begin their term of service on January 1, 2025, and conclude on December 31, 2029.
The FAF is the parent organization of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB).
The new appointees will fill vacancies left by retiring members Bruce T. Herring, Michael T. Rollings, Timothy F. Ryan, Lawrence Salva, , and Shundrawn A. Thomas, whose terms conclude on December 31, 2024. Beginning on January 1, 2025, the Board of Trustees for the FAF will consist of 17 members.
Below are brief biographical sketches of the new Trustees:
Lara Abrash is the Chair of Deloitte US, the largest professional services organization in the United States with more than 170,000 professionals. Ms. Abrash was elected to this role in June 2023 after serving four years as the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte & Touche LLP, where she was responsible for overseeing the US Audit & Assurance business. She is a member of Deloitte Global’s Board of Directors and Chair of the Deloitte Foundation, which supports education through a variety of initiatives designed to help develop the talent of the future and promote excellence in teaching, research, and curriculum innovation. Additionally, she has served in several leadership roles during her career at Deloitte.
Luis A. Aguilar served as a Commissioner at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from July 31, 2008, to December 31, 2015. Commissioner Aguilar was originally appointed by President George W. Bush and was reappointed by President Barack Obama in 2011. During his service, the Commission underwent a significant internal restructuring by creating both new divisions and offices, and substantially restructuring existing ones. Commissioner Aguilar also worked to modernize the SEC’s rules to reflect the innovation and changes that had long transformed the capital markets. He was an early advocate for the importance of focusing on cybersecurity issues and led the effort to bring together public and private sector experts as part of the SEC’s first Cybersecurity Roundtable held in March 2014. He has earned the CERT Certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight, issued by the Software Engineering Institute of Carnegie Mellon University.
Prat Bhatt is a seasoned Fortune 100 senior technology executive, public company board member, and is a financial expert with significant experience with large global organizations, strategy, operations, governance, enterprise risk management, and investor relations. He is the former Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Corporate Controller for Cisco Systems, Inc. Throughout his 23-year career at Cisco, he led key finance initiatives including development of operational strategies, processes, and systems in support of Cisco’s growth imperatives. Mr. Bhatt is a Board director of Seagate Technology and is the Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee and a Board director of RingCentral and is a member of the Audit and Compensation Committees.
Paul A. Quinsee has over 40 years of asset management industry experience as an equities investor and senior business leader. Since 2016, he has served as the Global Head of Equities for J.P. Morgan Asset Management, overseeing $900 billion in assets under management on behalf of institutional and retail clients. Paul leads a global team of 600 professionals and acts as the Co-Chair of the Asset Management Investment Committee. Paul joined J.P.Morgan in 1992 after working at Schroders and Citicorp in London. He also serves as a Trustee and the Chair of the Investments Committee for the Southport School, a private day school for students with language-based learning differences in Southport, Connecticut.
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Tags: Firm Management, Staffing
