On the move: PrimeGlobal expands in Ireland

April 11, 2025 10:00 AM

PrimeGlobal has added a major firm in Ireland; the Illinois CPA Society's charitable endowment named its new board of directors; and other firm and personnel news from across the profession.

CALIFORNIA

Sarita Bhakta

Sarita Bhakta, a tax partner and head of the commercial tax practice in the Los Angeles office of Ernst & Young, has been named a Leader of Influence by the Los Angeles Business Journal.

Kruze Consulting, San Francisco, released its seventh annual CEO Salary report, which focuses on compensation trends among startups. Salaries for chief executives in young companies are hitting record highs, according to the report.

ILLINOIS

The CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois, the charitable arm of the Illinois CPA Society, announced its new board of directors: Jason Parish of Plante Moran will service as chair; Jeffery Watson of Miller Cooper & Co. as vice chair; Geoffrey Harlow of Wipfli as treasurer; Damien Martin of Ernst & Young as secretary; and Kimberley Waite of CBIZ as immediate past chair. This year's directors include: Jonathan C. Acevedo, Martrice Caldwell, Rosaria Cammarata, Mary Fuller, Mark Glochowsky, Lee Gould, Jonathan Hauser, Scott Hurwitz, Kenton Klaus, Bridgette Mahan, Sara Mikuta, Thomas Murtagh, Charlene Rhinehart, Leilani Rodrigo, W. Dane Roush, Jason Treadwell and Leslie AW Van Wolvelear.

INDIANA

Brian Baker

Brian Baker joined Forvis Mazars Capital Advisors, Indianapolis, as a managing director. He brings more than 25 years of experience in M&A, recapitalizations, and both private and public securities offerings. Prior to joining Forvis Mazars, Baker held senior banking positions at investment banks ranging in scope from regional middle-market firms to publicly traded Wall Street firms, and before that he practiced as a corporate attorney and CPA.

IRELAND

PrimeGlobal CEO Stephen Heathcote (left) and Ifac CEO and managing partner John Donoghue

Kilkenny-based accounting firm Ifac has joined accounting and advisory firm association PrimeGlobal. A top 10 firm in Ireland, Ifac has approximately 30 offices and 560 professionals, and serves more than 25,000 clients in farming, agribusiness and other industries with a range of tax, accounting, audit and business services.

MICHIGAN

Top 25 Firm EisnerAmper announced a strategic investment in RPM Partners, Detroit, a new joint venture focused on financial and operational turnarounds in the automotive sector. With a team of seasoned experts, RPM offers tailored services including restructuring, liquidity management, financial diligence, commercial claims, transaction advisory, operational turnaround, launch support, program recovery, supplier readiness, process mapping and lean management implementation.

NEW JERSEY

WilkinGuttenplan, East Brunswick, has partnered with Rowan University to support the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate of Accounting CPA Apprenticeship Program, which provides aspiring accountants with a direct pathway to CPA licensure. Offered through the Rohrer College of Business, the program lets apprentices gain work experience at WilkinGuttenplan while fulfilling their 150-credit hour requirement. Participants get mentorship, financial support and on-the-job training. More information is available here or by contacting Amy Lysak at lysak@rowan.edu.

Forvis Mazars LLP has partnered with the Construction Financial Management Association to provide a state and local tax information platform to the CFMA's members. The platform, SALT Explorer Essentials, offers access to critical SALT information, including current tax rates and essential information across multiple tax types.

PENNSYLVANIA

Centri Business Consulting, Philadelphia, has added two members to its advisory board: Michael Bearup and Lori Reiner. Bearup was previously managing partner of the Colorado offices of KPMG and a lead director on the Big Four firm's board of directors, while Reiner was an audit partner who led major initiatives at Top 100 Firm EisnerAmper. The board already includes Jerry Maginnis, Matthew Espe, Christopher Lee and Mike Tiagwad.

TENNESSEE

The Tennessee Society of CPAs and the American Accounting Association hosted nearly 50 accounting educators from across Tennessee on April 4 for Principles Bootcamp, an event designed to help spark student interest in the field of accounting. Held at the TSCPA headquarters in Brentwood, it featured panel discussions and presentations on accounting careers and more, and was made possible by the Future Accountants Sponsoring Organizations, an independent joint venture designed to foster initiatives in accounting higher education that will address declining enrollments in higher education accounting programs.

UNITED KINGDOM

Nick Ong-Seng

Nick Ong-Seng has been appointed chair of the ethics committee of accounting and advisory network Moore Global, London. Ong-Seng is global head of governance, risk and assurance at Amazon, and chairman of the quality assurance scheme committee at the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.

Ryan Wolfe, acting chief accountant of the Securities and Exchange Commission, has been appointed chair of the Monitoring Group overseeing the International Federation of Accountants.