Chartered Accountants Worldwide Network USA Practice Team Leads

Chartered Accountants Worldwide Network USA Practice Team Leads

This is the Chartered Accountants Network USA page highlighting our member contacts for companies that have significant numbers of Chartered Accountants / Canadian CPAs employed in the United States. Its purpose is to highlight contact members so that members of these firms or members interested in working for these firms can reach out to them. Contacts are charged with promoting CAW Network USA activities to Chartered Accountants / CPA Canada members within their firms, and encouraging qualifying members to register with us and get involved in activities.

Team Membership

Who are the current contact members?

AllTeam LeadAccounting / Audit FirmsConsulting Firms
Michael Brassil

Michael Brassil

Team Lead

Michael is CFO for the Americas for Collinson Group. Michael is based in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and is a results driven finance professional with experience across a variety of industries and in public accounting. He has served in senior positions in managing Accounting and Finance, Operations, HR and IT departments, and consolidating and automating systems and processes and improving efficiencies. Experience with mergers, setting up new companies from incorporation to General Ledger implementation and establishing of Accounting policies and procedures, managing Banking and other professional relationships as well as ensuring Group wide GAAP compliance.

Home Institute:ICAEW

Geoff Aldridge

Geoff Aldridge

BDO, Chapter President - Chicago

Geoff is a Managing Director in BDO’s Corporate Tax Practice, and leader of the Chicago inbound tax practice. A commercial tax professional with over 17 years’ experience, he has extensive corporate planning and compliance experience (with regard to tax returns and provisions (under US GAAP and IFRS)). As his clients’ main point of contact, Geoff also coordinates advice to clients with regard to other areas of U.S. tax reporting (e.g., Forms FinCEN 114, W-8BEN-E, 1099, etc.) and other tax services such as sales and use, transfer pricing, R&D credits, etc.

Geoff’s clients are typically global businesses, and he has extensive experience of cross border tax structuring, financing and tax due diligence. In particular, Geoff focuses on assisting foreign owned businesses with their U.S. tax needs.

He is a Chartered Accountant, Enrolled Agent, and holds an undergraduate Degree from the University of Bristol and post-graduate degree from the University of Warwick.

Geoff is a soccer player and fan and lives with his family in Wilmette.

Home Institute:ICAEW

Hannah Van Heerden

Hannah Van Heerden

Deloitte

Hannah has over 10 years of experience serving high-profile clients in the financial services – investment management industry, including large, global SEC registrants. She is well versed in the accounting, reporting, and regulatory issues affecting industry clients.

She has extensive experience with performing audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB, including auditing internal controls and has been involved in addressing a variety of technical accounting issues. Hannah’s experience also includes working on Initial Public Offerings, Equity Reorganizations and Debt Offerings from both an audit and advisory perspective.

She is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in New York and is a Chartered Accountant registered in South Africa. Hannah is the Co-Chair of 100 Women in Finance’s Impact Committee.

Nimesh Kumar

Nimesh Kumar

EY

Nimesh is a Manager in the EY New York Financial Services practice with over seven years of audit experience. Throughout his time at EY, Nimesh has served a broad range of clients within the Asset Management industry, primarily listed clients, privately owned managers and funds with diverse strategies across various asset classes. He has demonstrated an ability to successfully lead global audit teams and specializes in both US and UK reporting.

Prior to his current role, Nimesh was previously part of EY London’s assurance practice.

Nimesh is a Chartered Accountant (ICAEW).

Home Insititute:ICAEW

Becky Linnett

Becky Linnett

Grant Thornton

Becky is a Partner of Grant Thornton LLP, a global organization of independent audit, tax and advisory firms. Becky believes passionately in client service and brings extensive experience to the industries she serves. These include asset management, mortgage banking, specialty lending, broker-dealers and other financial services companies. Becky serves both public and private companies and is well-versed in SEC rules and requirements. Becky provides her clients with guidance and insights based on an understanding of their strategy, culture, industry and business objectives, in a manner consistent with Grant Thornton and professional standards.

Becky is both a Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Accountant with the ICAEW. She received her BA Hons in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Oxford in England.

Home Institute:ICAEW

Patrick Davies-Griffith

Patrick Davies-Griffith

KPMG

Patrick is a Senior Manager in the KPMG New York Financial Services practice with over ten years of consulting, advisory and audit experience. Throughout his time at KPMG, Patrick has demonstrated an ability to successfully lead as evident by managing cross-functional business teams; advising internal and external stakeholders, and implementing practical solutions to identified business risks.

Patrick was previously a Manager in KPMG Australia’s advisory practice and began his career in the assurance and risk practice, specializing in treasury, financial management, and risk and regulatory reporting.

Patrick is a Chartered Accountant (Australia) and a Certified Public Accountant (New York).

Home Institute:CA ANZ

Kornelia Maria Pralat

Kornelia Pralat

PwC

Kornelia is a Manager at Audit practice at PwC New York where she has been working in the Consumer and Industrial Products and Services team. Her experience coupled with her strong technical knowledge and motivation to learn allows her to work in a collaborative manner with both clients and colleagues. Kornelia’s goal is to drive improvement in audit approaches including through the use of technology-enabled solutions, efficient service delivery and also while helping members of her team to progress their professional development.

Before joining PwC US Kornelia was part of the PwC UK assurance practice in Scotland primarily focusing on the oil & gas sector. She is a Chartered Accountant (CA) with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and a graduate of the University of Aberdeen.

Home Institute:ICAS

John McCourt

John McCourt

RSM US LLP

John is a Partner of RSM US LLP, a leading provider of consulting, audit and tax services focused on the middle market, with 14,700 professionals in 82 U.S. cities and six locations in Canada. We are the U.S. member of RSM International, a global network of independent audit, tax and consulting firms with 51,000 people across 123 countries.

John leads the Ireland Practice in the US and with his other Country Practice leaders, is responsible for helping our globally active middle market clients navigate the regulatory, business, economic and geopolitical climate wherever they currently operate or seek to do business. John believes that the Chartered Accountant designation aligns with the global needs of our clients we serve.

A Chartered Accountant (FCA) with Chartered Accountants Ireland, John is also a Certified Public Accountant (Virginia) (CPA), a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and certified in financial forensics (CFF) and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Economics and Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting from Queens University, Belfast.

Daniel Shafrir

Daniel Shafrir

CFGI

I lead the National IT Risk Advisory Practice at CFGI. We support our clients with:
» their IT SOX controls, ensuring they are effectively in place and operational;
» their Internal Audit requirements;
» their path to IT process improvement;
» a wide range of their cybersecurity needs;
» preparation for SOC 1, SOC 2, or other attestations;
» education on blockchain and identifying areas for disruption through this novel technology; and
» understanding CCPA and GDPR implications and ensuring compliance with the regulations and other data protection/privacy needs.

Home Institute:ICAS

Alan Fagan

Alan Fagan

Cross Country Consulting

Alan is a Director with CrossCountry Consulting in New York, leading their FinTech offering as part of the Financial Services practice. Alan works with Fintech companies at all stages of funding and growth from Series A through IPO and beyond on a range of topics including Finance Transformation, IPO Readiness, Process Optimization and Automation, Technology Solutions, Risk, Internal Audit and Accounting policy.  Alan also leads CrossCountry’s Regulatory Compliance practice in New York covering topics including AML, CCAR, Operational Resiliency and LIBOR transition.

Alan is a Chartered Accountant (ACA) with Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Ryan Clacher

Siegfried Group

Ryan is an Associate Director at The Siegfried Group, where he works to create compelling relationships with leading financial executives, serving as a Leadership Advisor, to help them become more successful leaders in their organizations. He is also responsible for partnering with clients on important accounting and finance projects.

Ryan holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from the University of Cape Town and Honors in Accounting from the University of South Africa. He is a Chartered Accountant and a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants. Before taking on this role in July 2020 he was co-chapter head of the CAW Network USA New York Metro chapter.

If you would like to add your firm and a contact here, please contact [email protected]

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