Our Team
Collaborative. Trusted. Focused.
Bullpen team members bring a wealth of industry, public accounting and advisory experience to each consulting engagement. Client service is our priority and we operate as an extension of our clients’ management teams, trusted to independently drive key initiatives on their behalf. This trust comes from the simple fact that “we’ve done this before.”
Current industry expertise and leading edge capabilities
A significant Bullpen service offering involves instituting Sarbanes-Oxley readiness and on-going compliance programs. We perpetually liaise with our clients’ Big4 external auditors to ensure that current “hot topics” are evaluated and factored into their programs. We also partner with 2020 Control, a leading SOX compliance solution, to enable maximum collaboration and efficiency.
Leveraging best practices
Our team’s “real world” backgrounds include senior leadership positions in finance, operations and IT functions at Fortune 500 organizations as well as Big4 advisory and hands-on entrepreneurial start-up roles. With this breadth of experience, we understand what works well across multiple environments and are able to tailor and scale our offerings to meet individual client needs.
BRIAN COUTU
President & Founder
Brian Coutu is responsible for firm strategy, business development and overall client relations.
Brian established Bullpen in 2006 as a boutique consultancy focused primarily on risk & compliance strategy and internal controls. Under his leadership Bullpen has expanded its customer base and core consulting services and launched Bullpen's "Custom Solutions". Brian is also the Co-Founder of 2020 Control, the thought leading SOX-404 SAAS solution and Co-Founder of IAM Compare, a leading Identity & Access Management SAAS solution.
Prior to Bullpen Brian led effective Sarbanes-Oxley compliance programs at two Fortune 500 organizations, The Gillette Company and Fisher Scientific International ("Fisher"). Brian also served as Fisher's Audit Director, held senior financial, operational and systems (SAP) integrations positions for Gillette and served as Controller for venture-backed OneCore Financial Network. Brian began his career in KPMG's Audit Practice.
CHRISTOPHER NAULT
Christopher Nault joined Bullpen in May 2017 and is responsible for providing information technology consulting services across Bullpen’s client base. Chris specializes in IT risk assessment, Sarbanes Oxley control design and testing, ERP implementation assessment and SSAE16/SOC examination reporting.
Prior to joining Bullpen, Chris worked in Ernst & Young's Advisory Services practice serving clients in the technology, real estate, oil & gas, and retail sectors where he gained application expertise including Oracle (Financials & HCM), SAP (R/3 & HCM), PeopleSoft (Financials & HR), Mainframe, PDI, JDE, Right Angle, and Workday.
Chris holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting and Information Systems from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Manager
MANRU (CONNIE) XU
Manager
Connie Xu joined Bullpen in May 2016 and is responsible for providing information technology consulting services across Bullpen’s client base. Connie specializes in Sarbanes Oxley control design and testing, IT risk assessment, SSAE16/SOC examination reporting, software licensing compliance reviews and IT infrastructure.
Before joining Bullpen, Connie worked for CohnReznick, LLP, where she earned her C.P.A and C.I.S.A certifications.
Connie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting and Mathematics from the City University of New York and a Master degree in Accounting from The Ohio State University.
Manager
MELISSA LO
Senior Consultant
Melissa Lo joined Bullpen in November 2017 and is responsible for providing business process consulting services and general accounting support across Bullpen’s client base. Melissa specializes in Sarbanes Oxley control design and testing and financial close and reporting optimization.
Prior to joining Bullpen, Melissa held accounting and reporting management positions with Velcro Companies and DentaQuest.
Melissa holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accountancy from the San Diego State University.
MICHAEL VOTO
Senior Consultant
Mike Voto joined Bullpen in February 2017 and is responsible for performing controls evaluations, controls testing and accounting support across Bullpen’s client base.
Prior to Bullpen Mike held general accounting positions for Liberty Mutual and was a member of PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ tax practice.
Mike holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Suffolk University.