Leigh Hayes has joined Forvis Mazars LLP, one of the largest public accounting and consulting firms in the United States, as a financial services partner in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In her new role with Forvis Mazars, Hayes will focus on serving clients locally and nationally in the banking, consumer finance, and private equity sectors. She will also provide tax consulting and tax compliance services and GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) audit support to clients.
Hayes has 25 years of experience serving multinational and community banks, debt funds, real estate investment trusts, and private equity clients. Prior to joining Forvis Mazars, she spent the majority of her career at a large international firm, where her responsibilities included serving as lead tax partner for multiple Fortune 500 and global priority clients, advising on GAAP and IFRS income tax provisions for large public and private companies; advocating for clients with the IRS and U.S. Department of the Treasury; and assisting with tax compliance issues to improve efficiency and mitigate risk. She also has extensive initial public offering and merger and acquisition experience.
“I am thrilled to join Forvis Mazars and am looking forward to contributing to the excellent work the firm’s financial services team is doing to help clients unlock their full potential,” Hayes said. “I am ready to work with clients to help them achieve their strategic goals, and I’m eager to leverage my technical experience across the firm.”
“Leigh’s decades of experience as a trusted advisor focused on solving complex problems is a major asset for our clients in the Charlotte market and beyond,” said Keith Giddens, managing partner for Forvis Mazars in Charlotte. “She is a true leader with a record of bringing together teams that deliver solutions through thoughtful planning, innovative technologies, and robust client advocacy.”
Hayes is a CPA licensed in Georgia, New York, and the District of Columbia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Birmingham-Southern College, Alabama, and a master’s degree in taxation from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.
