CEO
Smith + Howard Advisory LLC
Sean Taylor is CEO of Smith + Howard, a national accounting and advisory firm headquartered in Atlanta. Since stepping into the role in 2019, he has led the firm through significant growth — from just over 100 employees to more than 700 today, and from a single Atlanta office to a national footprint spanning ten U.S. cities and one in India. This expansion has been driven by a bold 10-year vision, multiple strategic acquisitions, and a partnership with private equity firm TPG.
Under his leadership, Smith + Howard has expanded its capabilities, talent base, and geographic reach. In recognition of his impact, Sean was named “Top Leader” among midsize workplaces by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and received a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from Vistage Worldwide, a global executive-coaching and peer-advisory organization for CEOs. He has also been recognized as a “Most Admired CEO” by The Atlanta Business Chronicle and honored with the “Public Service Award” from the Georgia Society of CPAs.
Sean is the host of The Worst Advice I Ever Got, a podcast where leaders share lessons learned from misguided advice and the experiences that shaped their careers. His candid and curious approach reflects the authenticity he brings to leadership.
A graduate of the University of Georgia, Sean earned a BBA in accounting and began his career at Smith + Howard as an intern. He became a partner in 2003, led the Assurance practice beginning in 2010, and was named CEO in 2019. Over the course of his career, he has advised nonprofits and privately held businesses with deep expertise in succession planning and organizational transition. More recently, he has guided accounting firm leaders through private equity considerations, drawing on Smith + Howard’s own experience to help others navigate both the opportunities and complexities of outside investment.
Sean is deeply committed to mentorship and community impact. He actively champions the firm’s mentoring initiatives and works with team members across the organization. He serves on the Board of Trustees for Wesleyan School and on the finance committee of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. In 2012, he co-founded FoodStock, Georgia’s largest one-day meal-packing event, which has helped provide nearly 5 million meals to children around the world.
The first wave of private equity in accounting was defined by platform investments and first-time transactions. The next wave will be defined by what happens after the deal.
As the pioneering private equity investments in accounting mature, firms and investors are beginning to navigate continuation vehicles, secondary transactions, recapitalizations, evolving ownership structures, and even buybacks. Research shows that nearly two in ten PE-backed firms expect their investors to sell equity within the next two years, signaling that the profession is entering a new phase of the private equity lifecycle.
This session brings together firm leaders, investors, and advisors to explore how PE firms exit investments, what those transitions mean for partners and leadership teams, and how firms are preparing for their next chapter.
Attendees will gain insight into the realities of second transactions, lessons learned from early PE partnerships, and how firms are thinking about ownership, governance, and growth as private equity in accounting continues to evolve.
Once the ink on a private equity deal dries, accounting firms enter a new phase of their existence — one that requires fresh thinking, different reporting structures and new approaches. This session looks at how firms can balance accountability and autonomy, leverage the new resources that are available to them, develop new strategies, and turbocharge their growth with PE at their side.