Mitchel Nakken will further innovate Accordion's offerings amid increased client demand for strategic, data-driven, and tech-enabled guidance
NEW YORK, May 21, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Accordion, a financial consulting firm focused on private equity, today announced that Mitchel Nakken has joined the firm as its new Strategic Finance Practice Lead. This hire—and the firm's continued investment in senior leadership—reflects Accordion's rapid growth, its market position as the go-to partner for PE-backed CFOs, and the importance of driving value creation within the Office of the CFO.
"It's never been more critical for PE-backed CFOs to fixate on value protection and creation than it is now, in this uncertain market," said Junaid Samnani, Managing Director, Head of Transformation and Global Solutions at Accordion. "PE-backed CFOs need partners who can help them identify and digest the right data to understand business performance and use that information to steer their companies through volatility to exit success. Mitchel brings a wealth of experience doing just that. His expertise at the intersection of PE and FP&A makes him the perfect partner for our clients and the ideal leader for our strategic finance professionals."
Nakken joins Accordion from Palm Tree LLC, where he served as a Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of Consulting. He was a key player in establishing and growing the firm's consulting service lines (Strategic Finance, Accounting Advisory, Data & Analytics and Operations) and was responsible for building a sophisticated team with experience across a breadth of financial and operational disciplines, including FP&A, M&A, treasury, accounting, and performance improvement, for companies ranging from $50M to over $2B.
Prior to Palm Tree, Nakken worked at FINNEA Group, a middle-market investment banking and consulting firm, where he established and expanded the firm's Performance Improvement practice, which worked exclusively with large private equity clients and portfolio companies. He began his career at Plante & Moran Corporate Finance, a boutique middle-market investment bank, where he advised on buy- and sell-side transactions.
"PE-backed CFOs are being asked to do so much more than close the books," said Nakken. "They're expected not only to protect value, but to drive value creation through the Office of the CFO. Given the current market dynamics, pressure from the board, ownership, and lenders has increased substantially. That, in turn, is creating demand for the type of focused, 'roll-up your sleeves' support that the Accordion team is known for among private equity clients. I am thrilled to join this industry-leading firm focused on supporting PE-backed CFOs. I look forward to helping our clients transform their approach to financial/operational reporting and forecasting processes into data-enabled tools and insights that will meaningfully enhance EBITDA."
About Accordion
Accordion is a financial consulting firm uniquely focused on private equity. Rooted in data and technology, Accordion's expertise lives at the intersection of sponsors and PE-backed CFOs. Our team helps drive value creation for clients, with services supporting the Office of the CFO across all stages of the investment lifecycle—including foundational accounting, strategic financial planning and analysis enhancement, CFO-led performance, transaction support, and turnaround and restructuring solutions. All of Accordion's services are powered by deep expertise in data and analytics, CFO-specific technology, and finance-led transformations. Accordion is headquartered in New York with ten offices around the globe.
Media Contact
Carrie Kalish, Carrie Kalish, 1 917-657-3155, [email protected], www.accordion.com
Daisy Steinthal, For Accordion, 1 914-413-6262, [email protected], www.accordion.com
SOURCE Carrie Kalish
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