McGladrey & Pullen Names New Managing Partner

McGladrey & Pullen has appointed Joe Adams as the firm’s new managing partner and CEO, succeeding Dave Scudder.

The firm announced Scudder’s resignation in February without specifying the reasons (see Scudder Resigns as McGladrey MP). The firm said at the time only that he “felt the time was right to transition this role and to pursue other opportunities.” Scudder planned to resign at the end of April, but was expected to aid in the transition at least through the end of June.

Adams will become managing partner and CEO, effective May 1. He has been with the firm since 1979 and became a partner in 1987. Adams has taken on increasingly higher levels of responsibility and is currently leader of the Great Lakes Region.

“Joe’s outstanding leadership and dedication to our clients and people is evident in his proven track record at McGladrey,” said Jerry Bourassa, chairman of McGladrey & Pullen’s Board of Directors and a member of the Managing Partner Selection Committee, in a statement Tuesday. “His commitment to quality and McGladrey’s success make him an excellent choice for the managing partner position. I’m looking forward to working with him in his new role overseeing McGladrey & Pullen’s national strategy and business operations.”

Adams graduated from DePaul University with a B.S. in accounting and M.B.A. in operations management. He is a member of the Illinois CPA Society, American Institute of CPAs and the Entrepreneurial Institute.

“I’m honored to be chosen to lead a firm which is committed to serving the middle market with the highest quality and integrity,” said Adams. “I’m looking forward to these new responsibilities, and continuing the excellent work that Dave Scudder did in this role.”

McGladrey & Pullen has operated in an alternative practice structure arrangement with H&R Block subsidiary RSM McGladrey since 1999 when Block bought a considerable part of M&P’s practice. Under the agreement, M&P provides audit and attest services, while RSM provides other types of accounting services.

Block & M&P had a legal dispute in 2009 over the terms of the extension of their administrative services agreement, but the M&P partners and Block eventually agreed to a deal extending the agreement until May 1, 2015 (see McGladrey & Pullen Partners Vote to Reconcile with Block). Since that time, McGladrey & Pullen and RSM McGladrey, which is managed by president C.E. Andrews, have agreed to more closely align their identities by marketing themselves as simply McGladrey, even though they continue to legally exist as separate entities (see McGladrey Rebrands Itself).