Accordion Announces Firm-Wide 2022 Promotions

Promotions Underscore Company Growth and Reinforce Accordion’s Reputation as a Finance Industry Employer of Choice

NEW YORK – February 18, 2022 – Accordion, a private equity-focused financial and technology consulting firm, today announced that it has promoted 29 executives across the firm. The promotions include executives spanning Accordion’s major practice areas: Operational & Technical Accounting, Strategic Financial Planning & Analysis, CFO-Driven Transformation, CFO Technology, Transaction Execution, Public Company Readiness, Interim Leadership, and Turnaround & Restructuring. Today’s announcement reflects Accordion’s tremendous year-over-year growth and its ambitious plans to continue scaling. In addition, Accordion’s prioritization of employee career growth underscores why the firm has been recognized as an employer of choice within the finance industry.

Included in today’s announcement are three notable senior promotions to Managing Director:

Shaharyar Ahmed, Managing Director, Transaction Execution: Ahmed has more than 15 years of experience in private equity and management consulting in the U.S., Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia. Ahmed has devised and implemented financial and operational value creation initiatives across the investment lifecycle of PE portfolio companies. Since joining Accordion, Ahmed has partnered with sponsors and management teams on initiatives ranging from assessment of new investment opportunities, exit readiness, EBITDA enhancements, working capital optimization, stakeholder reporting, KPI development and implementation, FP&A best practices, and other Board-driven initiatives. He has led engagements at portfolio companies of sponsors including TCV, Carlyle, Madison Dearborn, GGC, H.I.G., FFL Partners, and Sun Capital across a variety of sectors including technology/SAAS, healthcare, pharma, logistics, business services, FMCG, and manufacturing.

Kristen Hearon, Managing Director, Operational & Technical Accounting:

As a senior financial leader, Hearon has more than 15 years of experience stemming from roles at the Big 4, public and privately-held companies, and consulting across various industries including business services, healthcare, technology, and consumer. She has led engagements for portfolio companies of Bain Capital, Tailwind Capital, Sun Capital, and Providence Equity Partners. At Accordion, Hearon partners with senior leaders and sponsors to drive value through the finance function and she has supported CFOs with her specific expertise in controllership, financial close acceleration, finance function stand-up, business process improvement, system implementation and optimization, audit readiness, and financial statement development.

Sujay Madyastha, Managing Director, Strategic Financial Planning and Analysis: Madyastha has nearly two decades of experience in advisory, private equity, and investment banking with clients ranging from startups to large multinational companies. While at Accordion, Madyastha has worked with companies in a variety of sectors including healthcare, software, manufacturing, distribution, paper products, and business services. He has led engagements for portfolio companies of Bain Capital, Ares Management, The Carlyle Group, Hellman & Friedman, General Atlantic, and H.I.G. Capital. By utilizing advanced data analytical tools, Madyastha has enabled clients to reduce working capital and streamline costs.

Other Accordion promotions announced today include:

Operational & Technical Accounting:

• Matthew Heard, Senior Director
• Cheryl Shelhamer, Senior Director
• Thomas D’Agostino, Director
• Joshua Budwitz, Vice President
• Benjamin Kushner, Vice President

Strategic Financial Planning and Analysis:

• Roderick Boyd, Senior Director
• Francesco Meloni, Senior Director
• Barclay Stanton, Senior Director
• Hollylane Riley, Director
• Erica Thurm, Director
• Evan Forrest, Vice President
• Evan Yenor, Vice President

Transaction Execution:

• Gaurang Gupta, Senior Director
• Eric Salit, Senior Director
• Kyle Carmody, Director
• Alex Milani, Director

CFO-Driven Transformation:

• Sweta Adhikari, Director
• Can Civi, Director

Turnaround & Restructuring:

• Michael Spiller, Director
• Dean DiTosto, Vice President
• Jake Donnowitz, Vice President
• Cameron McClain, Vice President
• Adam Rhum, Vice President
• Bennet Sanders, Associate
• Zach Weissenborn, Associate

Accordion Business Operations:

• Darcy Iria, Accountant

About Accordion

Accordion is a private equity-focused financial and technology consulting firm. Working at the intersection of sponsors and management teams, Accordion partners with clients at every stage of the investment lifecycle. The firm’s services span the entire CFO function within the private capital sector, including operational and technical accounting, strategic financial planning and analysis, CFO-driven transformation, CFO technology, transaction execution, public company readiness, interim leadership, and turnaround and restructuring. With a focus on hands-on, results-oriented execution, Accordion is widely recognized as the go-to PE consultancy and the premier digital-enablement partner for portfolio CFOs. In addition, Accordion has been recognized as an employer of choice for pioneering a better way to work in finance. Accordion has a total of 9 offices including its headquarters in New York and locations in Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and South Florida.