CohnReznick Appoints Michelle Fleishman as New CRO

New York, NY – June 11, 2018 – CohnReznick LLP, one of the top advisory, assurance, and tax firms in the United States, announced the appointment of Michelle Fleishman, Principal, General Counsel, as the Firm’s new Chief Risk Officer (CRO), effective immediately. Michelle succeeds outgoing CRO Steven Schenkel, who recently retired.

“As CRO, Michelle will focus on enterprise risk issues across the Firm,” said CohnReznick’s CEO, Frank Longobardi. “She will be responsible for ensuring that the CohnReznick Executive Board and I are considering existing and new risks to our Firm and brand, as well as assessing ways to mitigate those risks. Michelle is a natural fit for this position and I’m looking forward to her contributions in this new role.”

Michelle’s appointment comes as the culmination of an extensive exploration by the Firm’s Executive Board to review potential candidates and understand the changing needs of the Firm. She will also work closely with CohnReznick’s Advisory, Assurance, and Tax practices and Practice Management leaders to develop best practices, policies, and procedures, and to develop internal training programs to promote risk awareness among partners and staff.

“I am honored to serve as CohnReznick’s next CRO, collaborating with our practice leaders and the Executive Board to strengthen the Firm’s ability to identify and manage risks and consistently leverage best practices. Like any of our clients, risk management has become an even more critical function in our organization. In professional services, trust is at the heart of everything we do so we need to continue to elevate our proactive measures to protect our firm, our people, and our clients,” Michelle said. 

Michelle also brings a unique risk perspective from her ongoing work as General Counsel, where she has handled many aspects of risk management, including conflicts, professional & management liability insurance renewal programs, licensing, client issues, and data privacy and security.

Michelle will continue to lead the Office of the General Counsel, which includes Alison Galer, Principal, Deputy General Counsel, and Michael Dietz, Associate Counsel, in providing support to the Firm on legal issues.