MPAc, CISA Partner, Cyber Risk Practice Leader
Doing the right thing – a guiding pillar I live and lead by is ‘the way you do anything is the way you do everything.
Nick is Partner and Cyber Risk Practice Leader at Smith + Howard, where he leads the strategic direction, growth, innovation, and long-term development of the firm’s Cyber Risk practice.
Throughout his career, Nick has played a key role in building and scaling cybersecurity, risk, compliance, and assurance practices across both national and regional professional services firms. After achieving partner roles at multiple firms, he co-founded Geels Norton, a cybersecurity compliance and advisory firm established around the belief that organizations deserve both world-class expertise and an exceptional client experience.
Under Nick’s leadership, Geels Norton experienced significant growth and became a trusted advisor to high-growth technology companies, SaaS providers, and investor-backed organizations navigating increasingly complex cybersecurity, privacy, and AI compliance requirements. The firm’s subsequent combination with Smith + Howard helped establish the foundation for today’s expanded Cyber Risk platform.
As Cyber Risk Practice Leader, Nick focuses on developing future leaders, expanding service offerings, driving innovation, and creating scalable systems that enable both clients and team members to succeed. He is also a frequent advisor to executive leadership teams, boards, investors, and private equity stakeholders seeking practical perspectives on cybersecurity risk, operational resilience, and governance.
Nick is also the Co-Founder of AuditEdge, a technology company built around a simple belief: there is a better way for audit firms and compliance teams to manage audit and compliance programs. Frustrated by the limitations of legacy audit software and the growing complexity of modern GRC platforms, he helped build AuditEdge to simplify workflows, improve quality, and create a more scalable model for assurance and compliance programs. Originally developed alongside the growth of Geels Norton, AuditEdge has evolved into an independent software company helping audit firms modernize audit delivery while providing compliance teams with a powerful yet practical alternative to bloated GRC automation platforms.
Nick is particularly passionate about challenging conventional professional services models. He believes that high-performing teams, exceptional client experiences, and practical business outcomes can coexist with technical excellence, and he has built much of his career around proving exactly that.
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