Simms named CEO of Habif, Arogeti & Wynne
J. Dan Simms was named managing partner and CEO of Habif, Arogeti & Wynne LLP, Georgia’s largest independent accounting and business advisory firm. In a planned transition, Simms replaces managing partner Jonathan Miller, who will remain at the firm serving clients and assisting the new management team. Marc Kanne, who has been at the firm for 33 years, was named COO.
“HA&W is poised to grow in new ways and build upon what Jon achieved over the last 10 years,” Simms said. “The new management team understands the rich tradition of the firm and is forward-thinking in its plans to build upon the firm’s track record of success. We are also fortunate that Jon will continue to serve as a resource to the firm — providing continuity through the transition.”
Simms has been with HA&W for 22 years. As CEO, he will direct the overall strategic planning process and long-term growth plans. Most recently, he served as director of the firm’s real estate and retail practice group. He represents clients in the construction and real estate industries, nonprofit organizations, governmental organizations and the hospitality industry.
“Our aim is to expand the reach of our firm and the awareness of the services we can provide all industry segments and business types,” Simms said. “We are confident about the growth opportunities we see and the untapped potential for our firm to evolve and excel.”
INOVIS
Ilaria Derr was named president and COO of Inovis Inc., a provider of business commerce automation software. Most recently, Derr was COO for Alogent, a privately held technology company providing payment processing solutions for global financial institutions and remittance processors. Under Derr’s leadership, Alogent was named to the Inc “500 Fastest Growing Companies” list and to Deloitte & Touche’s “Technology Fast 500” list, based on the company’s record of growth and execution.
WITNESS SYSTEMS
Witness Systems Inc. announced the appointment of Sandra Jimenez as managing director of its Latin American operations. Jimenez, who brings 20 years of sales, marketing, operations and general management experience with technology companies, will drive the company’s strategic plan for the region and help drive the adoption of work force performance software. Prior to joining Witness Systems, Jimenez was vice president, applications, for the Latin American division of Oracle Corp., and was vice president and officer for the Latin American operations at Dun & Bradstreet Software.
PATHFIRE
Pathfire Inc., a provider of digital content distribution and management services for the broadcast television industry, appointed Howard B. Meiseles its vice president of strategic development. He is responsible for leading product development strategies and activities with major news organizations, syndication studios, broadcast networks and other media companies. Most recently, he was CEO of Valencia, Calif.-based Ghia Inc., where he developed and marketed technologies for media companies to share files securely on a distributed enterprise content management platform using peer-to-peer, rights management and communications technologies.
WELLS REAL ESTATE FUNDS
Wells Real Estate Funds named Ron Ford to the newly created position of chief of financial strategy. He brings with him more than 24 years of experience in sales, operations, financial management, information technology and organizational development. He is responsible for directing Wells’ overall financing operations and strategy, including oversight of accounting, investor relations, treasury and risk management. He most recently was CEO of Media Arts Group in San Jose, Calif.
SCIENTIFIC-ATLANTA
Scientific-Atlanta named George Stromeyer vice president and managing director for the Europe/Middle East/Africa region. He has been with the company since 1996, starting up the Latin American operations before returning to corporate headquarters in Atlanta in early 2002. He joins vice president and general manager of Transmission Network Systems, Europe, Dean Rockwell, working out of S-A’s Kortrijk office in Belgium. There was 150 percent growth in revenue during Stromeyer’s six years at the company’s Buenos Aires office.
CHURCH’S CHICKEN
Daniel H. Bauer was appointed CFO of Church’s Chicken, a division of AFC Enterprises Inc. He has 15 years of experience in finance, tax and treasury, and most recently served as vice president – finance and tax at AFC Enterprises. He replaces Carl Jakaitis, who resigned to join the organization of a large Church’s Chicken franchisee. In his new role, Bauer is responsible for all facets of Church’s financial operations, including capital allocation, financial planning and analysis, budgeting, resource management and initiatives related to Information Technology.
