Professionals on the Move – Aug. 2022

Professionals on the Move is a round-up of recent promotions and hiring announcements in and around the accounting profession.

Green Joins CohnReznick as Commercial Real Estate Tax Partner

CohnReznick LLP, one of the leading advisory, assurance, and tax firms in the United States, recently announced that Arkadiy (Eric) Green, CPA,has joined the firm as a tax partner in its Commercial Real Estate practice. Based in Miami, Green has deep expertise in complex transaction structuring and planning involving taxation of real estate partnerships and investment funds, real estate investment trusts, corporate and international entities, and high-net-worth individuals.

Green’s tax experience includes partnership and LLC taxation; real estate investment trusts; acquisition and disposition due diligence; real estate deal structuring and joint ventures; corporate taxation; and inbound and outbound international taxation.

Before joining CohnReznick, Green was a Director of Tax Services for a major public accounting firm in Florida. In this role, he advised a variety of real estate clients and served as a firm-wide subject matter expert in the areas of REIT, real estate, and partnership taxation.

Green earned a BBA in Accounting and an MS in Taxation from the University of Washington – Seattle. He is fluent in Russian.

Wissink Joins CohnReznick as Technology+ Principal

CohnReznick LLP, one of the leading advisory, assurance, and tax firms in the United States, recently announced that Jeffrey (Jeff) Wissink has joined the firm as a principal in its Technology+ practice and will serve as the firm’s Cannabis and Consumer Products Advisory Leader. Based in Chicago, Wissink is a highly knowledgeable strategy, operations, and technology professional with more than two decades of experience as a founder, C-suite executive, and management consultant.

Wissink’s advisory experience spans multiple industry sectors with a heavy concentration in retail, consumer products, media and entertainment, SaaS, education technology, and recurring revenue/subscription businesses.

Before joining CohnReznick, Wissink was the chief operating officer for an early-stage, vertically integrated cannabis company. In this role, he was responsible for new product development/launch, wholesale and retail sales, human resources, FP&A, and information technology, including designing and implementing a scalable system stack, upgrading existing systems, integrations, and internal service levels. Prior to that, Wissink was a 25-year management consulting veteran, having founded, grown, and exited two such organizations.

Wissink earned a BA in Economics from Northwestern University and an MBA in Marketing, Management & Strategy, and Entrepreneurship from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

KPMG Names Diane Swonk Chief Economist

KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm, has named Diane Swonk – a prominent economist, recognized industry voice and sought-after business advisor – as Chief Economist. Swonk, based in Chicago, will lead the firm’s Office of the Chief Economist, which provides deep insights to clients on the economy and how it impacts strategy, growth and operations.

Swonk joins KPMG from Grant Thornton LLP, where she served as chief economist. She has more than three decades of experience in financial services and consulting and serves as an advisor to the Federal Reserve and its regional banks. Swonk also serves on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce economic advisory board and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Diane is deeply committed to educational attainment and diversifying the ranks of leadership. She serves on the board of the Posse Foundation in Chicago, an education and leadership program and has worked extensively with the Yale Dyslexia and Creative Institute. She just joined the Harris Policy School Council at the University of Chicago after serving for 15 years on the Council for Booth School of Business, and also serves on the board of the Foundation for the National Association for Business Economics (NABE).

She advises the University of Michigan Economics Department, where she earned her B.A. and M.A. in economics with top honors. She earned an MBA in finance and strategic planning with top honors from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

FORVIS Welcomes Rob Hartnett as New Partner in Washington, D.C.

FORVIS recently announced Rob Hartnett has joined the firm’s tax practice, focused on serving private equity funds. Based in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area, Hartnett has more than 25 years of experience providing tax consulting services in the asset management industry specializing in the taxation and structuring of investment partnerships, including private equity funds, venture capital funds and hedge funds.

In his new role at FORVIS, he will work closely with both the national private equity practice and the asset management team to help clients with the strategy, compliance, formation & structuring through to liquidation of funds, state taxes and tax law, U.S. tax withholding, taxation of financial products and fund transactions.      

Prior to joining the firm, Hartnett worked in the asset management practice at an international firm in metro D.C. and Denver. He is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, Virginia Society of CPAs and the New York State Society of CPAs. In the D.C. community, he is very involved with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Hartnett received a bachelor of science degree in accounting from the University of Delaware and is a licensed CPA in New Jersey, New York, Delaware and Virginia.