Career moves

Independently-owned Los Angeles firm RBZ LLP has named three partners to share the firm’s managing partner position.

The Internal Revenue Service completed a round of staff cuts in recent weeks, letting go nearly 100 employees from the division that oversees gift- and estate-tax returns, according to published reports.

The Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Board has approved the nomination of James H. Quigley -- currently the head of Deloitte’s U.S. arm -- as the next global chief executive officer of the Big Four firm, though worldwide member firm partners must still vote on the appointment.Quigley, who has served as Deloitte's U.S. chief for the past four years, will succeed William G. Parrett, another former U.S. chief whose eight-year term ends on May 31.

The Government Accountability Office recently released a report on detailing some of the conclusions gleaned from a recent forum on engaging and retaining older workers.

In a return to the office’s roots, the Securities and Exchange Commission has named a director for its Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs. Meanwhile, the Internal Revenue Service has appointed a new head of its Office of Professional Responsibility, which was created in the wake of the Enron implosion.

The head of the Internal Revenue Service’s Office of Fraud/Bank Secrecy Act will now play a key role in the agency’s efforts to halt tax fraud, after being named as the new head of the agency’s Criminal Investigation Division.

Shareholders and board members should brace themselves for record turnover among chief financial officers this year, according to a survey from executive services firm Tatum LLC.Based on a poll of more than 150 of Tatum’s Executive Practice partners (who now provide interim or permanent leadership to client organizations), the survey results suggest that Sarbanes-Oxley-related headaches unrealistic demands from board members and chief executives will drive more than 2,300 chief financial officers from their positions in 2007.

The International Federation of Accountants is seeking nominations for members of its boards and committees in 2008.

Like many other businesses, we annually welcome a new crop of recent college and graduate school graduates into our organization.Every relationship with a new employee begins with optimism. We tell them we hope they will build a career at the Deloitte U.S. firms. They tell us they want to do just that. But amid this jolly collegiality, one truth usually remains unspoken - we all know that somewhere along the line some of these new employees will dust off their résumés and look for work elsewhere. We have decided that being honest about that fact is essential to keeping American businesses like ours strong and competitive as the demographics of employment shift.

KPMG LLP has named Phil Rohrbaugh to the newly combined position of vice chairman of industries and marketing.In the position, Rohrbaugh, 54, will be responsible for enhancing the skills and knowledge of KPMG’s professionals around key industries. Formerly managing partner for KPMG’s Philadelphia office, Rohrbaugh will also serve as a member of the U.S. firm’s management committee.

The Internal Revenue Service announced the selection of 16 new members for its advisory council. The appointees will join 11 returning members who are in the last year of a three-year term.The council members are scheduled to meet in Washington, D.C. several times in 2007, with a public report to be provided during a meeting open to the public on Nov. 15.

Katherine Schipper, a recent member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, has joined the advisory board for BNA’s recently launched Accounting Policy & Practice Series.

Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Mark W. Everson has announced the selection of a new chief human capital officer and a new chief of agency-wide shared services.Robert Buggs has served as the agency’s deputy chief human capital officer since 2004, though he has more than 15 years of experience with the IRS, working in areas ranging from labor relations to the Taxpayer Advocate Service. He has shared program oversight and responsibility for formulating and implementing human capital strategies, policies and programs for more than 100,000 IRS employees.

Neal D. Spencer, partner-in-charge of BKD LLP's Kentucky and southern Indiana offices, will take over the reins of the entire firm this summer, succeeding BKD managing partner William E. Fingland Jr., following a transition period in early 2007.As MP, Spencer will be responsible for the firm's overall management and leadership, as well as serving as the firm's spokesman. Now based in Louisville, Ky., Spencer will relocate to Springfield, Mo., to begin the transition process, and Fingland will step down on June 1.

William H. Donaldson, who co-founded the investment bank Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and later became chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, has joined Perella Weinberg Partners as chairman of its advisory council, the firm announced yesterday.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has appointed James L. Kroeker as deputy chief accountant in the agency’s Office of the Chief Accountant.Kroeker, 37, started work at the commission this week, where he will be responsible for resolving accounting issues and rulemaking projects, as well as oversight of private sector accounting standards-setting efforts.

The Internal Revenue Service’s Whistleblower Office opened for business this month. The congressionally mandated program is designed to receive information that helps uncover tax cheating and provide appropriate rewards to whistleblowers.

Sage Software has named former Oracle executive Alok Tyagi as its new vice president of research and development for the company’s MAS, BusinessWorks and PFW product lines.Tyagi, who stepped into the position on Jan. 2, will be responsible for product engineering and research and development for each of the three product lines. He will report to the senior vice president and general manager for mid-market accounting solutions, Himanshu Palsule.

Robert H. Herz has been reappointed to a second five-year term as chairman of the Financial Accounting Standards Board.

The Virginia Society of CPAs announced that its president and chief executive, Thomas M. Berry Jr., will retire at the end of April. He has led the organization for the past 30 years.The society’s board of directors has named VSCPA executive vice president Stephanie R. Peters as the 8,100-member group’s next president and chief executive. She has worked at the VSCPA for nearly a decade.