Securing tomorrow: Succession strategies for family enterprises

Susan Esper is an Audit & Assurance partner based in Boston with more than 34 years of public accounting experience, much of which has focused on serving complex global financial services clients. She has served as a lead audit engagement partner for several of Deloitte’s largest investment management clients, with responsibility for planning and executing all aspects of the audit process, including consideration of industry and regulatory requirements. Susan currently serves as the national Audit & Assurance Client Experience leader, a role in which she develops strategies and programs to provide insight into our clients’ most critical business challenges. Within this role, Susan oversees the Audit Committee Program team and collaborates with Deloitte’s Center for Board Effectiveness to bring world class governance programs and thought leadership to boards and audit committees. Previously, Susan served as the New England Financial Services industry leader, a role in which she collaborated with national investment management leadership to engage our practitioners in focused technical industry development and insightful thought leadership. She also served as the national Audit & Assurance industry leader and led strategic initiatives across all industries. Susan currently serves as the board chair for Providence College. Prior to this appointment, she served as the vice chair for Providence College for seven years. Susan also serves as a board member for the International Women’s Forum of Massachusetts. She previously chaired the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Women’s Network Advisory Board and served as a board member for the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, and Deloitte Foundation. Susan has been recognized numerous times for her leadership in the business community; this includes winning the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle award and being selected as a Boston Business Journal’s Women of Influence honoree. She is a licensed CPA in Massachusetts and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Susan holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Providence College.

Laura serves as a Tax Partner specializing in privately held, middle-market companies including family enterprises and family offices in a variety of industries including manufacturing, real estate, and asset management. Laura has extensive experience with partnership, S corporation, and corporate tax compliance and consulting matters, including accounting methods and periods, merger, acquisition, and divestiture planning, entity choice scenario planning, family office structuring, and IRS controversy assistance. Laura also serves as Deloitte Private’s US Family Enterprise leader—helping multi-generational businesses navigate the considerations associated with family-owned enterprises to strategically advise private companies and their owners on topics ranging from owner and management succession planning and incentive compensation to entity structuring and effective tax planning. Her broad range of client experience has equipped her with the deep knowledge needed to help clients identify and address their issues and opportunities, including assessing capital needs, preparing for leadership transitions, and discussing potential exit options.

Joan leads the Performance Management practice for Deloitte Consulting LLP and is a specialist leader in Deloitte’s Human Capital, Workforce Transformation practice. Joan has led dozens of global PM Redesigns and also leads clients through Future of Work transformations and defining Remote/Hybrid Workforce Strategies by taking a human centered approach to reimagine how work is done and evolving workforce skills and capabilities. Her leadership role encompasses the development of new performance and talent management service solutions focused on creating meaningful employee experiences that result in increased levels of performance. Joan has a wide range of consulting experience in multiple industries including Technology, Media and Entertainment, Financial Services, Life Sciences, Biotech, Healthcare, Power Utilities, Manufacturing—as well as others. Prior to Deloitte she has spent 20 years working with the C-Suite in large scale culture transformations.