Brandon Rucker Named Chair of RSM US LLP Board of Directors for a One-Year Term, Three New Board Members Selected for Four-Year Terms – Kerensa Butler, Vikas Sekhri, Tony Wood

CHICAGO – (December 1, 2023) – RSM US LLP (“RSM”) – the leading provider of assurance, tax and consulting services for the middle market – recently announced that Brandon Rucker will serve a one-year term as chair of the RSM US LLP Board of Directors, effective Dec. 1. In addition, three new board members – Kerensa Butler, Vikas Sekhri and Tony Wood – have been elected to serve four-year terms, beginning Dec. 1.

“This is an exciting time in RSM’s evolution, as our world continues to change and the needs and expectations of our growing middle market clients, our talented people and the regulatory environment in which we operate create new opportunities. We are fortunate to have Brandon’s leadership as RSM US board chair and Kerensa, Vikas and Tony as members,” said Brian Becker, managing partner & CEO at RSM US LLP. “Together they bring diverse perspectives and a wealth of experience to challenge our thinking and provide thoughtful oversight as we accelerate our journey toward the future, providing leadership and instilling confidence in our clients and our people every step of the way. I’m looking forward to working with Brandon, our new members and the full board in the coming year.”

Rucker was selected as the new board chair by a vote of the members of the board. The three new board members were selected by a vote of the RSM US and RSM Canada LLP partners and principals.

New board chair

Brandon Rucker is the national assurance operations leader at RSM US. In his role, he leads overall operations for the practice, including financial strategy and performance, performance measurement, and alignment of assurance operations to firm and practice strategy. As an enterprise leader, Rucker works closely with the chief operating officer and lines of business to ensure alignment and operation optimization across the enterprise. He is a current member of the assurance leadership team and has served as a member of the firm’s board of directors since December 2021. Rucker has more than 27 years of experience in public accounting. As an assurance partner since 2006, he has held many leadership roles, including Southeast regional audit leader. He is a certified public accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants. He earned his Bachelor of Science in accounting from Western Kentucky University. He also graduated in the first cohort of the RSM US Enterprise Leadership Academy. In July 2022, he received directorship certification from the National Association of Corporate Directors.

New board members

Kerensa Butler is the assurance private equity (PE) strategy leader at RSM US, guiding the firm’s strategic efforts across the assurance practice to serve PE firms and their portfolio companies within a holistic client experience model. Butler has served PE firms and their portfolio companies for almost 30 years and joined RSM’s national PE leadership team in 2006. Her experience spans various areas, including assurance, tax, accounting and related consulting services, with a specialization in M&A transactions and business combinations. Butler has a wide range of industry experience with a focus on business services and consumer products companies and serves as an enterprise account leader. She actively participates in the firm’s culture, diversity and inclusion efforts. She previously served as Florida’s inaugural chair of the firm’s Pride employee network group, which supports LGBTQ+ employees, clients and allies, and continued leading the group nationally through 2021. In addition, Butler holds the role of executive sponsor for the firm's initiative to enhance the participation of women in the PE marketplace.

Vikas Sekhri leads the firm’s mergers and acquisitions (M&A) tax practice at RSM US. He also serves as chair of the RSM International global M&A tax leadership team and works closely with RSM International network firms to build a global M&A tax practice, which has more than 500 M&A tax professionals globally. Sekhri joined RSM as an immigrant from India in 2006 and became a partner in 2013. He has more than 24 years of experience in public accounting, having worked in assurance, tax and M&A. He has served private equity clients for the last 17 years, working closely with professionals across lines of business and geographies to support private equity clients throughout their fund life cycles. Sekhri has served on various RSM teams spanning lines of business, including the global strategy team, foreign direct investment advisory council, tax executive leadership team and transaction advisory services executive leadership team. Sekhri is a member of the firm’s STAR employee network group (ENG), which supports growth opportunities for women at RSM. He also serves as an executive sponsor in the tri-state market for the InspirAsian ENG, which provides support and guidance for RSM’s Asian professionals. Sekhri has been recognized for his contributions to M&A by many industry organizations and publications. His recognitions include an Emerging Leaders award from M&A Advisor (2016); a 40 Under Forty award from the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (2016); and inclusion in the Top 25 M&A Consultants and Leaders of 2023 by The Consulting Report. Sekhri is a certified public accountant in New York and Colorado and a chartered accountant and cost and works accountant in India. He earned a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Delhi in India, and a Master of Science in taxation from Pace University in New York.

Tony Wood is a principal and the enterprise family office practice leader at RSM US. He launched the practice in January 2021 and has grown it from $60 million to $535 million in three years. Wood is also working closely with RSM International network firms to build a global family office practice. He has more than 36 years of experience in senior leadership and practice development in the financial and accounting professions. Prior to his current role, he led RSM US’s private client services practice and was director of growth strategies for multifamily office services, which is now the family office practice. Wood was named among the Top 50 Professionals to Know in the accounting industry by Accounting Today; amassed more than $50 billion in managed assets through the creation and development of independent registered investment advisor (RIA) practices owned or aligned with professional services firms; created and launched national wealth management platforms for two publicly traded financial groups; and advised, mentored and trained more than 2,000 accountants, RIAs and wealth management advisors. He has a Bachelor of Science in social science and finance from Tulane University and completed the executive development program at the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.

About RSM US LLP

RSM is the leading provider of professional services to the middle market. The clients we serve are the engine of global commerce and economic growth, and we are focused on developing leading professionals and services to meet their evolving needs in today’s ever-changing business landscape. Our purpose is to instill confidence in a world of change, empowering our clients and people to realize their full potential.

RSM US LLP is the U.S. member of RSM International, a global network of independent assurance, tax and consulting firms with 57,000 people in 120 countries. For more information, visit rsmus.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and/or connect with us on LinkedIn.