Alumni Spotlight
Retired PPMD Honored
Bob Kueppers and his 40-year career with Deloitte
Retired PPMD Bob Kueppers honored for accounting profession legacy
In his 40-year career with Deloitte, Retired Partner Bob Kueppers supported some of Deloitte’s largest clients, served as a Professional Accounting Fellow at the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) and chaired the boards of three major non-profits.
His most historic contribution however, may have been as a representative of the audit profession working with Congress, the SEC and other key agencies on meaningful reforms following several high-profile accounting frauds.
In recognition of his exceptional career and contributions to the audit profession, the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA®) honored Bob with the 2024 AICPA Gold Medal Award of Distinction — the highest honor granted by the AICPA.
Bob helped to inform regulatory changes that improved audit quality and served to rebuild public trust at a time of historic change in the industry. It’s fitting to see him receive this highest distinction. His leadership in that challenging time, his dedication to our clients and his commitment as chair of major non-profits throughout his career made a lasting impact.
Nancy Juron, State Regulatory Leader, Deloitte LLP
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Finding the opportunity in change
Bob began his career as an auditor in Deloitte’s Minneapolis office before moving to New York. Eight years into his career, he accepted a two-year SEC fellowship which allowed him to build relationships across the profession. When the fellowship concluded, Bob re-joined Deloitte as a partner.
“I spent a lot of my career driving quality, policies, procedures and compliance. I worked with great people and had amazing opportunities,” Bob said. “There were also constant changes which created a lot of challenges, but the more I dealt with the changes, the more I started to see the opportunities. That’s one thing I learned in my career. What looks like a problem is really an opportunity.”
In addition to serving clients, Bob also chaired several non-profit boards over the course of his career: The United Way NYC, the SEC Historical Society and the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management.
“Throughout my career, I was able to spend time outside of Deloitte but inside the profession. I am very proud to have spent so many years in the audit profession.” Bob said.
If I had to summarize one piece of advice for current professionals, it would be to maintain a relentless focus on quality. Work according to the highest standards and maintain a skeptical attitude. It is the best way to protect yourself, the organization and the client. You might have to take an extra day or two to address an area of concern, but it saves you from having to pause down the road to address a larger issue.
Bob Kueppers, Retired PPMD, Deloitte LLP