CrossCountry appoints Neil Smith and Amy Bjarnason as co-CEOs

CrossCountry Consulting, a McLean, VA-headquartered management consultancy, has promoted co-presidents Neil Smith and Amy Bjarnason to co-CEOs, effective June 15.

Smith and Bjarnason will succeed Erik Linn, who has led CrossCountry since co-founding it in 2011. Linn will transition to executive chairman, focusing on long-term strategic positioning, partner recruiting, and strategic acquisitions.

Smith and Bjarnason have served as co-presidents since 2025. As co-CEOs, they will jointly oversee firmwide strategy and key decisions, with Smith focusing on the advisory practice and Bjarnason overseeing operations.

Smith has 25+ years of experience helping clients optimize operations, finance, and accounting functions. He joined the firm in 2011 as a partner and has led the consulting practice since 2025.

Before that, Smith was a principal at Heartwood Consulting, a manager at CapAdvisory, and a senior consultant at BearingPoint and Arthur Andersen Business Consulting.

Bjarnason has 30+ years of experience in consulting, operations, and finance. She joined CrossCountry in 2012 as chief operating officer.

Before that, Bjarnason was director of operations at Navigant and director of operations for the mid-Atlantic region at EY.

“Elevating Neil and Amy to Co-CEOs is a natural progression that recognizes their outstanding leadership and collaborative dynamic,” said Linn. “This structure allows us to capitalize on their complementary skillsets and diverse perspectives, leading to sharper decision-making.”

CrossCountry has over 1,600 global employees, according to LinkedIn. The firm provides corporate and private equity clients with services in accounting advisory, business transformation, corporate transactions, risk and compliance, technology, cybersecurity, and data and analytics.

CrossCountry earlier this year acquired California firms CNM and CDS.