CLA Provides Key Personnel, Strategic Planning to Private Equity Client
Shortly after an acquisition, a private equity firm turned to CLA for assistance in preparing its portfolio company for transformative changes post-closing related to people, processes, and technology. CLA went to work, learning the company’s needs and bringing strategic planning and outsourcing services to the table.
CLA’s team stepped in to fill key roles at the company — including chief accounting officer, controller, and chief people officer — and then developed a roadmap to prepare the company for financial and operation changes within six months.
CLA offered a suite of seamless services to the company. CLA brought together a holistic team including outsourcing for interim staffing and technical accounting services for revenue recognition and lease standard adoption. The company also engaged CLA to perform general and internal controls for information technology and to provide valuation services.
What differentiated CLA
CLA’s single point of strategic leadership at the C-suite coupled with a deep breadth of services made CLA a valued strategic partner to the PE firm. CLA’s team provided both strategic and tactical resources to the company, while simultaneously developing strategic plans and overseeing execution.
CLA developed a plan to adopt revenue recognition and lease accounting and then executed the plan to deliver a full operating strategy to the company. Similarly, the CLA team crafted plans for core areas such as procure to pay and payroll and then provided resources to implement and operationalize the strategies.
Next steps
CLA will continue working with the PE firm as they complete this transaction and support the continued mergers and acquisition growth planned for the company. CLA’s ability to provide a wide variety of strategies and resources to meet the needs of the company is key to the long-term relationship continuing throughout the PE firm’s investment cycle.
Craig Arends is a principal at CLA and is the managing principal of CLA's private equity practice. Craig brings a concentration of experience in providing accounting and transaction structuring advice for leveraged recapitalizations, purchase accounting and SEC reporting, assessing quality of earnings, and GAAP accounting. He has far-reaching experience with critiquing financial models and reviewing target companies' financial performance to identify cost reductions and/or operating efficiencies Craig has more than 30 years of experience in public accounting serving public companies, private equity groups, and companies, including a term as principal in charge of a Big Four Capital Markets Group in Moscow, Russia. He has led financial accounting due diligence projects for private equity investor groups and venture capital funds, primarily in the technology, communications, and manufacturing industries, as well as assisting with Foreign Corrupt Practice Act matters ranging from investigation of payments made, validation of compliance with corporate policies, and review of proposed transactions to ensure compliance. When not working, Craig enjoys watching any sports, but his most favorite are baseball, football and soccer.
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