Leadership

Avani Desai is a Partner and Chief Executive Officer at Schellman, the largest niche CPA firm in the world that focuses on technology and
security assessments. She also sits on the board of Cogent Bank, a Florida-based community bank, as a Director and the head of the Technology Committee.

Avani started her career working at a Big 4 accounting firm (KPMG) for over 10 years, where she led a team and oversaw IT Risk Management and Privacy across national service lines. In addition, Avani managed the development of internal and external privacy programs and related practices, leveraging her deep knowledge of healthcare and emerging technologies, such as blockchain, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, internet of things, and virtualization. She has been featured in Forbes, CIO.com, and the Wall Street Journal, and is a sought-after speaker as a voice on a variety of emerging topics, including security, privacy, information security, future technology trends, and the expansion of young women involved in technology.  With all that being said, Avani still considers her greatest accomplishment to be personal rather than—she is the proud mother to her 10-year-old son, Sahil, 7-year-old daughter, Sareena, and newborn son, Hastin.

Certifications: CPA, CISA, CIPP, CCSK, CRISC, CIA, ISO Lead Auditor