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About Steve

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Steve Byrne is a seasoned audit and accounting professional with more than 35 years of experience. Steve started his career in 1991 as an auditor for the Inspector General’s Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Hartford, CT performing compliance audits of low-income housing developments throughout New England. After HUD, Steve joined KPMG LLP as a Senior Auditor in the firm’s government and non-profit assurance practice in Springfield, MA. Two years later, Steve moved to Boston where he transitioned into the firm’s investment management assurance practice and began auditing mutual funds, hedge funds, insurance products and investment advisors. Steve spent nearly nine years with KPMG and left the firm as a Senior Audit Manager.

Steve worked as a Project Director in the Fund Accounting Department at Investors Bank and Trust (now State Street Corporation) for 18 months before moving to California to join the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”). At the PCAOB Steve worked as an inspection specialist for more than 12 years, initially performing inspections of public company audits performed by CPA firms large and small, domestic and international for compliance with PCAOB auditing standards.

In 2011, when the Dodd-Frank Act gave the PCAOB the authority to inspect broker-dealer audits, Steve jumped at the chance. He was one of a handful of professionals that started the PCAOB’s broker-dealer inspection program.

After eight years inspecting broker-dealer audits, Steve left the PCAOB in 2018 to start Blue Diamond Audit Consulting, LLC with a former PCAOB colleague. At Blue Diamond, Steve provided engagement quality review services to firms that audited broker-dealers. Steve also trained firms on how to comply with PCAOB standards and provided inspection preparation assistance to firms that were inspected by the PCAOB.

After two years at Blue Diamond, Steve joined Ankura Consulting Group in its Audit Advisory practice where he continued to educate PCAOB-registered firms about compliance with PCAOB and AICPA auditing standards. Steve also performed inspections of registered accounting firms in the Middle East and assisted private equity firms in their due diligence of acquiring public accounting firms domestically. Steve left Ankura in September of 2024 to start Byrne & Company.

Steve is a certified public accountant registered in both California and Massachusetts. He is also a CFA charter holder and a member of the AICPA.