Emerging Leaders Fireside Chat with Stephen Ferrara

The Fireside Chat Series provides an exclusive opportunity for Emerging Leaders to learn from savvy business professionals; sharing tips, lessons learned, insights to the industry, and some personal mantras. Each quarter a young professional will lead the interview with an experienced Chicago business leader.

Emerging Leaders Chicago engages and develops the next generation of Chicagoland business leaders. For young professionals, it builds relationships, cultivates skills and talent, and creates an inclusive community of future leaders.

Featured Speaker

Stephen Ferrara

Partner, Chief Operating Officer | BDO USA, LLP

Steve has been the COO of BDO since 2012. As the firm’s COO, Steve has overseen every aspect of the firm’s business and is a member of the firm’s Executive management team where he works closely with other members of the firm’s Executive management team to develop strategy and set the direction for the Firm’s future sustainability, growth and profitability.

Steve is responsible for executing the firm’s mergers & acquisitions (M&A) strategy, including analysis and recommendations for the establishment of new offices and practice expansion, applying his extensive experience and knowledge to form new ideas, concepts and methods to help drive the Firm forward. He provides leadership by directing and coordinating all aspects of the M&A process. In his role Steve has overseen approximately 50 merger transactions.

Steve is currently responsible for oversight of many of the firm’s operational business units, including Wealth Management, Finance, IT, the Alliance program and Administrative Operations. He also directs the development and implementation of the Firm’s national strategies and initiatives related to innovation and industry group programs. In addition, Steve oversees the firm’s international liaison program to ensure close collaboration with the BDO global network and participates on the network’s Global Board Advisory Group to help set strategy and direction for the BDO Global Network.

Steve has over 35 years of diversified business experience working in both public accounting and in industry. Steve has used this experience to help him in executing his responsibilities as the firm’s COO.