CHICAGO: Grant Thornton has named Lawrence Griff to lead the firm’s retail industry practice and Kelly Schindler to head up its manufacturing industry practice.

In their roles, Griff and Schindler will oversee the growth and operations of their respective industries, which encompass a full range of audit, assurance, tax, and advisory services.

“The ever-evolving landscape of the manufacturing and retail industries demands agility and a growth-focused mentality,” said Alasdair Trotter, chief revenue officer at Grant Thornton Advisors LLC.

“Lawrence and Kelly each have many years of experience across multiple industries, and their wealth of knowledge means they are keenly suited to lead our talented teams of professionals as they solve our clients’ problems and bring them innovative new ideas.”

Griff has been with Grant Thornton for nearly 15 years and currently serves as an Audit and Assurance partner at Grant Thornton LLP. He has managed a diverse client base of public and private companies across multiple industries, including retail, media and entertainment, professional services, and manufacturing. He has more than 30 years of public accounting experience and was previously an Audit partner with Ernst & Young and Arthur Andersen.

Based in Grant Thornton’s New York City office, Griff is a certified public accountant (CPA) in New York and Connecticut. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Griff serves on the board of iMentor, a national not-for-profit that builds mentoring relationships to empower first-generation students to graduate high school, succeed in college and their careers, and achieve their ambitions.

He received a master’s degree in business administration from the New York University (NYU) Stern School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania. He was also formerly an adjunct professor at the NYU Stern School of Business.

Schindler has been with Grant Thornton since 2011 and currently serves as the market managing principal of Grant Thornton’s St. Louis office, where she is based. She is also an Audit & Assurance partner at Grant Thornton LLP and has more than 20 years of experience in public accounting in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, aerospace and defense, automotive, chemical, life sciences, retail, distribution, technology, and food and beverage.

Before joining Grant Thornton, Schindler was a senior manager at KPMG, where she managed several domestic and international public and private company engagements. She also worked overseas during the rollout of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and led global trainings on how to implement effective inventory cycle counts at large, international companies.

Schindler is a CPA in Missouri and Iowa and a member of the AICPA. She is also a member of Women in Manufacturing, both locally and nationally, and she is an active member of the National Association of Manufacturers. Schindler received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Missouri State University and currently serves on its Advisory Board.