BDO went to the well again (the well being Canada) to find its newest global CEO, Pat Kramer. And the guy Kramer is replacing is the same guy he replaced as BDO Canada CEO seven years ago.
BDO has today [Nov. 1] announced that Pat Kramer, former CEO of BDO in Canada and a member of BDO’s Global Board, will succeed Keith Farlinger as the Global CEO of the BDO organization.
Commenting on his appointment, Pat says: “I am delighted to be taking over from Keith, who has done a fantastic job over the past few years. Keith’s focus has been to unify BDO as a global organization, based on a strong leadership strategy including initiatives to manage risk and invest in quality. In my new role, I will solidify what Keith has started, to protect and strengthen BDO while leading with our great culture and shared purpose of People helping People. However, those focus areas aside, today’s biggest challenge is undoubtedly the pace of change. We are no longer periodically interrupted by change, we now live in a world of change.”
Kramer, who is based in Calgary, has been the CEO of BDO Canada for the past seven years, during which time the firm had revenue growth, celebrated its Centennial in 2021, and joined the ranks of Canada’s top 100 employers, according to BDO.
He has held several roles during his 32-year career at Bravo Delta Oscar. According to his LinkedIn profile, Kramer was promoted to partner in audit and assurance in 1995. He then was named managing partner of the BDO office in Calgary in 2006, a role he held for nearly 10 years before he was named CEO of BDO Canada in 2015. He succeeded Farlinger, who retired as BDO Canada CEO and then took over as CEO of the Americas region a few months later. Farlinger was named global CEO in 2017.
Under Kramer’s watch, there were some pandemic-related layoffs in July 2020, despite employees scaling back their billable hours and taking a cut in pay because they thought by doing so there wouldn’t be layoffs.
Kramer has been the Canadian member of the BDO Global Board since his appointment as CEO, the firm said. He got a glowing endorsement from the chair of the BDO Global Board and leader of the Little Dippers:
Wayne Berson, BDO’s Chair of the Global Board concludes: “Owing to his previous international role Pat has won great respect throughout BDO and was the unanimous choice of the BDO Global Board. We wish Pat every success in his new role and thank Keith for his exemplary service these past years.”
Farlinger started at BDO as an intern and spent nearly 50 years with the firm before his retirement earlier this week. He wrote on LinkedIn: “I started my career at BDO as a teenage co-op student in my small hometown and I conclude today as the global CEO. It has been an amazing journey where I have learned every day.”
