A Conversation With Richard Kopelman, CEO of Aprio

Richard Kopelman, CEO of Aprio Advisory Group, has spent more than three decades with the firm, evolving from a generalist learning the craft to leading a rapidly scaling, global organization. Along the way, he built and grew practices, leaned into specialization, and then expanded back out into enterprise leadership. He describes becoming CEO as “starting over as a freshman,” a mindset that seems to have served him well through 50+ mergers and significant growth. His leadership journey reflects a pattern of exploration, reinvention, and a willingness to take calculated swings… even if not every one is a home run.

Episode Takeaways

A growth mindset is a deliberate leadership choice. Aprio’s shift away from “why not” thinking toward abundance unlocked expansion, including bold moves like acquiring a law firmIf everything is working, you are probably not taking enough risks. Richard’s “bat .500” philosophy reinforces that smart experimentation beats perfectionLeaders must let go of technical identity to lead the business, but still dive deep when needed. It is less about abandoning expertise and more about using it strategicallyAlignment requires repetition. If you are tired of talking about the strategy, your team is just starting to hear itTrust is the backbone of execution. Healthy debate in the room is critical, but once a decision is made, alignment means no back-channeling and full commitmentRichard’s perspective reinforces a familiar but often ignored truth. Agreement is easy, especially in rooms full of smart people. Alignment is harder and requires trust, repetition, and the discipline to move forward together even when opinions differ. His emphasis on blameless problem solving and “locked arms” execution is a practical reminder that leaders do not need perfect consensus; they need shared commitment. The real opportunity for any leadership team is to ask where they are still debating after the meeting instead of delivering after it.

Connect with Richard Kopelman outside of this episode on LinkedIn here or through Aprio here.

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Dr. Julie Williamson wrote the book on how to Make HOW Matter. After working with hundreds of executives and leadership teams at Fortune 500 and S&P 500 companies, she created the Make HOW Matter Accelerator™ to bring the power of leadership alignment to more leaders at every level.

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