Stephen Ferrara, Chief Operating Officer of BDO USA, LLP

Q&A with Stephen Ferrara, BDO USA

1. Tell us about your passion.

The people in my life are most important to me and that begins with my family.  I also am fortunate to be part of a large and growing family at BDO, which includes the people we work with and work for in our communities. Across all aspects of my life and work, helping people and building strong relationships fuel my passion and my purpose. I also feel very fortunate to be in the position I am in, and have always felt an obligation to give back to the community, which led me to get involved with the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce.

2. How do you stay focused on what matters most?

Our world is dynamic and moving more quickly than ever. There are so many things coming at us, that in order to keep pace with change, we need to really focus and think differently about how to be successful. Early in my career someone gave me this advice: Ask yourself, what are the two or three priorities you really want to focus on to perform at your best and help your business succeed? I took this to heart and believe that in order to be most effective as people and businesses, we need to look at ourselves and our performance, and focus on the few things that will make the most meaningful impact.

3. What have you learned over your career?

My experience throughout my career at BDO has crystallized for me the importance of people, values and culture to both professional success and personal fulfillment. Having nearly doubled our size over a period of three years, BDO is experiencing rapid growth and change. At the same time, we are focused on building on a culture that puts people first and unifies our diverse and growing team. BDO’s core purpose – helping people thrive every day – along with our core values, have been the foundation for our success and have helped connect us to our work, our firm and each other.  

4. What is the most important thing you’d like people to learn from you?

I believe the keys to being successful are the willingness to work hard and truly caring about others. By putting forth your best effort and building relationships, you will create a solid foundation for your success!