Originally published on pwc.com.
PwC US has announced that Russell Golden, Alan Beller and Joanne Wakim will join the recently formed independent Assurance Quality Advisory Committee (AQAC). The Assurance Quality Advisory Committee currently consists of these three members who will provide perspectives and advice to Assurance Leadership on aspects of the business, operations, culture, governance and risk management approach that are reasonably expected to impact audit and assurance quality.
“Russ Golden, Alan Beller and Joanne Wakim are highly qualified, duly experienced and valued members of the financial reporting community, and we are proud to have them join the independent Assurance Quality Advisory Committee to advance our leadership on assurance quality,” said Wes Bricker, PwC Vice Chair and US and Mexico Assurance Leader. “Through their extensive backgrounds, they bring collective experience and deep understanding of the interests of the investor, preparer, auditor, standard-setting and regulatory communities.”
The establishment of the AQAC makes PwC US unique as the only firm with both a Board that includes external members and an independent advisory committee focused on quality.
Russell (Russ) Golden, Chair of PwC’s AQAC, most recently served as Chairman of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) from July 2013 to June 2020. Prior to his role as FASB Chair, Russ served as the Technical Director overseeing FASB’s accounting standards and technical application and implementation activities and as Chair of FASB’s Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF). Before joining FASB, he was a partner at a professional services firm, where he counseled partners and clients in the US and globally on technical accounting matters.
Alan Beller, AQAC member, has nearly 40 years of experience at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where he is currently a Senior Counsel. Alan is a recognized leader on securities and corporate law, capital markets, accounting and auditing and corporate governance matters. He is also a Director of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and a Vice Chairman of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation. Previously, Alan served as the Director of the Division of Corporation Finance for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and as a Senior Counselor to the Commission.
Joanne Wakim, AQAC member, previously served as the Chief Accountant of the Federal Reserve Board’s Division of Banking Supervision and Regulation. In that capacity, she advised the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and senior staff on the implications of key accounting, auditing and reporting issues. Joanne has worked to advance international initiatives as a member of the Basel Committee Accounting Experts Group. She also previously worked at the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB).
