Overview
Jennifer (Jen) Leary is the CEO of CLA, one of the largest accounting and professional services firms in the U.S. with operations in more than 130 markets from coast-to-coast and an extended global reach through the newly launched CLA Global network.
CLA provides a range of professional services in five distinct areas: assurance, tax, outsourcing, wealth advisory, and digital. With nearly 9,000 talented professionals in the U.S., CLA is one of the fastest-growing firms in the country.
Jen has more than 25 years of experience in the accounting and finance professions. Before taking on the role of CEO, she held several strategic positions at CLA, including Chief Strategy Officer and Managing Principal of the Carolinas and Georgia. A CPA by training, Jen has served clients in the United States and Europe in a wide variety of roles, from assurance, consulting, mergers and acquisitions, and global concierge services.
A visionary and an advocate for the future of the profession, Jen speaks regularly about the power of a career in accounting and finance. She is actively involved with numerous strategic partnerships to ensure that CLA continues to build a robust talent pipeline. Through her entrepreneurial spirit that is part of the firm’s DNA, Jen is passionate about developing digital technology to best serve CLA's 200,000 clients now and long into the future.
Jen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and management information systems from the University of Delaware. She is a member Wall Street Journal CEO Council, the North Carolina Association of CPAs (where she is also a member of the board of directors), the American Institute of CPAs, and serves on the boards of the CLA Global Network, CLA Foundation, and CLA Wealth. She is also a contributor to the World Bank and a sought-after speaker on leadership, strategy, and expansion.