BDO Canada LLP is pleased to announce the appointment of its executive leadership team (ELT) effective September 1, 2022. Guided by market realities and shifts in the environment today, the ELT has been strategically selected to drive the continued growth and evolution of the firm towards long-term success.
Service Line Leaders will continue to be responsible for leading and managing the operations of BDO Canada's Assurance, Tax, Advisory and Infinity service lines. Three new roles, identified as Strategic Enablers, have been created to drive the firm's brand, talent, culture and innovation agendas.
The following managing partners will report to Bruno Suppa, CEO, and Dave Simkins, who will continue as COO of BDO Canada:
Jeanny Gu, Service Line Leader for Assurance, will drive the Assurance practice forward through managing operations, delivering quality service to clients, and collaborating with the Managing Partners to ensure strategic alignment. Previously, Jeanny was a partner in BDO's Accounting and Assurance practice in the Greater Toronto Area. She brings more than 17 years of client-serving experience in providing audit and other assurance services to public companies and institutional clients.
Rachel Gervais, Service Line Leader for Tax, will be responsible for leading and driving strategic growth for tax services. Previously, Rachel was the Tax Service Line Leader for the Greater Toronto Area, and the Private Wealth and Tax Service Line Talent Leader nationally at BDO Canada. As a member of the firm's Tax Service Line Leadership Team, she was responsible for successfully executing the firm's strategy and vision by building and growing the best mid-market tax practice across the GTA.
Jeff Chapman, Service Line Leader for Advisory, will contribute to the development and execution of the firm's vision, goals and strategy by leading and managing the operations for all advisory service offerings across the country. He leads and works with a diverse team to implement a data driven and evidence-based market strategy, tailored to meeting the needs of our people and clients for today and tomorrow. Previously, Jeff was the National Service Line Leader of our Financial Advisory Services group where he tripled the size of the business unit over his leadership tenure.
Bob Lawrence, Service Line Leader for Infinity, is the first senior leader of this service line. Bob works closely with his team to develop a detailed strategy, including operational alignment with technology and market opportunities. Infinity is a tailored approach to support businesses through CFO and controllership services, cloud accounting services, and financial reporting and insights. Previously, Bob was the Office Managing Partner (OMP) of BDO's Manitoba Office. He has over 25 years of experience providing Assurance & Accounting services to a wide range of owner-managed business clients.
The following roles have been created to address market shifts and to demonstrate the importance of these areas to BDO:
Mike Abbott, Managing Partner of Markets and Industry, will manage a team of market leaders across the country who leverage marketing, sales, and industry resources to develop go-to-market strategies based on evolving trends. His team connects the firm's service offerings to new opportunities. Previously, Mike was BDO's Ottawa Office Managing Partner (OMP) and has more than 25 years of experience providing advisory services to private and public companies and public sector organizations. His industry client experience includes technology, public sector, natural resources, and transportation sectors.
Kerri Plexman, Managing Partner of Talent and Culture, will lead a team dedicated to our people – BDO partners and staff – our key differentiator of how we stand out from the rest. Her role will continue to drive our culture forward, with a strategy dedicated specifically to putting our people first. This will include collaborating with the Managing Partners to understand our people's needs across the country. Previously, Kerri was BDO's GTA Office Managing Partner (OMP) leading a large team of partners and staff. As an Accounting and Assurance Partner, Kerri served clients ranging from mid-sized businesses to more complex, publicly listed organizations.
Sonia Edmonds, ;Managing Partner of Innovation and Change, will lead the firm's business evolution agenda to explore, invent and implement new ideas to drive growth. This includes collaborating with service lines to transform current service delivery methods, reinventing internal operations and ideating to develop services of the future. Previously, Sonia was the National Managing Partner of BDO's Consulting Service Lines, leading a team of over 600 professionals focused on Management Consulting, Risk Advisory Services and Technology Consulting. She has over 25 years of Finance & Operations experience and over 20 years of Technology Consulting experience.
“It continues to be an exciting time for our firm and having this diverse group of individuals at the leadership table means we have the bench strength to anticipate the needs of a rapidly evolving market as we continue to build on our 100-year history of delivering exceptional client experiences,” says Bruno Suppa, CEO of BDO Canada. “This is a team of strategic thinkers and effective communicators who will drive our value and reputation by focusing on innovation and delivering quality work. I am very excited to collaborate with each one of them and look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together as we continue on this trajectory of growth.”