Johnson Lambert expands insurance advisory with new FOA practice
Johnson Lambert has announced the launch of its financial & operations advisory (FOA) practice. The new practice expands the firm’s advisory capabilities beyond audit and tax, providing organisations with specialised expertise across finance operations, regulatory compliance, reporting, transactions, system implementations, and organisational change.
The practice launches with a primary focus on the insurance industry, where Johnson Lambert has more than 40 years of specialised experience working with commercial carriers, captive insurance companies, risk retention groups, MGAs, and specialty insurance organisations. FOA offerings extend to the full range of organisations the firm works with, including nonprofits and employee benefit plans facing similar demands on their finance and operations functions.
The FOA practice is led by Brandon Veler (pictured), principal, with nearly 20 years of experience advising organisations on financial, operational, and regulatory matters. Veler brings deep familiarity with the demands facing finance and operations teams during periods of growth, transition, and increased complexity, with particular depth in the insurance industry across financial operations and statutory reporting, reinsurance accounting, and regulatory examinations.
“The insurance organisations we work with are navigating real operational pressure points,” said Veler. “A key finance leader leaves the company and reporting can’t wait. A system goes live but the team wasn’t part of the plan. New regulatory requirements arrive before the old ones are resolved. Growth creates demands finance isn’t resourced to execute. An audit surfaces control gaps that need more than a memo. A strategic initiative has approval and budget but no one to carry it forward. These are the moments where insurance organisations need experienced professionals who can step in and move critical work forward without pulling their teams away from the work already on their plate. That’s exactly what our FOA practice was built to address.”
The FOA practice spans six core areas of focus designed to address the financial, operational, and regulatory demands insurance organisations face during periods of change and growth:
• Strategic & CFO Advisory: Provides experienced finance leadership support for succession planning, budgeting, board reporting, transaction activity, and high-priority strategic initiatives.
• Financial Operations & Reporting: Supports statutory and GAAP reporting, strengthens accounting operations, improves cash visibility, and prepares organisations for audits across specialised industries.
• Governance, Risk & Regulatory: Addresses regulatory filings, governance expectations, internal audit needs, and evolving compliance requirements with industry-aligned guidance.
• Systems, Process & Data Transformation: Helps finance teams operate more effectively through process redesign, system strategy, change management, and data-driven decision support.
• Transaction Advisory Services: Supports mergers, acquisitions, and strategic transactions with due diligence, financial modelling, and integration planning.
• Reinsurance Accounting Automation: Reduces manual effort and strengthens reinsurance operations through more connected accounting processes and reporting workflows.
“Insurance organisations operate in a specialised environment where the demands on finance and operations teams rarely slow down,” said Brandy Vannoy, managing partner. “Launching our Financial & Operations Advisory practice is a natural evolution for Johnson Lambert. By blending our deeply rooted, niche insurance accounting knowledge with dedicated advisory capabilities, we are uniquely positioned to step in and help organisations alleviate these internal pressures. FOA extends the depth of expertise our clients already rely on and positions the firm to address a broader range of their most pressing needs.”
Did you get value from this story? Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories like this sent straight to your inbox.
