Frazier & Deeter, a Top 50 accounting and advisory firm with offices in the US and the UK, announced today several changes to its senior leadership team. The firm has added new roles of Chief Strategy Officer and National Service Line Leader, while also separating the CFO and COO roles.
“Frazier & Deeter has grown dramatically over the past ten years, adding many new services while also vastly expanding our geographic footprint,” noted Managing Partner Seth McDaniel. “With 60+ partners serving clients around the world, we recognized the need to add roles that will help support innovation and client service as we continue to grow at a rapid pace.”
John Hightower has been named Chief Strategy Officer. His responsibilities include driving the strategic planning process, translating strategy across the firm, implementing strategic growth initiatives and driving organizational excellence and change.
Hightower will remain the CEO of Arch + Tower, an FD Company, which became part of the FD brand portfolio in late 2019. Arch + Tower is a boutique, organizational strategy consulting firm focused on helping organizations win by understanding the needs of their customers, unlocking the full potential of their employees, and removing operational barriers.
“Frazier & Deeter has a tremendous reputation for building relationships with clients through excellent service,” said Hightower. “Our focus moving ahead is to maintain our service standards while providing our clients with the best experience to become the employer of choice in our industry.”
Jeremy Jones has been named the National Service Line Leader, providing additional leadership to the Tax, Assurance, Transaction Advisory and Process, Risk & Governance teams. As National Service Line Leader, Jones will be responsible for executing the firm’s strategy across departments, ensuring excellence in relationship management and client service, driving operational efficiencies and nurturing innovation across all service lines. Jones was previously the national leader for the firm’s Assurance & Advisory practice.
“I am excited to bring focus on nurturing innovation and thought leadership while sustaining exceptional quality,” noted Jones. “As our firm continues to expand services, we understand the need to support a balance of innovation and performance quality.”
“These new roles have been designed to reinforce the elements of the Frazier & Deeter brand that we consider the foundation of our culture – People, Entrepreneurial Spirit, Accessibility and Quality,” noted McDaniel. “Those are the core values that helped us build a brand known for innovation and client service, and investing in these roles will help us deliver on our brand promise of Investing In Relationships to Make a Difference.”
With Jones moving into a new role, Sean Lager has been named the national leader for Assurance services. Lager is an Audit Partner with the firm who has been instrumental in the growth of the technology, accounting advisory and international service lines.
Shawn Fowler has been named the Chief Financial Officer. He is a Partner that started his public accounting career with Frazier & Deeter in 1988 after graduating from Georgia Tech.
“I am honored and humbled to serve the firm in this role while continuing to serve our outstanding clients,” noted Shawn.
Jeremy Sperring will continue to serve as the firm’s Chief Operating Officer and the leader of the Tax practice. Sabrina Serafin will continue to serve as the firm’s national leader for Process, Risk & Governance.