RSM Names Jeff Johannesen Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer

RSM US LLP (“RSM”) – the nation’s leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services focused on the middle market – announced today that Jeff Johannesen, currently national tax leader for the firm, has been named chief strategy & innovation officer, effective June 1.

In his new role, Johannesen will be responsible for assisting with the development, communication, execution and sustainability of firm strategic objectives, leveraging innovation as a mechanism to enhance current and future strategy decisions. He will continue to serve as a member of RSM’s leadership team and report directly to Managing Partner and CEO Joe Adams.

“Jeff is an outstanding leader who has proven himself as national tax leader, a member of our RSM leadership team and executive sponsor of our client experience strategy,” said Adams.  “He understands the needs of our middle market clients, and has evolved our tax practice to meet them through more consultative services while also driving client service excellence across all lines of business. Jeff also has deep knowledge of our strategy, relationships with our innovation partners and has been a leader in our business planning process for the last several years. All of this makes him uniquely qualified to help RSM advance innovation for the middle market.”

Johannesen has served as national tax leader at RSM since 2011, and during that time, he has evolved the tax team be more consulting-focused, launched a domestic tax service center for compliance work and deployed new technology to serve RSM clients. He has also served as a member of the firm’s  leadership team since 2011 where he helped develop and lead RSM’s business planning process. Since 2015, Johannesen has served as executive sponsor of the firm’s client experience strategy.

“I am excited to take on this new role leading strategy and innovation,” said Johannesen. “The business world is transforming rapidly. RSM’s vision is to be the first-choice advisor to middle market leaders globally; therefore, we must be in a position to understand their challenges and opportunities in an ever-changing environment. I look forward to helping RSM stay at the forefront of changes in technology and other areas to enable our clients to move forward with confidence.”

Johannesen began his career at RSM in 1981, and he became a partner in 1989. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Iowa Society of Certified Public Accountants. Johannesen has previously served as president of the Des Moines Health Center, treasurer of the Des Moines Child and Adolescent Guidance Center and president of Des Moines Estate Planners Forum.

Johannesen will remain in RSM’s Des Moines, Iowa office, and he will continue in his role as national tax leader until a successor is named.