Deloitte US makes series of executive appointments

Deloitte has appointed Lara Abrash as chair and CEO of Deloitte & Touche LLP, leading the US firm’s audit and assurance practice. Dan Helfrich, meanwhile, has been named chairman and CEO of Deloitte Consulting LLP, and John Peirson has been appointed CEO of Deloitte Risk and Financial Advisory. The appointments take effect June 2, 2019.

Last year, it was announced that CEO Cathy Engelbert was not selected for a second four-year term by Deloitte’s board of directors. Instead, Joseph Ucuzoglu, the head of Deloitte US’ audit and assurance practice, was nominated as the next CEO of Deloitte US.

Engelbert became the first female chief executive officer of a US Big Four firm when she started as CEO in 2015. One term CEOs have been the norm at Deloitte for the past 20 years, according the consultancy.

Janet Foutty, the head of Deloitte Consulting, was also chosen as the new chair of Deloitte US. She replaces outgoing chairman Mike Fucci. Foutty and Ucuzoglu take on their new positions at the head of the Big Four firm in June.

Deloitte has now announced the replacements for the roles vacated by Ucuzoglu and Foutty. Lara Abrash will take over as the head of the US audit and assurance practice, while Dan Helfrich will become the new head of Deloitte Consulting. John Peirson, meanwhile, will head Deloitte Risk and Financial Advisory.

Abrash has over 25 years of experience in public accounting, including 15 years as a partner at Deloitte. She was previously the deputy CEO of the US audit and assurance practice, where she oversaw business strategy and digital transformation within the practice. Before that, Abrash was national managing partner of audit innovation and client service delivery, and COO of the audit and assurance practice. She also previously served as partner-in-charge of the New Jersey audit practice.

Abrash holds an MBA from Baruch College and a BA in economics from the University of Albany, and is a licensed CPA in New York and New Jersey.

Helfrich, who has been with the firm for more than 20 years, is currently a principal at Deloitte Consulting, where he leads the government & public services practice’s 13,000 professionals across engagements with state, local, and federal government, non-profits, and higher education. Helfrich is also the chief strategy and transformation officer at Deloitte Consulting.

Over his career, Helfrich has headed large customer-centric transformations in the public sector, including the formation of the TSA. He has also led complex technology and transformation projects for the states of Michigan and Ohio, and numerous government agencies. He holds an MBA and BS in international economics from Georgetown University.

Peirson, who has over 30 years of experience advising clients on financial and regulatory matters, is currently the chief operating officer for Deloitte Consulting. A partner at the firm for the past 17 years, Peirson was previously the COO for Risk and Financial Advisory, and the deputy CFO of Deloitte US.

He started his career at Arthur Andersen, where he rose to the level of partner. He holds a BBA in accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"Lara, Dan, and John are visionary leaders with proven track records of serving our clients with distinction and driving transformative, technology-driven change," Ucuzoglu said. "Each of these leaders is well-positioned to drive Deloitte's continued marketplace leadership across our practices as we deliver innovative offerings and solutions that further enhance the value we deliver to our diverse stakeholders."