Latest news with #JeffFerro
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Former rivals Baker Tilly and Moss Adams just merged as private equity reshapes accounting. Their CEOs explain why they did the deal.
Baker Tilly and Moss Adams have merged to create the sixth-largest advisory CPA firm in the US. "We just added a bunch of arrows into our quiver," Jeff Ferro, CEO of Baker Tilly, told Business Insider. The deal marks a major shift for the mid-market landscape, which is being heavily influenced by private equity. Baker Tilly and Moss Adams merged this week in a deal that marks another shake-up for mid-market consulting firms and emphasizes the role being played by private equity in US accounting. The two firms, which are both in the tier below the Big Four, have a combined annual revenue of over $3 billion. By joining forces, they've catapulted themselves above BDO, Grant Thornton US, and CLA to become the 6th largest accounting firm by revenue in the US. The move brings together 11,500 employees into one firm that will keep the Baker Tilly name and be an independent member firm in the Baker Tilly International network. In a joint interview, the two CEOs of the merged firms told Business Insider that the move is mutually strategic and will help them navigate the challenges facing the mid-market. "We just added a bunch of arrows into our quiver," said Jeff Ferro, CEO of Baker Tilly. The deal also offers an insight into how private equity is reshaping the industry in the US. In 2024, Baker Tilly sold a stake to the private investment groups Hellman & Friedman (H&F) and Valeas, in the second-largest deal in the sector at the time. Baker Tilly is now, thanks to the merger, the largest firm in the industry to be partly owned by private-equity investors. It's a trend that is redefining the culture and business model of traditional accounting firms. Firms have typically paid out profits to equity partners, who also get a vote on how they are run. Private equity offers an influx of capital to help firms evolve their technology and data, but requires firms to divest the control historically promised to partners, shaking up their culture. Ferro told BI that Baker Tilly's strategic plan had been to grow through acquisition, and was a key part of what H&F bought into when they signed the deal. H&F will also make a "meaningful additional strategic investment in the business" as part of this transaction. "Our chances of executing our strategy were good, and now I think they're great," said Ferro. Combining firms also created strategic advances in geographic reach — Moss Adams is West Coast-focused, while Baker Tilly mostly covers the East, central, and has some international clients. The two firms bring specific industry strengths to the table and different tools and service capabilities to offer clients, Ferro said. "I see us being a $6 billion revenue organization in five years," Ferro said, which would mean doubling their current combined revenues. "It's quite a win," agreed Eric Miles, the former CEO of Moss Adams, who will take over from Ferro as CEO of Baker Tilly when Ferro retires at the end of the year. The needs of the mid-market client base are changing, and they require more scale and breadth of services than they used to, he said. At the same time, the firms themselves are seeing increasing demand for true fixed costs like training and development, and AI. Those kinds of pressures require large organizations to scale to be competitive, he said. Neither firm had to do the merger, Miles said, "But we had this strategic lens on it, saying, 'how can we be stronger? What's going to be required to be a leading competitive firm in the future?'" "The partnership with Baker-Tilly helped us meet all those long-term strategic objectives, which helps us not only deal with these forces, but get out in front and lead in the market," Miles said. Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at pthompson@ or Signal at Polly_Thompson.89. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely. Read the original article on Business Insider Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Former rivals Baker Tilly and Moss Adams just merged as private equity reshapes accounting. Their CEOs explain why they did the deal.
Baker Tilly and Moss Adams merged this week in a deal that marks another shake-up for mid-market consulting firms and emphasizes the role being played by private equity in US accounting. The two firms, which are both in the tier below the Big Four, have a combined annual revenue of over $3 billion. By joining forces, they've catapulted themselves above BDO, Grant Thornton US, and CLA to become the 6th largest accounting firm by revenue in the US. The move brings together 11,500 employees into one firm that will keep the Baker Tilly name and be an independent member firm in the Baker Tilly International network. In a joint interview, the two CEOs of the merged firms told Business Insider that the move is mutually strategic and will help them navigate the challenges facing the mid-market. "We just added a bunch of arrows into our quiver," said Jeff Ferro, CEO of Baker Tilly. The deal also offers an insight into how private equity is reshaping the industry in the US. In 2024, Baker Tilly sold a stake to the private investment groups Hellman & Friedman (H&F) and Valeas, in the second-largest deal in the sector at the time. Baker Tilly is now, thanks to the merger, the largest firm in the industry to be partly owned by private-equity investors. It's a trend that is redefining the culture and business model of traditional accounting firms. Firms have typically paid out profits to equity partners, who also get a vote on how they are run. Private equity offers an influx of capital to help firms evolve their technology and data, but requires firms to divest the control historically promised to partners, shaking up their culture. Ferro told BI that Baker Tilly's strategic plan had been to grow through acquisition, and was a key part of what H&F bought into when they signed the deal. H&F will also make a "meaningful additional strategic investment in the business" as part of this transaction. "Our chances of executing our strategy were good, and now I think they're great," said Ferro. A merger that expands the firms' reach Combining firms also created strategic advances in geographic reach — Moss Adams is West Coast-focused, while Baker Tilly mostly covers the East, central, and has some international clients. The two firms bring specific industry strengths to the table and different tools and service capabilities to offer clients, Ferro said. "I see us being a $6 billion revenue organization in five years," Ferro said, which would mean doubling their current combined revenues. "It's quite a win," agreed Eric Miles, the former CEO of Moss Adams, who will take over from Ferro as CEO of Baker Tilly when Ferro retires at the end of the year. The needs of the mid-market client base are changing, and they require more scale and breadth of services than they used to, he said. At the same time, the firms themselves are seeing increasing demand for true fixed costs like training and development, and AI. Those kinds of pressures require large organizations to scale to be competitive, he said. Neither firm had to do the merger, Miles said, "But we had this strategic lens on it, saying, 'how can we be stronger? What's going to be required to be a leading competitive firm in the future?'" "The partnership with Baker-Tilly helped us meet all those long-term strategic objectives, which helps us not only deal with these forces, but get out in front and lead in the market," Miles said.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Baker Tilly and Moss Adams announce plan to merge
Baker Tilly and Moss Adams have announced a merger, creating the 'sixth-largest' advisory compulsory personal accident (CPA) company in the US. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. However, according to the Wall Street Journal, the deal is valued at $7bn. The merger, which is expected to close in early June, will enhance Baker Tilly's advisory, tax and assurance services. It will see Baker Tilly and Moss Adams unite under the Baker Tilly name, strengthening industry specialisation and expanding geographic reach. In a statement, Baker Tilly said the combined group will be 'positioned to help middle-market businesses navigate an increasingly complex environment'. Jeff Ferro, Baker Tilly's CEO, will lead the combined company until his retirement, with Moss Adams CEO Eric Miles named CEO-elect, taking over on 1 January 2026. Ferro said: 'Moss Adams is a great strategic fit with Baker Tilly. We have long respected the firm, its people and its industry-focused approach. By bringing together our strengths, we are expanding our ability to serve middle-market businesses with greater expertise, resources and insights.' Miles added: 'The resources, geographic reach and go-to-market strength of the combined firm magnifies opportunities for our people to grow, collaborate and innovate. 'We are proud to offer our clients these expanded resources to deliver even greater value and set a new standard for advisory services in the middle market.' Private equity firm Hellman & Friedman will increase its investment in Baker Tilly, with Valeas Capital Partners also boosting its stake. Post-merger, the audit business will operate as Baker Tilly US, LLP, and advisory services will fall under Baker Tilly Advisory Group, LP. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Vedder Price PC acted as legal counsel to Baker Tilly, while Moss Adams was advised by Deutsche Bank Securities on financial matters and by Dechert on legal affairs. In March 2025, Baker Tilly expanded its state and local tax expertise through the acquisition of Dallas-based company Invoke Tax Partners. "Baker Tilly and Moss Adams announce plan to merge " was originally created and published by International Accounting Bulletin, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
