Success and Succession: Unlocking Value, Power, and Potential in the Professional Services and Advisory Space

Interviewee Biographies

Rudy Adolf, CEO, Focus Financial

Rudy founded Focus Financial Partners in 2006 to provide independent, entrepreneurial RIAs with strategic support for growth and succession planning while retaining their autonomy to continue to do what made them successful in the past. With Focus's success in the RIA space, the firm subsequently launched Focus Connections and Focus Successions®, programs aimed to solve the two biggest challenges in the industry: broker teams going independent and looking to transition to a fiduciary model and RIAs without robust business continuity plans.

Focus is the leading international partnership of independent fiduciary wealth management firms, with over 30 partner firms and more than $325 million in revenues. Focus is recognized as the market leader and has consistently been named as one of Inc. Magazine's and Crain's fastest-growing companies in the United States.

Prior to founding Focus, Rudy held senior leadership positions at American Express and was a partner at McKinsey.

Chris Benson, CPA/PFS, L.K. Benson & Company

Chris Benson joined his father's firm in May 2009 after spending five years with a national CPA firm. He is a CPA, with a master's degree in taxation from the University of Baltimore and has passed the Personal Financial Specialist exam through the AICPA. Chris's primary responsibilities include working with clients in the tax, personal financial planning, and investment planning areas. Chris leads the AICPA PFP Section's ...