ADVISORY & CONSULTING

Alan Whitman: Breaking the Mold with PE Backing | Holistic Guide

Ex-Baker Tilly CEO takes helm at a new “category” of CPA firm.

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By Rory Henry CFP®, BFA™
For CPA Trendlines

When CPA firms talk about growth, the conversation often centers on acquisitions, headcount, or revenue targets.

But Alan Whitman, the ex-Baker Tilly CEO and newly named CEO of a private-equity-backed hybrid, says sustainable growth requires something deeper: clarity of strategy, shared language, and systems that enable people to perform at scale.

MORE Alan Whitman Plants a Flag in the Private Equity Landscape | Whitman: Build Culture on ‘Progress,’ Not Change | Moss Adams-Baker Tilly Merger: Bigger Isn’t Better. Better Is Better. | Rory Henry and The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management | The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management |

5 Advis-ROR® Takeaways

  1. Growth requires a mindset before metrics. Sustainable scale comes from changing how a firm thinks and operates, not just from chasing revenue, headcount, or deal volume.
  2. Strategy is about direction, not activity. Conferences, outreach, and initiatives only matter when they clearly support how the firm wants to be seen and who it is built to serve.
  3. Systems enable people to scale. Communication, sales, and talent engines allow firms to grow without relying on individual effort or burnout.
  4. Language creates alignment. Clarity about who the firm is and what it does helps teams make consistent decisions and reduces confusion as the organization expands.
  5. Leadership demands clarity over hope. Early success may come from hustle and hope, but long-term growth requires intentional structure, accountability, and shared understanding.

This episode of AFO Wealth Management Forward was recorded shortly before the public announcement of a new professional services platform that combines accounting and advisory firm Nichols Cauley with insurance brokerage Partners Risk Services and transaction advisory firm JGH Consulting. The new platform is supported by a strategic investment from private equity investment firm Madison Dearborn Partners. Whitman was named CEO of the combined platform.  Widely known for his role in helping scale Baker Tilly into a national firm, Whitman says his leadership mindset is focused less on outcomes and more on the conditions that enabled growth.