Key Takeaways
- • Cohen & Co appointed Andrew Palko as assurance partner in its Chicago office, adding nearly 25 years of fund audit expertise to strengthen its Asset Management Group's capacity in private and registered fund services.
- • The firm ranks as the third-largest auditor of registered funds in the United States and fifth-largest auditor of public and private fund assets globally, positioning this hire as a strategic expansion of market leadership.
- • The appointment reflects Cohen & Co's multi-year growth strategy, which accelerated significantly following a strategic growth investment from private equity firm Lovell Minnick Partners in late 2024.
- • Palko's focus on fund assurance services addresses industry headwinds including heightened regulatory scrutiny, technological disruption, and emerging asset classes such as digital currencies that require specialized audit expertise.
- • Brett Eichenberger, Market Leader for Asset Management at Cohen & Co, emphasized that Palko's technical expertise and client service background add "considerable depth and capacity" to the firm's asset management audit platform.
Summary
Cohen & Co, a national accounting and advisory firm headquartered in Cleveland, announced on May 5, 2026, the hiring of Andrew Palko as an assurance partner in its Chicago office. The appointment marks a deliberate expansion of the firm's Asset Management Group, which specializes in audit, tax, and advisory services for investment industry clients navigating an increasingly complex regulatory and competitive environment.
Palko brings nearly 25 years of professional experience in fund audit services, with a focus on private and registered fund assurance. His recruitment underscores Cohen & Co's strategic positioning in an asset management sector facing mounting pressures from regulatory scrutiny, technological disruption, and the proliferation of alternative asset classes, including digital currencies and other emerging investment vehicles. The firm currently operates an Asset Management Group comprising more than 300 professionals across its national platform.
The hire is part of a broader, multi-year expansion strategy that gained significant momentum following Lovell Minnick Partners' strategic growth investment in Cohen & Co in late 2024. Brett Eichenberger, the firm's Market Leader for Asset Management, stated that Palko's "expansive fund audit background, client service focus and technical expertise add considerable depth and capacity to our existing industry-leading team." This positioning reflects Cohen & Co's market standing as the third-largest auditor of registered funds in the United States and the fifth-largest auditor of public and private fund assets on a global scale, according to Audit Analytics data.
The appointment signals Cohen & Co's continued commitment to deepening its competitive moat in the fund audit space at a time when asset managers face compounding compliance demands and operational complexity. The addition of seasoned expertise like Palko's enables the firm to expand service capacity while maintaining the technical rigor required to serve sophisticated institutional clients.
Palko brings nearly 25 years of professional experience in fund audit services, with a focus on private and registered fund assurance. His recruitment underscores Cohen & Co's strategic positioning in an asset management sector facing mounting pressures from regulatory scrutiny, technological disruption, and the proliferation of alternative asset classes, including digital currencies and other emerging investment vehicles. The firm currently operates an Asset Management Group comprising more than 300 professionals across its national platform.
The hire is part of a broader, multi-year expansion strategy that gained significant momentum following Lovell Minnick Partners' strategic growth investment in Cohen & Co in late 2024. Brett Eichenberger, the firm's Market Leader for Asset Management, stated that Palko's "expansive fund audit background, client service focus and technical expertise add considerable depth and capacity to our existing industry-leading team." This positioning reflects Cohen & Co's market standing as the third-largest auditor of registered funds in the United States and the fifth-largest auditor of public and private fund assets on a global scale, according to Audit Analytics data.
The appointment signals Cohen & Co's continued commitment to deepening its competitive moat in the fund audit space at a time when asset managers face compounding compliance demands and operational complexity. The addition of seasoned expertise like Palko's enables the firm to expand service capacity while maintaining the technical rigor required to serve sophisticated institutional clients.
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