An "advisory practice" is the portion of a professional services firm devoted to forward-looking business counsel, as opposed to compliance-driven work like audit or tax preparation. Cohen & Co named Brian Ganser, MBA, to lead that practice as partner in charge of advisory, effective July 13, 2026, placing him in charge of its strategy, growth, and operational performance.
The role, defined
"Partner in charge" means more than a seniority bump. At professional services firms, the title signals that one named individual carries the full business mandate for a practice area: where it grows, how it operates, and how it performs. That differs from a standard partner role, which centers on managing client engagements within a line. A partner in charge governs the line itself.
Ganser, who holds an MBA, steps into that seat at the Cleveland-based firm. The Advisory Practice he now leads includes at least one specialized internal office, per Cohen & Co's announcement. The press release does not name that office fully.
What the structure signals
When a firm appoints a dedicated partner in charge for a service line rather than distributing oversight across existing leadership, it places a direct accountability chain on that practice. The move reflects either that the practice has reached a scale requiring its own executive, or that leadership is positioning it to get there.
The appointment took effect July 13, 2026, four days before Cohen & Co released the announcement publicly on July 17.