Crowe drops Horwath from its brand

Crowe Horwath said Wednesday that it is rebranding its global network of firms, changing the name of more than 220 member firms to Crowe.

Back in 2008, the Midwest-based Top 100 Firm Crowe Chizek changed its name to Crowe Horwath to reflect its membership in the Horwath International network. Then in 2009, Horwath International rebranded as Crowe Horwath International to leverage the Crowe name. Many of the member firms eventually changed their names to reflect the new brand, although many of them retained their own names or just used the Horwath name.

The U.S. firm plans to begin practicing as Crowe LLP on June 4, though it may retain the older name in a few states, pending final review of its application to change its name. The firm dates back to 1942, when it was founded in South Bend, Ind., and later moved its headquarters to the Chicago area. The U.S. firm was frequently referred to as Crowe for short.

Under the latest name change, the network plans to rebrand its more than 220 member firms around the globe and have them adopt the name Crowe to reflect the “increasingly integrated and seamless nature of the network as well as its shared values and core purpose.” Crowe Horwath International will be renamed Crowe Global.

The branding change comes shortly after a new global CEO, David Mellor, took over leadership of the network on April 1.

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“Our members are consistently recognized for their market-leading expertise and I am proud to say 2017 was no exception,” Mellor said in a statement. “Crowe will thrive in a rapidly changing world through our clear strategic vision, new common brand and the commitment of our members. We distinguish ourselves by bringing smart decisions that deliver lasting value to clients, talent, and the communities where we live and work. The rebrand provides the perfect platform for our trusted professionals to continue to share knowledge and resources which are of great benefit to the boardroom and in the countries and markets that we service. In future, when you see the Crowe brand name, you can be reassured of the first class quality service that our people deliver on behalf of our clients.”

As part of the rebrand, Crowe launched a new website, along with a new Twitter handle, @CroweGlobal.

The CPAmerica association of 76 independent member firms is affiliated with Crowe, but its firms aren’t expected to be rebranded.

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