The Canadian branch of professional services network Baker Tilly has appointed its first ever CEO to help drive greater alignment among its members, with the Australian Ben Lloyd landing the top job.
Ben Lloyd has been appointed as the first ever CEO of Baker Tilly in Canada, where he has been tasked with driving growth and greater alignment among the local network’s sixty-odd offices.
The advisory industry veteran joins the firm from the United Kingdom and will be based in Vancouver, a city he’s familiar with from a period of residence in the 90s, having then kicked off his career on the back of an international business masters at Melbourne University.
Lloyd takes on his new role after serving for the past six and a half years as Baker Tilly International’s Chief Operations Officer out of London, before which he spent a similar period as regional director for the Asia Pacific from his home-base in Melbourne.
Lloyd first joined Baker Tilly’s Australian affiliate Pitcher Partners in 2003 as a director of national operations, earlier spending time at PwC and then IBM Consulting following its 2002 purchase of PwC’s consulting business.
“Our network’s growth and continued evolution remain key priorities, which led us to create the new CEO position at the national level,” said Scott Dupuis, chair of Baker Tilly’s board of directors since the start of last year. “Ben brings both an international and network-focused understanding to our organisation. The opportunities for growth at Baker Tilly Canada are limitless, and Ben’s arrival is reflective of our commitment to this philosophy.”
Lloyd was especially noted for his experience in international business, strategic planning and change management. In addition to driving consensus and alignment with local member firms on national-level strategy, the new CEO will look to expand the Canadian network’s services portfolio beyond its core lines in audit, tax and accounting, with digital transformation, cloud-based solutions, wealth management and corporate finance cited as key growth areas.
“There’s more runway to explore,” Lloyd said, commenting on his appointment. “Having a dedicated CEO leading the Canadian networks strategy implementation is an important leap forward, as allowing our partners and people to focus on what they do best will help us break new ground and achieve our growth aspirations. For anyone accustomed to seeking out value for clients, it’s clear we live in an exciting time with many new opportunities.”
During his time as CCO, Lloyd is credited with working closely with Baker Tilly International CEO Francesca Lagerberg – and her Dutch predecessor Ted Verkade – on the development and implementation of the global network’s strategy and operational well-being, with overall responsibility for services and industries, business development, learning, communications and marketing, and finances and legal among other functional areas.
Sourced from Consultancy.com.au