During his tenure with FORVIS’ legacy firm DHG, Ambassador Brad Benton describes himself as a “healthcare zealot and evangelist.” His transformational leadership style inspired and motivated teams to achieve remarkable results. Today, Brad, who recently joined FORVIS’ Alumni Steering Committee, claims he’s “working hard at retirement” while still keeping his finger on the pulse of the healthcare industry.
Brad, you were a partner at an international firm when you chose to join our firm as national healthcare practice leader. That was in 2012 when the firm was a significantly smaller firm. What precipitated that change?
While serving as a national healthcare practice leader for my previous firm, I got to know the late Larry Hughes very well. We were serving a mutual hospital client. At the time, I was leading an incredibly smart team that was becoming increasingly focused on industry transformation and was quite entrepreneurial in nature. However, those entrepreneurial pursuits didn’t always align with my former firm’s business model. Around then, Larry informed me that his firm was looking for a national healthcare practice leader—bringing together healthcare audit, tax, and consulting into one practice. Our conversations went from interesting to intriguing to compelling. And, while I was very dedicated to my former firm, and had been there a long time, I saw it as an opportunity to build, grow, and shape a business that was too good to pass up.
It must have been a big change.
It was huge. But it was also the most exciting and valuable period of my professional career. Larry, Ken Hughes, and Kent Satterfield gave me tremendous permission to consolidate and build out the firm’s healthcare practice with an eye toward innovation and growth. They made many promises along the way—big promises—and they kept every one of them. It was so fulfilling. I just wish I had made the transition sooner.
Seems like things turned out pretty well …
Absolutely. When I started, the firm’s healthcare practice had such a great base to build upon. When I retired in 2020, our team had executed exceptionally on our growth agenda. We grew the practice substantially across all functions. But what impressed me the most was how seamlessly all the partners of the separate healthcare businesses came together and how they realized the value of one healthcare strategy. There was so much team effort and motivation to be one healthcare team across all the functions. It came together faster and more successfully than I could have ever imagined, which speaks volumes about the firm and its leadership.
You spent your career serving the healthcare industry. What are your thoughts about where the industry is heading today?
It’s a mixed bag. On one hand, domestic U.S. healthcare today costs more and delivers less. For an industry that receives the level of investment it does—more than 17% of U.S. GDP in 2022—that’s very disappointing. On the other hand, I’m confident many great people—clinicians, business leaders, healthcare entrepreneurs—intend to see transformation for far greater access and quality at much lower cost. The next step is to fundamentally change and transform core business models step by step. And that’s creating incredible opportunities for the smartest minds to dramatically improve one of the most fundamental industries in the world.
You recently joined FORVIS’ Alumni Steering Committee. Why?
Well, first, it just sounded interesting. To see what’s going on in the firm through the lens of a committee member—especially as the firm is going through such a remarkable period—is fascinating. But more than that, it’s an opportunity to reconnect and give back to a firm that gave so much to me.
What’s your best memory of your time at FORVIS?
It’s two things. First was watching the healthcare practice come together as one team. And the credit goes to the healthcare partners. How they embraced different targets and growth goals and coalesced around a common culture was truly special. Second was having the opportunity to serve on the firm’s Executive Committee. Without question, that is the most dedicated and hardest working group of people—all determined to accomplish the right things for the firm—that I’ve ever had the privilege of working with.
What does it mean to be a FORVIS Ambassador?
I think it’s important to recognize how blessed we are to be part of a firm that places such high emphasis on the level of cultural attachment to its people. I’ve always believed that good people do great things—and that characterizes my FORVIS colleagues and many alumni over the course of my entire career. Whatever success I personally enjoyed, all of that, sincerely, was because of my terrific teammates.
More About Brad
- Grew up “all over Alabama,” including stints in Dothan, Gadsden, Troy, and Montgomery, where he was born
- Earned his B.B.A. in Accounting at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi
- Began his career with KPMG in Jackson, Mississippi in 1982 and later moved to the firm’s Atlanta office
- Joined FORVIS’ legacy firm DHG in Atlanta in 2012; retired in 2020
- He and Mary Frances, his wife of 40 years, have three adult children and a first grandchild due in May
- Served on the board of Zoo Atlanta for 12 years, including two years as chair, and continues to serve as an ad hoc finance committee member
- Enjoys running, playing guitar, and spending time at the family beach house in the Florida panhandle
