NEW YORK (May 11, 2021) – Leading advisory CPA firm Baker Tilly US, LLP (Baker Tilly) appoints Principal Shanté George as chief of staff to help drive the firm’s strategic direction and enterprise initiatives as well as support executive leadership and operations. Effective June 1, George will succeed Jacqueline Wiggins who transitioned to the firm’s chief strategy officer and joined the firm’s senior leadership team.
“Business can’t stand still. We’re focused on helping our clients prepare for what’s next by building the advisory CPA firm of the future, today,” said Baker Tilly CEO Alan Whitman. “Shanté’s multi-faceted experience and forward-thinking leadership will enable those efforts by facilitating collaboration and execution across our firm.”
George joined Baker Tilly’s bankruptcy and restructuring services in 2016 and was promoted to partner in 2019. She has wide-ranging experience leading teams in providing financial and strategic advisory services to clients in the areas of financial and operational restructurings, large-scale forensic investigations and M&A due diligence.
“Baker Tilly has grown tremendously from the firm it was when I joined five years ago. This transformation has been fueled by its eye toward the future and unrelenting focus on innovation,” George said. “I’m honored to have the opportunity to help execute Baker Tilly’s strategy to benefit our clients and our team members.”
As Baker Tilly’s chief of staff, George will serve as an advisor to the CEO, influencing Baker Tilly’s strategic initiatives and key business decisions. She will be point of contact for internal and external constituencies on major matters pertaining to the firm’s senior leadership team. She will translate strategic priorities into actionable and qualitative plans aligned to the CEO’s agenda for organizational growth and transformation. George also will be the North American regional liaison for the Baker Tilly Network, leading coordination and collaboration with U.S. member firms as Whitman assumes his new role as BTI chairman in October 2021.
George holds leadership roles on Baker Tilly’s Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging for Success steering committee and as partner liaison for NexGen, Baker Tilly’s signature initiative that raises the voices and visibility of emerging leaders and connects its workplace across generations to support and learn from each other. She has been named to Crain’s New York Business Notable Women in Accounting and Consulting list and received “40 under 40” honors from M&A Advisor, the American Bankruptcy Institute and the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts, respectively. George is active in the New York community serving as a board member for various nonprofit organizations, including the board of directors for MADE Transitional Services and Headstart of Rockland.
Baker Tilly US, LLP (Baker Tilly) is a leading advisory CPA firm, providing clients with a genuine coast-to-coast and global advantage in major regions of the U.S. and in many of the world’s leading financial centers – New York, London, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago. Baker Tilly is an independent member of Baker Tilly International, a worldwide network of independent accounting and business advisory firms in 148 territories, with 36,000 professionals and a combined worldwide revenue of $4.0 billion. Visit bakertilly.com or join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.