H. D. Smith Appoints Dave Watkins Chief Financi...( 30-Year Finance Executive Veteran Add...),Health

30-Year Finance Executive Veteran Adds Public Accounting, Executive Leadership

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., May 26 /PRNewswire/ -- H. D. Smith announced today that Dave Watkins has been appointed as chief financial officer. Watkins will be responsible for overseeing all Company financial functions, including the annual financial plan, internal and external reporting, forecasts and tax planning. H. D. Smith is the fourth largest national pharmaceutical wholesaler serving retail, hospital and institutional pharmacies around the nation.

"H. D. Smith growth and expansion into new service sectors will be supported by Dave Watkins's strong financial and operations acumen," said Dale Smith, chairman and chief executive officer, H. D. Smith. "Dave's expertise in finance, operations, acquisitions, along with his public accounting experience across a wide-array of industries and best-practice financial consulting knowledge supports our platform for continued growth."

Watkins comes to H. D. Smith from MorganFranklin, a business and technology solutions consulting firm. As a senior executive in its Chicago office, he served as acting chief financial officer and was responsible for building its Midwest financial advisory and consulting practice.

A seasoned financial services veteran with more than 30 years of experience, his background also includes eight years at Maritz Incorporated, a global provider of performance improvement, travel and market research services. At Maritz, Watkins held roles of increasing responsibility including chief operating officer of the European Operations, chief financial officer and interim chief executive officer. During his tenure at Maritz, he championed the acquisition of leading competitor, McGettigan Partners. Watkins' extensive background also includes more than 20 years in public accounting at KPMG. During his tenure he served as partner-in-charge of the retail and c
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