Dave Sullivan, who spent more than three decades in senior leadership roles at Big Four accounting firm Deloitte, has been named CEO of the Center for Audit Quality, the organization announced on Oct. 26.
He succeeds Julie Bell Lindsay, who stepped down as CEO last April after spending seven years in that position. Mark Koziel, chief executive of the American Institute of CPAs, had been serving as interim CEO of the CAQ. The CAQ is affiliated with the AICPA.
In his new role, Sullivan will lead the CAQ in advancing audit quality, representing the U.S. public company audit profession, and shaping policies that strengthen investor confidence and trust in the U.S. capital markets.
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In addition, he will guide the CAQ’s engagement with policymakers; regulators, including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board; investors; audit committees; public companies; and other stakeholders across the financial reporting ecosystem, the organization says.
“Dave brings an exceptional depth of experience, a strong commitment to audit quality, and a deep understanding of the important role our profession plays in supporting investor confidence and strong capital markets,” Lara Abrash, chair of the CAQ Governing Board and chair of Deloitte US, said in a statement. “His collaborative approach to leadership, perspective, and firsthand knowledge of the CAQ will be invaluable as the organization continues to advance its public-interest mission and navigate an evolving regulatory environment. On behalf of the Governing Board, I am delighted to welcome Dave as the CAQ’s next CEO. I also want to thank Mark Koziel for his leadership and steady guidance during this transition.”
“I am grateful to the CAQ Governing Board for the opportunity to lead an organization whose mission is central to investor confidence and the strength of our capital markets,” Sullivan said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the CAQ team and stakeholders across the financial reporting ecosystem to advance audit quality, strengthen trust in financial reporting, and help shape the future of our profession.”
In a post on LinkedIn announcing his new job, Sullivan added, “The quality of independent audits and the reliability of financial reporting are essential to investor confidence and the strength of our capital markets. I am grateful to the CAQ Governing Board for the opportunity to lead an organization with such an important public-interest mission.
“My first priority will be to listen and learn,” he continued. “I want to understand the perspectives of the people the CAQ serves, build on the organization’s strong foundation and identify where it can make its greatest contribution in the years ahead.”
Sullivan brings to the role more than 35 years of experience at Deloitte, where he held such titles as global audit and assurance quality leader and U.S. audit and assurance quality leader. Throughout his career, he also held significant client and advisory responsibilities across multiple industries.
He has held numerous leadership and advisory roles across the audit and accounting professions, including serving on the CAQ’s Professional Practice Executive Committee, the PCAOB’s Standing Advisory Group, and the University of Southern California’s SEC and Financial Reporting Institute Advisory Council. Earlier in his career, he served as a Practice Fellow at the Financial Accounting Standards Board.
Sullivan currently serves as chair of the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council and as a member of the Public Interest Oversight Board, which oversees international audit and ethics standard-setting boards. He also serves on audit quality boards for several large accounting firms.
Photo caption: Center for Audit Quality CEO Dave Sullivan
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Tags: Accounting, audit, Auditing, CAQ, Center for Audit Quality, ceo, ceos, Dave Sullivan
