Being a certified public accountant can be an exciting job. Just ask Thomas Hughes.
A former special agent for the FBI, Hughes recently became a director of forensic and investigative services for Deloitte & Touche’s Pacific-Southwest region.
The 57-year-old Hughes brings more than three decades of investigative experience to the Los Angeles office of the professional services firm, where his duties include everything from doing security reviews of facilities to conducting fraud investigations for clients in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada.
“Most people are good. Some people fall off the page a little bit but they still have their childhood upbringing and their conscience to reconcile with,” Hughes said of his experience in getting suspects to confess to their crimes. “Frequently, you’ll see someone who has done something wrong and hurt a company, they want to get it off their chest.”
The son of an FBI agent, Hughes decided to follow in his father’s footsteps. He entered the bureau in 1966, after earning a master’s degree in business administration and becoming a certified public accountant.
“Most people don’t realize the white-collar crime program in the FBI is the largest (division in the bureau),” Hughes said. “One of the quickest tracks into the FBI is to have an accounting degree.”
Since retiring from the FBI in 1993, Hughes has continued his investigative work in the private sector. His resume includes a stint as director of corporate security for Raytheon Co.
Hughes said his time in the private sector has been just as exciting as the years he spent in the FBI.
Spindler agreed that investigating fraud in corporate America has its thrills.
“It’s as exciting as accounting gets,” he said.
Claudia Peschiutta
Accounting & Consulting
Jeremy Eskenazi has joined Riviera Advisors, a talent management consulting service in Long Beach, as managing principal. In his new role, Eskenazi is responsible for the overall leadership of the firm as well as developing and executing corporate client services. He joins the firm from Idealab, where he was vice president, talent acquisition.
David Lusk has been appointed partner in charge of the human capital advisory services practice for the Pacific Southwest at Deloitte & Touche LLP. In addition to leading the practice, which includes Southern California, Arizona and Nevada, Lusk will continue to lead the firm’s west region health group, which offers consulting services to purchasers, payers and providers of health care and other welfare benefit programs. He is based in Los Angeles and is a two-year veteran of the firm.
Advertising & Public Relations
Robert Levin has joined Creative Domain, an entertainment industry marketing advertising company in Hollywood, as president of the newly formed Creative Domain Enterprises. He will oversee the development of that unit, which is being specifically formed to develop new businesses and services on a global basis. Previously, Levin was president of worldwide marketing for Sony Pictures Entertainment and Walt Disney Studios.
Peter Rydell has been promoted to vice president, technical operations at Adlink, a spot cable advertising firm in Los Angeles. He will be responsible for overseeing the technical operations involving the delivery and performance of over 100,000 commercial spots daily. Rydell was most recently a director at the firm.
Banking & Finance
Brenda Ross-Dulan has been promoted to senior vice president at Wells Fargo & Co. in Los Angeles. She is regional manager of community development for Wells Fargo and is responsible for the bank’s economic development lending and investment throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties. Ross-Dulan was previously a real estate construction lender with First Interstate Bank of California.
Entertainment
Jon Shiffman has been appointed chief financial officer for Myriad Pictures in Los Angeles. He will be responsible for overseeing the financial aspects of all Myriad banking, production and distribution activities. Shiffman most recently served as vice president of Imperial Entertainment Group.
Leah Weil has been promoted to corporate vice president and general counsel at Sony Pictures Entertainment in Culver City. She will oversee all legal and labor relations matters relating to SPE and its operating divisions worldwide, including motion pictures, television, home entertainment and digital entertainment. She will also serve as SPE’s liaison to Sony Corp. on a wide range of legal activities. Weil was previously executive vice president, legal affairs, and deputy general counsel.
Marco Williams has been promoted to director, affiliate marketing for the western region in the residential division of DMX Music, a digital music services company in Los Angeles. He will be responsible for account management, managing affiliate marketing promotions and sales training. Williams was most recently an affiliate marketing manager.
Government
Michael Gennaco has been named chief attorney for the newly established Office of Independent Review within the Sheriff’s Department. As chief attorney in charge of the office, Gennaco’s duties will include assisting in the initiation, structuring and development of ongoing investigations conducted by the Sheriff’s office of internal affairs, office of internal criminal investigations and the homicide bureau. Since 1994 he has been an assistant U.S. attorney and chief of the civil rights sections of the U.S. attorney’s office for California’s Central District.
Health Care
Gerald R. Solomon has been appointed president and CEO of Public Health Foundation Enterprises Inc., a nonprofit provider of fiscal intermediary and management services to nonprofits, governments and private industry in the health and public service sectors. He is based in City of Industry, and will be responsible for managing over 165 programs totaling $62.4 million, including HIV, substance abuse, gang prevention, anti-smoking and tobacco programs. Most recently, Solomon served as chief executive officer of the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce.
Law
Judith E. Posner has joined the Los Angeles office of Crosby Heafey Roach & May in their appellate department. She specializes in appeals, writs and trial consultations as well as preparing post-trial motions, with particular emphasis on reducing or eliminating large punitive damage awards. Posner was most recently with Horvitz & Leavey LLP in Encino.
Media
Eric Stanton and Gary Wagner have both been promoted at Mercury Media, a media management agency in Santa Monica. Stanton has been promoted to the position of media director from his previous title of media supervisor. In his new position, he will be responsible for time negotiations as well as overseeing all media activities such as budgeting, forecasting and maintenance of all in-house media. Stanton will manage the division’s 20 employees and represent Mercury Media as the liaison executive between the media buying department and clients, television stations, cable networks and brokers. Wagner has been promoted from media analysis manager to director of research and logistics. He will handle the creation and development analysis tools and reports for clients and in-house departments alike.
Non-Profits
Mark Lainer has been elected to serve a two-year term as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Community Foundation in Los Angeles. As chairman, he will be responsible for shaping the strategic vision of the foundation as well as strengthening relationships with donors, the Jewish Federation and other charitable institutions in the community. Lainer is a partner of Lainer Investments of Van Nuys, a real estate investment firm.
Henry Shaw has been promoted to chairman, president and CEO of the Los Angeles-based American Veteran Awards, a televised charitable event of Veterans Foundation Inc. He will oversee all aspects of production and be responsible for the creative and contractual relationships between AVA, cable networks and broadcast television stations. Shaw was most recently president and CEO of VFI where he oversaw management of an extensive portfolio of residential/commercial assets.
Real Estate
Bert Abel, Mitch Bayat and Ray Bayat have all been promoted at the Sherman Oaks office of Grubb & Ellis Co., a commercial real estate services firm. Abel has been promoted from associate vice president to vice president. Mitch Bayat and Ray Bayat have both been promoted from senior associates to associate vice presidents.
Jefferson Hill has been named vice president, acquisitions, at Watson Land Co. in Carson, responsible for the company’s strategic portfolio expansion program. In this capacity, Hill will identify and secure industrial development opportunities for Watson Land Co. in various growth markets throughout Southern California. Previously, Hill was senior director of real estate for Opus West, in charge of all of the company’s Southern California projects.
Tourism
William Buckley has been named executive vice president at the Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau. He was most recently executive vice president for entertainment marketing at Rogers & Cowan.
