Compliance Week regularly tracks various personnel moves, board appointments, product releases, customer wins, and industry gossip in the corporate governance realm. Submit announcements to Compliance Week’s DeAnn Christinat.

From The Regulators

Baumann

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has chosen Martin Baumann as director of its Office of Research and Analysis. He succeeds Phil Wedemeyer, who is leaving at the end of May. Baumann previously served as deputy director of the same office. He came to the PCAOB in 2006 from Freddie Mac, where he was CFO.

In other PCAOB news, Mary Moore Hamrick was recently named director of the Office of External Relations, a new division, where she will oversee the Board’s communications program. Hamrick was previously PCAOB director of government relations. She joined the organization in 2003 from New York Life Insurance.

Chief Accounting Officers

Leading auction house Sotheby’s has chosen Kevin Delaney as its corporate controller and chief accounting officer, succeeding Michael Gillis, who became treasurer. Delaney has served as a vice president for New York-based Sotheby’s since 2003.

In New Orleans, Entergy Corp. has tapped Theodore Bunting to replace Chief Accounting Officer Nathan Langston, who is retiring in August. Bunting was previously chief financial officer of Entergy’s utility and nuclear businesses. Succeeding Bunting in that job is Wanda Curry, who will oversee accounting and financial activities of Entergy’s regulated and nonregulated nuclear function.

Flint, Mich.-based Citizens Republic Bancorp recently selected Arthur Heise as executive vice president and general auditor. The former managing director of business risk and control for CitiMortgage reports to the audit committee and is responsible for day-to-day audit department operations.

La-Z-Boy, headquartered in Monroe, Mich., reports that Margaret Mueller has been named corporate controller. She replaces Mark Copping, who has left the company. Mueller reports to chief financial officer Mike Riccio and will oversee corporate accounting, accounting consolidations, La-Z-Boy’s internal and external financial reporting, payroll and internal control compliance, and special projects and analysis. She has been with the company’s audit department since 1993. Riccio will assume Copping’s old chief accounting officer duties.

General Counsels

Richmond, Va.-based LandAmerica Financial Group, a real estate transaction services provider, has named Michael Beverly associate general counsel and corporate secretary. Beverly is responsible for corporate governance and securities issues and for providing legal guidance to various departments. He hails from Chesapeake Corp., where he was associate general counsel.

Liu

Copier king Xerox Corp. recently named Don Liu general counsel. Among Liu’s duties are management of the company’s legal affairs and overseeing regulatory requirements and meeting processes for the company’s board. Liu most recently served as general counsel and corporate compliance officer for Toll Brothers before joining Stamford, Conn.-based Xerox.

Service Corp., a Houston-based provider of funeral products and services, is seeking a replacement for its retiring General Counsel James Shelger. Although his effective retirement date is June 30, 2007, the company will retain Shelger during the transition.

According to Swiss-based insurer Zurich Financial Services Group, Reto Schiltknecht is soon to be its group general counsel and a member of its group management board. As such, Schiltknecht will oversee all worldwide legal and compliance functions for Zurich. He previously served as Schindler Group’s deputy group general counsel.

Sorin

William Sorin, the ousted general counsel of Comverse Technology, was sentenced to 366 days in prison for securities fraud—specifically for the role he played in an options backdating scandal during 1998 to 2002 with CEO Kobi Alexander and CFO David Kreinberg. Sorin will also pay $52 million in damages to stockholders who suffered related losses, pending the outcomes of the Alexander and Kreinberg suits.

On The Board

Browne

Lord John Browne has resigned as a member of Goldman Sach’s board of directors. Lord Browne was previously chief executive officer of BP, but resigned after it was discovered that he lied in court to cover up embarrassing rumors about his personal life. He served as chairman of the audit committee and as a member of the corporate governance and nominating and compensation committees at Goldman Sachs.

Houston-based Lyondell Chemical, which named Susan Carter to its board of directors in January, has officially added Carter to its audit committee. Carter is chief financial officer of climate control solutions company Lennox International.

Vendors

Accounting firm Crowe Chizek and Co. has tapped Alan Abel to head up its anti-money laundering practice; he will work from the firm’s Fort Lauderdale, Fla., office. Abel comes to Crowe from PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he was director in the risk and regulatory services division and a former practice leader for anti-money laundering.

Paisley Consulting, a Minneapolis-based provider of governance, risk and compliance, and audit software, has struck a deal with Approva Corp. to combine Approva’s BizRights CCM platform with Paisley Enterprise GRC. The combined solution will allow customers to improve processes by giving them more insight into controls, streamlining the internal audit process, and reducing costs in the governance, risk, and compliance initiatives.

Business software giant SAP recently unveiled SAP GRC Risk Management, a software application to help chief financial and risk officers manage enterprise risk. The company reports that SAP’s software gives executives the tools needed to “manage key risk exposures and vulnerabilities alongside the pursuit of new business opportunities, delivering more informed decision-making, improved business performance, and competitive advantage.”