Grant Thornton LLP admitted Tom Coley as Income/Franchise Tax partner, Tom Joseph as Strategy & Performance Improvement principal, and promoted Charles Gallman to Corporate Finance managing director, David Head to Strategic Accounts managing director, Cory Rogers to Forensic Advisory Services managing director, Frank Saavedra-Lim to Operations Risk managing director and Brandon Vaughn to Audit Methodology & Standards managing director in the firm’s Charlotte office. Across the firm, Grant Thornton admitted 39 new partners and principals, and promoted 28 professionals to managing director.

Partners, principals and managing directors excel in helping clients achieve smart, quality growth in all aspects of their businesses. Noted for their exceptional contributions to Grant Thornton, these professionals have an extraordinary ability to lead and build relationships with clients and people at all levels of the firm.

“Tom, Tom, Charles, David, Cory, Frank and Brandon have proven themselves as leaders to our clients, colleagues, the community and the profession,” said Dave Wedding, Grant Thornton’s Southeast regional managing partner. “We recognize their tremendous accomplishments and thank them for their commitment to helping build our high-performance culture as we continue to grow in the Charlotte marketplace.”

Tom Coley joined Grant Thornton in 2002 and leads the State and Local Income/Franchise Tax business line for Grant Thornton’s Mid-South market territory. He has more than 19 years of public accounting experience serving public and private clients in the transportation, manufacturing, distribution, retail and technology industries. Prior to being admitted as a partner, Coley served as a managing director.

Coley is a CPA, a member of the AICPA and a member of the North Carolina Association of CPAs. He serves on the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Tax Committee and is Grant Thornton’s representative on the Southeastern Association of Tax Administrators Industry Council. He is also a member of the Institute for Professionals in Taxation, and serves as the chair of the Accounting Advisory board at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Coley received his bachelor’s degrees from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Tom Joseph joined the firm in 2015 and has 25 years of financial services experience. Throughout his career, he has advised multinational firms with retail and wholesale banking, wealth management and insurance services in the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. He enables businesses to perform better and integrate their full set of core capabilities for the benefit of their customers, finds growth opportunities and quickly adapts to changes in the compliance and regulatory, business environments. Prior to being admitted as a principal, Joseph served as a managing director in the Advisory Services practice.

Joseph holds board positions with the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, Echo Foundation and Leadership Charlotte. He received his MBA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and his bachelor’s degree from High Point University.

Charles Gallman joined Grant Thornton in 2002. He manages and coordinates the technical and administrative aspects of valuation and financial consulting engagements on a local, regional and national basis. He specializes in the valuation and analysis of equity securities and financial and intangible assets.  

Prior to being promoted to managing director, Gallman served as a director.

Gallman is a CPA in North Carolina, a member of the AICPA and holds the Accredited in Business Valuation designation from the AICPA. He is also a chartered financial analyst (CFA) and a member of the CFA Institute, the CFA North Carolina Society, the Healthcare Financial Management Association and the Association for Corporate Growth. Gallman received his master’s degree from the University of South Carolina and a bachelor’s degree from Clemson University.

David Head joined Grant Thornton in 2014 and has more than 20 years of experience in consulting and banking.  Head has managed national business units, led talent acquisition organizations, deepened customer relationships and engaged employees in key strategies. He works with the firm’s largest banking and other strategic clients to bring value through aligned capabilities, industry specialties, emerging technologies and regulatory change. Prior to being promoted to managing director, Head served as a key account executive.

Head serves on the board for the Charlotte YMCA as the co-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion committee and on the YMCA of the USA’s Diversity Leadership Council. He also serves on board of Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, chairs the American Heart Association’s Men Go Red for Women chapter, is a member of Rotary Charlotte and is the former board chair of Communities in Schools of Charlotte Mecklenburg. Head received a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University.

Cory Rogers joined Grant Thornton in 2006. He has 14 years of experience helping clients manage adversity and mitigate risks. He specializes in complex litigation matters, post-acquisition disputes, and internal investigations across a number of industries. Prior to being promoted to managing director, Rogers served as a senior manager in the Forensic Advisory Services practice.

Rogers is a CPA in Louisiana and North Carolina and a member of the AICPA. He is a CFA and is certified in financial forensics by the AICPA. He also serves on the board of the Council for Children’s Rights. Rogers received a master’s degree from the University of Mississippi and a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi College.

Frank Saavedra-Lim joined the firm in 2015 and serves as a leader in Risk Advisory Services, currently advising clients on regulatory stress testing and enterprise risk management. He leverages more than 25 years of experience as a risk practitioner and executive to help clients optimize risk remediation and remain compliant. Saavedra-Lim has helped some of the largest global financial institutions implement transformational risk management capabilities in numerous countries. Prior to being promoted to managing director, Saavedra-Lim served as a director in the National Advisory Services practice.

Saavedra-Lim holds an appointment as a subject matter expert in risk management by the Professional Risk Managers’ International Association, and he is a member of the Risk Management Association. He received an MBA and his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. He also holds an executive certification in management of credit asset portfolios from New York University and an executive certification in mergers and acquisitions from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Brandon Vaughn joined Grant Thornton in 2007. He has performed audits and consulting services for both public and private financial institutions. He has also served clients in the mortgage-banking, specialty-finance, payday-lending, credit card and broker-dealer sectors. Prior to being promoted to managing director, Vaughn served as a senior manager.

Vaughn is a CPA in North Carolina, a member of the AICPA and the North Carolina Association of CPAs. Vaughn received his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Appalachian State University.

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