Accounting and consulting firm Grant Thornton LLP appointed seven new leaders in the firm’s industry practice. The US firm also appointed 30 new partners and principals, and promoted 36 to managing director.
The seven new leaders will each lead one of 15 distinct industry groups in the firm’s longstanding industry practice, which encompasses Grant Thornton’s full range of audit, tax, and advisory services.
Bryan Benoit (national managing partner, energy) has 35 years of experience in corporate finance, restructuring, accounting, and valuation. Benoit also serves as global co-head of valuation.
He joined Grant Thornton’s Houston office in 2007 as partner and head of forensic and valuation services for the Central region. Benoit most recently served as national managing partner of the corporate value consulting practice and partner-in-charge of advisory services for the energy industry. Prior to joining Grant Thornton, Benoit was a managing director at Kroll and a partner at PwC.
Sean Denham (national managing partner, services) has more than 25 years of audit, accounting, and consulting experience. He is also leader of the global services industry group and head of the Philadelphia office, and has supported many of the firm’s top clients in the professional services space.
Denham joined Grant Thornton as a partner in 2004, and was previously a senior manager at EY and Amper, Politziner & Mattia.
Amy Flynn (national leader, life sciences) has more than 25 years of consulting and industry experience in the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries. She has expertise in marketing and business development, operations and quality, and R&D, and has worked on engagements in M&A, partnership, and process improvement.
Flynn joined Grant Thornton in 2018 as a managing director, and is based in the Princeton, NJ office. She was previously a managing director at TayganPoint Consulting Group and a consultant and manufacturing manager at Ortho Clinical Diagnostics.
Bob Hersh (national managing principal, manufacturing and food & beverage) has more than 25 years of consulting experience in enterprise systems, strategic planning and operations, process analysis and design, and technology strategy.
Based in Stamford, Connecticut, Hersh joined Grant Thornton as a principal in 2011. He previously was practice leader for business advisory in Metro New York and New England. Before joining the firm, he was HP Alliance manager at Deloitte, a director at Sapient, and a manager at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture).
Simon Jewkes (national managing principal, retail) has nearly 15 years of experience in transaction advisory services, with extensive knowledge of the retail and e-commerce industry. He specializes in due diligence, with further expertise across merger integration, restructuring, and refinancing, among other areas.
Jewkes joined Grant Thornton in 2017 as a principal in the transaction services practice in New York. He was previously a managing director in transaction services at FTI Consulting, a director at McGladrey (now RSM) and a senior manager at Deloitte.
Alex Rhodes (national managing partner, hospitality & restaurants) is based in Miami and has nearly 20 years of experience providing accounting, audit, and advisory services – with a focus on hospitality, restaurant, and real estate clients.
A partner in the audit services practice, Rhodes joined Grant Thornton in 2004 and has led the real estate & construction and hospitality & restaurant industry practices in Florida since 2015. He was previously a senior auditor at EY.
David Tyler (national managing principal, healthcare) has more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry, primarily focused on health system, academic medicine, and health plan areas. His consulting specialization is in finance, performance improvement, and provider strategy.
Tyler is based in Atlanta and joined Grant Thornton as a principal in 2011. He was previously national healthcare leader for business consulting. Before joining the firm, he was a senior manager at EY and a principal at The Glenrae Company.
“Our new leaders have sterling reputations for delivering quality, value and innovation to clients,” said Lisa Walkush, who was named national managing principal for industry earlier this year. “What’s more, they have the experience and know-how to address our client’s complex needs during this time of historic disruption and uncertainty. The simple truth is that the stakes have never been higher, and I know our clients will benefit tremendously from the capabilities our new leaders bring to the table.”
The Chicago-based firm also last month announced the appointment of 30 new partners and principals and the promotion of 36 people to managing director. Audit had the largest share of promotions (36%), followed by advisory (33%), tax (23%), and internal client services (7%).
“Today’s business environment demands exceptional leaders who understand the unprecedented challenges and disruptions our clients face,” said Brad Preber, CEO of Grant Thornton. “Our dynamic new group of partners, principals and managing directors will deliver the mix of quality, value and innovation our clients need to overcome these challenges and achieve their goals.”