Photo of john O'Connor

My goal is to visit all 13 presidential libraries — my current tally is six.
John O'Connor
Partner, CPA, MBA, CFP®, CFE

Experience

I’m an assurance partner, and I lead the Chicago private equity practice. Working as an M&A advisor, I help my clients maximize value on the sell side, minimize tax exposure, and accelerate post-acquisition integration. I specialize in sales readiness planning, buy-side due diligence, sell-side quality of earnings, buy-side and sell-side structuring, financial business and tax planning, post-acquisition tax, and financial reporting. Most of my clients are public and private equity-owned businesses in the manufacturing, technology, transportation, and service sectors.

I’m very passionate about my career, and I intentionally develop personal, meaningful relationships with my clients beyond the scope of my services. Whether I email articles that might be relevant to them or place a quick call, I’m focused on always staying in touch and looking out for their best interests. After more than 15 years in this profession, I’ve realized sharing information is the foundation to a successful relationship.

For more than 10 years, I’ve led the firm’s recruiting efforts at DePaul University. I spend time on campus presenting, organizing, and inviting students to the office. I always tell them this is a great field if you’re interested in working with different people and having experiences. The work is challenging, but also rewarding.

I frequently present to boards on a variety of accounting, business, and tax issues. I’m a member of the AICPA and the Illinois CPA Society. I belong to the ACG Chicago board of directors, the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago advisory board, AgeOptions board of directors, and the DePaul University Ledger and Quill board of directors. I have a B.A. in accounting from DePaul University and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

I enjoy my career and spend a lot of time working with clients. In my free time beyond that, I enjoy running — I was a marathon runner — and spending time at my cabin in Wisconsin.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and federally registered CFP (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.