Professionals on the Move - April 2023

Professionals on the Move is a roundup of recent hiring and promotion announcements from around the accounting profession.

FASB Names Three New Members to Its Investor Advisory Committee

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) recently announced the appointment of three new members to its Investor Advisory Committee (IAC).

The IAC works closely with the FASB to ensure that investor perspectives are effectively communicated during the development of accounting standards. It advises the FASB on broad topics on the FASB’s agenda, emerging trends, and other areas of interest to investors. IAC membership includes a mix of buy-side and sell-side investors, credit and equity analysts, and ratings agencies.

The new members are:

John DeVita, Principal and Portfolio Manager, Altrinsic Global Advisors, LLC

John Helfst, Managing Director, 1919 Investment Counsel, LLC

Minesh Patel, Senior Director and Sector Lead – US Leveraged Finance, S&P Global Ratings.

John DeVita has more than 30 years of experience and a diverse background that includes extensive knowledge in international securities analysis in the equity, fixed income, and foreign currency markets. He currently serves as a portfolio manager and director of research at Altrinsic Global Advisors with a primary focus on the consumer sector.

John Helfst has more than 26 years of experience researching and investing in financial services and real estate. He has held positions on both the sell-side and buy-side focused on financial services companies, with a primary focus on small and mid-cap equities, as well as a credit analyst and construction real estate lender.

Minesh Patel is responsible for leveraged finance thought leadership and credit risk assessments across various sectors. He previously served as the lead credit ratings analyst for business and information technology services as well as the media and entertainment sectors.

Matthew Legg Joins Schneider Downs as International Tax Practice Shareholder

Schneider Downs, one of the 60 largest certified public accounting and business advisory firms in the United States, recently announced that Matthew Legg, CPA, has been named tax shareholder to lead the firm’s growing International Tax practice.

Mr. Legg will be based in the firm’s Pittsburgh, PA office, while leading the firm’s international tax practice across the firm’s offices in Pittsburgh, Columbus and Washington D.C.

In this position, Mr. Legg will focus on client needs specific to international tax issues, including foreign and domestic tax considerations associated with the global business operations of firm clients. Prior to joining Schneider Downs, he served as the Managing Director of International Tax for a large regional accounting firm with a national presence.

Mr. Legg is a certified public accountant (CPA) who received his Bachelor of Science, Accounting, from St. Vincent College.

CohnReznick Among Top 10 Firms for Prestige, Top Five for Key Diversity Rankings in 2024 Vault 25 Best Accounting Firms to Work for Survey

CohnReznick LLP, one of the leading advisory, assurance, and tax firms in the United States, recently announced that its 2024 Vault Accounting 25 rankings showed significant increases across multiple categories, including placing it at #10 for overall prestige and within the top five for three key diversity rankings. The firm retained its #9 position among the Vault Top 25 Best Accounting Firms in North America.

CohnReznick saw notable increases across multiple Diversity categories as it now ranks among the top five firms for racial & ethnic diversity, LBGTQ+ diversity, and overall diversity.

#3 for Racial & Ethnic Diversity (up from 7)
#5 for LBGTQ+ Diversity (up from 8)
#5 for Overall Diversity (up from 7)

The firm also increased its rankings in 15 other quality of life/diversity categories, including:

#8 for ESG Initiatives (up from 11)
#10 for Relationships with Supervisors (up from 13)
#12 for Firm Culture (up from 13)

About the Vault Accounting 25

The 2024 Vault Accounting 25 ranks the best accounting firms to work for. The ranking is based on a survey of more than 11,000 accounting professionals who were asked to rate their firms in several workplace categories, including benefits, compensation, culture, diversity, satisfaction, training, and more. The Accounting 25 is compiled using a weighted formula.

Nitka Named to 25 Top Women in Food Service and Hospitality List

CohnReznick LLP, one of the leading advisory, assurance, and tax firms in the United States, recently announced that Deborah Nitka, PMP, CSM, CDPSE, Senior Manager, Cybersecurity, Technology Risk and Privacy, has been recognized as one of Total Food Service’s 25 Top Women in Foodservice and Hospitality for 2023. According to Total Food Service, its 2023 list “is built out of the ‘best and brightest’ women in the industry [and] focuses on the importance of women in the restaurant and foodservice industry, their contributions, and the challenges they face and overcome.”

Nitka leads privacy services for CohnReznick’s Cybersecurity, Technology Risk and Privacy practice and has nearly two decades of experience advising clients on how to understand and effectively manage their data. This includes helping companies to navigate shifting regulations, consumer demands, and business strategies, while helping them to build cybersecurity and privacy programs to protect revenue, minimize risk, and drive value. In the community, Nitka volunteers for multiple organizations including serving on Fordham University’s Young Alumni Committee.

BILL Hires Ken Moss, Technology Industry Innovator, as Chief Technology Officer

BILL (NYSE: BILL), a leader in financial automation software for small and midsize businesses (SMBs), announced today that Ken Moss has joined the company as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Moss reports directly to CEO and Founder René Lacerte and succeeds Vinay Pai who is retiring as CTO after five years with the company.

Moss brings more than 30 years of experience from a variety of companies and industries including online commerce, search, and interactive entertainment. Ken has a track record of using data-driven development as well as innovative machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver strong business results. Most recently Ken was Chief Technology Officer for eight years at Electronic Arts, a global leader in digital interactive entertainment where he led the company through a cloud-based transition and pioneered broad uses of data and AI to improve the game creator and player experience. Moss holds a B.A. in Molecular Biology from Princeton University.