BDO USA, LLP Announces Appointment of ESG Strategy and Services Leader and Launch of ESG Center of Excellence

CHICAGO, January 11, 2022− BDO USA, LLP, one of the nation’s leading accounting and advisory firms, today announced the appointment of Partner and Executive Team Member Christopher Tower as the firm’s first environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy and services leader, as well as the launch of its ESG Center of Excellence. Tower’s appointment was effective September 1, 2021.
 
In this role, Tower will oversee the firm’s ESG strategy, integrating sustainable business practices into the firm’s culture and operations, while also curating a range of service offerings and solutions to help clients advance their own ESG journeys. Most recently, Tower served as BDO USA’s national managing partner for Audit Quality and the Professional Practice.
 
“As we work to advance BDO’s ESG journey, prioritizing ESG as a key component of the firm’s strategic vision for the future is the right thing to do in order to promote purposeful, sustainable and agile business for BDO and our clients,” said Tower. “We are committed to making ESG synonymous with BDO, ensuring that sustainable business practices are integrated into everything we do to make sure the firm acts as a force of change for good.”
 
The launch of BDO USA’s ESG Center of Excellence and the formation of an ESG leadership team brings together the firm’s ESG-related service offerings under one holistic umbrella. The Center provides BDO clients and professionals access to ESG technical subject matter knowledge and solutions. The ESG leadership team, comprising senior leaders across the firm, provides strategic oversight of the Center, the firm’s internal focus on ESG and the delivery of ESG services and solutions to BDO’s clients.
 
The appointment of Tower, along with the creation of the ESG Center of Excellence, marks a milestone for BDO’s commitment to ESG as a business strategy and directly supports the firm’s core purpose of Helping People Thrive Every Day.
 
“Christopher Tower’s assurance experience and background, combined with his personal passion for environmental and social causes, makes him the ideal leader to oversee our firm’s ESG efforts and initiatives,” said Wayne Berson, CEO of BDO USA. “As trusted advisors to the middle market, we can have a significant impact in our communities by not only further integrating ESG into our own culture and operations but at the same time helping our clients build long-term resilience by integrating ESG into their own business models.”
 
To further advance the firm’s ESG strategy, BDO has established several new roles. Partner Karen Baum has been named ESG solutions leader and will spearhead the firm’s ESG client service offerings. Senior Director Cara Mooses has been named corporate ESG strategy leader and will oversee the integration of ESG into BDO’s business strategy and operations. Additionally, James Fountain recently joined BDO as senior director of ESG solutions, where he will provide strategic and technical guidance to clients and BDO professionals on ESG-related client projects.

BDO USA is proud to serve as an established advisor on ESG to its clients. The firm is fully committed to furthering its own ESG work and advancing and evolving its approach to contribute to the transparency of business, reduction of environmental impact across industries and betterment of society.

 

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About BDO USA  

BDO is the brand name for BDO USA, LLP, a U.S. professional services firm providing assurance, tax, and advisory services to a wide range of publicly traded and privately held companies. For more than 100 years, BDO has provided quality service through the active involvement of skilled and committed professionals. The firm serves clients through more than 70 offices and over 750 independent alliance firm locations nationwide. As an independent Member Firm of BDO International Limited, BDO serves multi-national clients through a global network of more than 97,000 people working out of over 1,700 offices across 167 countries.
 
BDO USA, LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership, is the U.S. member of BDO International Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, and forms part of the international BDO network of independent member firms. BDO is the brand name for the BDO network and for each of the BDO Member Firms. For more information please visit: www.bdo.com.