Mazars USA Expands Consulting & Advisory Practice with Admission of National Practice Group Leader Rob Kastenschmidt, and Cybersecurity Practice Leader Atif Ghauri

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Sep 06, 2018, 12:42 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazars USA LLP, a leading accounting, tax, and consulting firm, today announced two significant additions to its fast-growing Consulting & Advisory Practice with the admission to the partnership of Rob Kastenschmidt, who will be the new National Consulting & Advisory Practice Group Leader, and Atif Ghauri, who will be Cybersecurity Practice Leader. With long and successful track records of leadership, both Rob and Atif will be valuable additions to the firm's strategic plans and its clients across industries.

"Our Consulting & Advisory Practice is our fastest growing practice, having experienced tremendous, exponential growth over the past five years," noted Mazars USA Chairman & CEO Victor Wahba. "This has previously been in banking, healthcare, insurance, and the life sciences, but we're now seeing the same kind of need in digital assets and cybersecurity."

He continued, "As such, we're getting out ahead of client needs by building on our already substantial capabilities in these areas. The caliber of Rob and Atif's experience and leadership is going to make a major difference for the success of the companies they help. They're not only leaders in our firm, but experts in their fields."

Rob, as the new National Consulting & Advisory Practice Leader, will be based in Houston. His addition represents a major step forward for the firm as it expands the practice to a higher tier in strategic markets throughout the country.

Noted Rob, "Driven in part by ongoing regulatory changes and emerging technologies, our clients are coping with a rapidly changing business environment, which makes their ability to access our consulting services crucial across all industries. I believe that Mazars USA's insight will be critical for helping our clients achieve sustainable success and I'm excited to have a role in what I am confident will be a tremendous period of growth for this practice. I look forward to taking Mazars' Consulting & Advisory capabilities to the next level nationally."

Rob possesses over 20 years of experience providing transformational consulting offerings, maximizing client experience/loyalty and innovative go-to market strategies, he will be a significant and valued asset to Mazars. Having started his career with the Big 4, he has held many leadership roles and most recently was the Global Consulting leader for one of the largest National & International public accounting firms. Rob earned his undergraduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin and holds many accreditations and licenses such as CPA, CMA, CFM, CRMA, and CGMA and Six-Sigma Green Belt.

Atif joins Mazars USA as the Cybersecurity Practice Leader. Most recently Atif held the position of SVP of Security for the Herjavec Group, where he was primarily responsible for revenue growth, customer engagement and service development of the firm's Managed Security Services business line. With over 15 years of experience in technology strategy, technical operations, and business development at IBM, Unisys, and Comcast, he will be additive to our clients in providing more solution-based services.

"The entire economy has changed over the past few decades and continues to be increasingly digital," said Atif. "I'm impressed with Mazars' commitment to building their capabilities in this area, from the recent formation of the Digital Asset Group, to their ongoing investment in Cybersecurity resources. The frequency and magnitude of cyber-attacks disrupting business is staggering. Businesses are facing significant financial loss, brand degradation, and compliance penalties and need a trusted advisor."

"The digital economy isn't going anywhere," added Victor Wahba. "We're committed to delivering the expertise our clients need."

Atif is located in the firm's Pennsylvania Office. He earned his undergraduate degree from Penn State University and holds a Master of Technology Management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

About Mazars USA LLP

About Mazars USA
Mazars USA LLP is a high-performing accounting, tax and consulting firm with significant national presence in strategic US geographies. Since 1921, our dedicated professionals have leveraged technical industry expertise to develop customized solutions for clients, create value, and Optimize their performance. We offer a broad array of industry specialists providing services to growth-oriented enterprises and individuals. As the independent US member firm of Mazars Group, we deliver seamless access to the expertise of 20,000 professionals in 86 countries.

At local and global levels, we are proud of our value-added services, building lasting relationships with our clients and communities. For more information, visit us at www.mazarsusa.com.

For more information, contact:
Mazars USA LLP
Beth More, 732-205-2012
[email protected]

Makovsky
Ben Jaffe, 212-508-9646
[email protected]

SOURCE Mazars USA LLP