James V. Schnurr CPA

James V. Schnurr Jim Schnurr was recently named Chief Accountant of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Prior to taking on the role of Chief Accountant of the SEC, Jim Schnurr was one of Deloitte LLP’s most senior client service partners, serving some of the firm’s largest and most complex clients. As vice chairman and senior national professional practice director from 2009 to his retirement in 2014, he was a specialist in mergers and acquisitions and financial and SEC reporting. A partner since 1985, Jim has been one of the most respected accounting professionals inside and outside Deloitte for the last twenty years. Jim served as the advisory partner on Fannie Mae, Rockwood Holdings, TE Connectivity and Schering Plough. Jim also provided financial reporting advice and consultation to the firm’s largest financial services clients including, Blackstone Group, KKR, BlackRock, Morgan Stanley, Apollo Group Management and Lazard. Earlier in his career, Jim’s deep expertise in accounting and SEC reporting matters lead to his appointment to lead Deloitte’s accounting consultation group and ultimately assume leadership of Deloitte’s national office. In this role, Jim was responsible for the system of quality control and risk management of the firm’s audit and advisory businesses and had primary responsibility for interacting with the SEC and PCAOB as it relates to their oversight and regulation of Deloitte’s audit practice. Jim has broad industry experience from his eight years working in the firms Mergers & Acquisitions group and as a lead client service partner for 5 years. Jim has provided due diligence and structuring advice on more than 100 transactions serving both strategic and financial buyers and sellers. Clients served include Penn Central Corporation, Cendant and many of the largest private equity firms. Jim has extensive experience with companies that have been spun off from the parent company including the spinoffs from Tyco and Cendant. Jim’s calm and forthright communication style and valuable insights on accounting and SEC reporting and risk management issues has earned him the respect of his colleagues in Deloitte, as well as, with standard setters, regulators and clients. His ability to quickly analyze complex transactions and explain them to others in lay man’s terms has allowed him to effectively communicate with and reconcile differing views among the board, management, auditors and regulators. He is frequently requested to assist clients in addressing their most complex and challenging financial reporting issues. Jim is a certified public accountant licensed in Connecticut and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants ( AICPA ) and the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants. He has served on various working and advisory groups of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and the AICPA. Jim received his BA from The College of the Holy Cross and an MBA from Rutgers University.