John Brownell is the managing director of Brownell & Associates, which provides interim C-level executives, turnaround and crisis management, disaster recovery, and management consultants and advisors to start-up, emerging, and international trading companies. In 2010, Brownell & Associates contracted with Danos & Curole to provide the Controller for the BP Vessels of Opportunity Payment Center which paid over $600M (in 8 months), for over 40,000 invoices from owners of nearly 5,000 vessels.
Currently, he is finishing work as the CFO/ COO for a start-up business providing an ultra low latency managed service delivering normalized market data to high frequency traders.
He started his business career as a CPA with Deloitte and Touche and then has held positions of CEO, COO, CFO, and VP working at companies in various industries including telecommunications, land development, commercial and residential real estate financing, investment banking, agriculture, savings and loan, and international trade. He has also worked as a management consultant in a variety of disciplines for companies in diverse business sectors.
His interest in international affairs and business started with his involvement as an officer of the International Students Association while in college. Subsequently, he worked in Thailand and Venezuela, then managed US companies with foreign operating subsidiaries, and made export sales to Central and South American governmental agencies.
He also was named the Chapter 11, bankruptcy trustee and acting CEO (at the request of the unsecured creditors’ committee) of an $80M international telecommunications company.
John is a CPA and has held licenses NASD series 7, 40, and 42, real estate broker, and mortgage broker. He has been an officer and/or member of the AICPA, Navy League of the US, World Trade Council of Palm Beach, and Turnaround Management Association.
He grew up near Rochester, NY, attended the University Of Michigan College Of Engineering, and graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a BBA in Accounting. He and his wife, an international flight attendant, moved to New Orleans during his tenure with the VOO Payment Center. He enjoys cheering for the Saints, traveling, and discovering New Orleans.