Grant Thornton US has appointed Arla Lach as market managing partner for Chicago, effective June 1.
Lach, who has been with the accounting and consulting firm for nearly 25 years, will oversee Chicago and Downers Grove office locations with a combined team of nearly 1,000 professionals.
She succeeds Mark Sullivan, who is retiring after a decades-long professional services career, including over 14 years with Grant Thornton.
Since joining the firm in 1999, Lach has held several leadership roles, including spending two years as chief of staff to the CEO. She most recently served as Midwest geography leader, overseeing audit work for all clients in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Wisconsin. Before that, Lach was leader of the audit practice in Chicago.
She has bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Illinois CPA Society, and the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).
Lach was in 2022 was named a “Notable Gen X Leader in Accounting” by Crain’s Chicago Business.
“From her unparalleled client service to her knack for mentoring and motivating our people, Arla has made a tremendous impact on our firm and our Chicago headquarters,”
said Nichole Jordan, national managing partner for geography.
“I’m looking forward to working alongside her as we drive more growth in the Chicago market and provide truly distinctive experiences to our clients across all industries.”
Grant Thornton recently marked a significant milestone in its history by agreeing to sell a majority stake to private equity firm New Mountain Capital.
The firm is also celebrating its 100th year in business this summer.
“As a lifelong Chicagoan, I take immense pride in providing our city’s businesses a level of service they can’t get anywhere else,”
Lach said.
“That’s why I’m eager to help our talented professionals exceed our clients’ expectations in every way possible.”
Sourced from: Consulting US