News
- Peter Stefanou, Managing Partner of Russell Bedford Stefanou Mirchandani LLP, elected to serve on IFAC Transnational Auditors Committee
- Russell Bedford named among first full members of Forum of Firms after meeting international quality and ethics requirements
- Cooney Carey joins Russell Bedford as member firm in Dublin, Ireland
- RBSM LLP announces additional management personnel
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02-NOV-2004
Peter Stefanou, Managing Partner of Russell Bedford Stefanou Mirchandani LLP, elected to serve on IFAC Transnational Auditors Committee
NEW YORK, 02-Nov-2004: The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) has announced the outcome of an election to choose new members of its Transnational Auditors Committee (TAC). The results include the election of first-time nominee Peter Stefanou CPA, managing partner of Russell Bedford Stefanou Mirchandani LLP and a director of worldwide accounting group Russell Bedford International, as an 'alternate' on the committee.
As well as being a standing committee of IFAC, the TAC is the executive arm of the Forum of Firms (FoF) - an association of the world's leading international accounting firms and networks that promotes an international quality standard for transnational audit practices. The composition of the TAC reflects FoF membership, with representatives from large, medium and small member firms.
In his role as an alternate committee member, Peter Stefanou will attend and participate in all the upcoming TAC meetings. He is also entitled to vote in the absence of the designated voting representative, as stipulated in the FoF constitution. Mr. Stefanou will serve on the TAC for a two-year term. His term took effect on 11 November 2004 following the conclusion of the IFAC Council meeting.
Peter Stefanou has over 26 years' experience in providing audit, accounting, tax and consulting services to businesses in the USA, Canada, Europe and Asia. His focus is on start-up to medium-size companies seeking public listing in the USA. He is a licensed CPA with an MBA in finance.
For further information, please contact pstefanou@rbsmllp.com
22-JAN-2008
Russell Bedford named among first full members of Forum of Firms after meeting international quality and ethics requirements
Russell Bedford International has been named one of the first full members of the Forum of Firms after reporting it has implemented a globally coordinated quality assurance programme, committed to the use of International Standards on Auditing (ISAs), and met other specific ethics requirements.
16 other international networks of accounting firms also achieved full member status, the first group to do so since the Forum was formally established in 2002.
“At Russell Bedford International, we are delighted to have passed all the Forum’s membership tests and to have been accepted as a member of an exclusive group of 17 of the world’s leading audit networks,” said chairman Geoff Goodyear. “It has taken four years of dedicated effort and a significant financial investment to develop and implement our globally-coordinated audit quality control system. I am pleased to say our efforts have been rewarded. This success should now bring far-reaching benefits, in particular the ability to compete internationally in a narrower market and with greater recognition of our ability to provide a high quality global service to clients.”
The Forum of Firms is an association of international networks of accounting firms. These firms perform audits of financial statements that are or may be used across national borders. The Forum’s goal is to promote consistent and high quality standards of financial reporting and auditing practices worldwide. It conducts its business through its executive committee, the Transnational Auditors Committee (TAC), which is also a committee of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). Peter Stefanou, a director of Russell Bedford International and managing partner of New York based member firm RBSM LLP, is an alternate member of the TAC, having served since 2004.
In order to achieve full membership status, Russell Bedford International had to demonstrate that it had met the Forum’s membership obligations, which require members to:
- Maintain appropriate quality control standards in accordance with International Standards on Quality Control issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) in addition to relevant national quality control standards and conduct, to the extent not prohibited by national regulation, regular globally coordinated internal quality assurance reviews;
- Have policies and methodologies for the conduct of such audits that are based, to the extent practicable, on ISAs issued by the IAASB; and
- Have policies and methodologies which conform to the IFAC Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants and national codes of ethics.
Russell Bedford International originally joined the Forum as a provisional member. As of January 2008, of the 21 Forum members, 17 are full members and 4 are provisional members. The Forum’s remaining provisional members are working toward becoming full members in 2008.
As a full member of the Forum, Russell Bedford International is entitled to indicate Forum membership on its website, on its letterhead and in its publications.
28-DEC-2007
Cooney Carey joins Russell Bedford as member firm in Dublin, Ireland
Cooney Carey - a leading firm of Chartered Accountants, Taxation and Business Consultants - has joined Russell Bedford International as the international network's new member in Dublin, Ireland.
Cooney Carey was established in 1983, initially as a consulting and corporate recovery practice. It has subsequently diversified into auditing, taxation and business advisory services.
The firm has some 40 personnel led by five principals.
The managing partner, Tony Carey, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and has over 25 years’ experience in corporate finance and business advisory services. He spent a number of years as chief financial officer in a large private concern, gaining valuable practical experience. His specialist areas include strategic planning, partnership in decision-making issues, project funding and negotiation.
Paul Leonard is a partner with joint responsibility for audit services. He has over fifteen years’ experience in the area. He directs the audits of some of the largest private companies in the country plus the audits of clients of a large international bank. Paul has led many consulting projects, specialising in investigative type assignments.
Des McCann is the other partner with joint responsibility for audit services. He has experience varying from small business audits to the audits of companies quoted on both the London and Dublin stock exchanges. He has responsibility for financial services clients including ‘UCITS’ and pension funds. Des has completed consultancy assignments on behalf of the European Commission, and his portfolio includes a variety of clients in the international arena, having assisted businesses from the USA, Western Europe and the Far East.
John Comerford, a taxation services partner, is an Associate of the Institute of Taxation in Ireland. He has substantial experience in advising Irish businesses, corporate groups, multinational businesses and high net worth individuals on tax planning opportunities and taxation issues. His areas of specialisation include property, corporate M&A and restructuring, inward investment and the tax aspects of wealth management strategies.
Gerry Higgins is also a partner in the taxation department. Gerry's work covers all taxation headings with an emphasis on tax planning, corporate restructuring and wealth preservation. He is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, an associate of the Institute of Taxation in Ireland and is an ex-Inspector of Taxes.
Cooney Carey has undertaken assignments for large and small organisations in both the public and private sectors in Ireland and internationally. The firm’s client base ranges from some of the top businesses in Ireland to a multitude of developing and start-up operations.
Commenting on Cooney Carey's move to join Russell Bedford International, Tony Carey explained: "We are regarded as a top quality business in the financial services sector. Our size and structure enables us to provide a hands-on partnership with our clients. We sought and found an international relationship in Russell Bedford that matches this."
26-OCT-2007
RBSM LLP announces additional management personnel
RBSM LLP, a regional accounting and consulting firm and a member of Russell Bedford International, has announced additions to its management team in New York.
Mei Siu has joined as a Partner and Fred Sandovale has joined as a Manager in the Audit & Assurance Practice Group. Thomas Cortese has been promoted to Senior Manager in charge of the SOX & Corporate Governance Compliance Practice.
