Deloitte announced today the appointment of Jim Berry as a vice chairman of Deloitte LLP and the leader of its real estate and construction sector practice in the United States.
Deloitte's real estate and construction sector is one of the largest in the U.S, encompassing a full array of audit and assurance, advisory, consulting and tax service offerings. Its diverse client base goes across all segments of the industries and their capital providers, including REITs; real estate funds; engineering and construction; and brokerage and service providers.
Berry, a partner with Deloitte & Touche LLP, most recently served as the U.S. leader of the sector's audit and assurance services practice and has more than 32 years of experience serving companies in the real estate, construction and hospitality industries.
He succeeds Robert O'Brien, vice chairman, Deloitte LLP, who was named to the role in 2010 and retains his position as Deloitte's global real estate and construction sector leader. O'Brien was appointed global leader in 2013 and will continue to advise on emerging trends and best practices for Deloitte's global network of clients and member firms.
"I am excited to lead our U.S. real estate and construction team as we continue to support our clients with market-leading services and capabilities," said Berry. "The industry is undergoing considerable change and experiencing many disruptive elements, which is generating enormous opportunities for our clients and the real estate and construction marketplace overall.
"Our team is investing heavily in all elements of our practice, focusing on those involving the technologies and innovations supporting our regulatory services. This includes the development of cutting-edge blockchain, robotic and cognitive learning applications to position our team and clients for success in today's and tomorrow's market."
In his new role, Berry will lead the overall strategic direction of the sector's broad client-facing efforts. Based out of Dallas, he will oversee the practice's approximately 1,600 U.S.-based client-focused professionals.
"We are very pleased to have a senior partner like Jim stepping up to lead our real estate and construction practice at a time we see so much convergence of opportunities in the marketplace," said Kenny Smith, a vice chairman of Deloitte LLP who leads the financial services industry group, as well as serves as the overall U.S. industry program leader. "As with most industries today, we expect to see accelerating innovation and new investment opportunities rise in the sector."
During his career with Deloitte, Berry has served as an advisor to public and private companies in numerous capacities including audit; mergers and acquisitions; and divestitures. He has leveraged his deep experience in areas such as public offerings, private placements and SEC filings. He has also held numerous client-service and practice-leadership roles at Deloitte, including audit practice leader for the North Texas offices.
Berry, a certified public accountant and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA), is a recognized authority on and instructor for matters impacting the real estate and construction industries, as well as other technical subjects at the national level with Deloitte. He is active in the Dallas community, where he serves in various leadership roles with The Real Estate Council, a 2,000-member organization representing the commercial real estate industry in North Texas; serves on the Community Impact Committee of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas; and has worked with several other charitable causes during his career. He hails from Clarksville, Texas, and has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Stephen F. Austin State University.
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