Trent Gazzaway

Global Leader - Service Line Capabilities and Quality @Grant Thornton International Ltd

Charlotte, NC, US

For 30 years, I’ve dedicated my professional life to driving quality in auditing, financial reporting and corporate internal control systems. As Grant Thornton International Ltd’s (GTIL\'s) Global Leader of Service Line Capabilities and Quality, I serve on the global leadership team overseeing the global assurance, tax and advisory service lines and the development of quality initiatives across the network of GTIL member firms. Previously, I served on the Senior Leadership Team of Grant Thornton LLP, the U.S. member firm of GTIL, where I was the U.S. National Managing Partner of Audit Quality and Innovation. I that role, I oversaw all quality control functions for the U.S. firm’s Audit Services practice. Additionally, I led the firm’s national technical, ethical and risk management professionals — a group of highly talented accounting and auditing specialists who support the effective execution of Grant Thornton U.S.’ audits around the world. I also managed the development of the firm’s tools and techniques that have the potential to radically change the auditing and financial reporting profession, including data analytics, robotic process automation, artificial intelligence and blockchain technology.I have extensive experience in auditing public and private companies and assisting companies in improving and evaluating internal control systems — and have collaborated extensively with members of the U.S. Congress and key international policy groups to shape public policy impacting the accounting profession, businesses and the capital markets. In 2009, I led the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) project team in developing guidance on effective monitoring of internal control I also served as a member of the advisory committee for COSO’s 2013 update to the Internal Control — Integrated Framework.I’m a certified public accountant (CPA) in North Carolina and Hawaii and is a member of the American Institute of CPAs.