People: Robert Cunningham has been named managing member of Ridgeland, Miss.-based GranthamPoole, succeeding Gregory Markow, who was managing member since 2013; Cunningham is a founding member of the firm … Kevin Dancey has been named the next CEO of The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), succeeding Fayez Choudhury, whose term expires at the end of the year … Jeffrey Tarbell (Houlihan Lokey) will host a forum, “The Past, Present and Future of the Business Valuation Profession,” at the ASA NorCal chapter in San Francisco on May 3; speakers are Robert Schweihs (Willamette Management Associates), Roger Grabowski (Duff & Phelps), and Mark Zyla (Acuitas Inc.) … Leanne Robison was recently promoted to data analytics manager at Workman Forensics (Tulsa, Okla.).

Firms: Stephens Inc. (Little Rock, Ark.) announced that Dallas-based Blackhill Partners has joined the firm to lead its new North American restructuring advisory business … Briggs & Veselka expands in Houston with the acquisition of William M. Shields there; Bill Shields will join the firm as a shareholder, and all the firm’s professional employees will come on board … Naperville, Ill.-based Sikich opened a new, expanded office in Chicago to house the firm’s forensic and valuation services practice along with the investment banking and public relations practices … Mazars USA LLP has opened a new office in Los Angeles, expanding its existing footprint in California.

Please send your professional and firm news to us at editor@bvresources.com.