Jeffrey C. LeSage

Jeff is the Chief Talent Officer of Cerity Partners and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. With a comprehensive background in domestic and international tax, audit, and M&A, he brings a wealth of senior executive expertise to his role. Jeff’s illustrious career spans nearly 40 years in the professional services industry.

Prior to joining Cerity Partners, Jeff served as the Americas Vice Chairman and National Managing Partner of KPMG’s tax practice. Under his leadership, KPMG’s tax revenue increased from $1.4 billion to $3.0 billion in the U.S., where he managed over 12,000 professionals. Throughout his 34-year tenure at KPMG, Jeff has had extensive involvement with Fortune 1000 clients as well as with major private equity firms and their portfolio companies. Jeff has also led Boardroom and Audit Committee assignments by presenting proposals, analyses, and opinions on matters including acquisitions, dispositions, and spinoffs.

Additionally, Jeff held several other leadership roles at KPMG including East Regional Managing Partner for tax services, Area Managing Partner for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast region, and Global Partner-in-Charge of KPMG’s International Corporate Services practice.

During Jeff’s role as Global Partner-in-Charge of KPMG’s International Corporate Services (ICS) practice, Jeff led an international team of more than 1,500 tax professionals in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific who provided international tax services to U.S. and foreign-based companies. During the five years Jeff served as the Global ICS leader, he was credited with tripling the ICS’s revenues, helping to establish its strong position in the industry.

Jeff began his career in the tax and international M&A groups at Arthur Andersen. Having exhibited a profound interest in best leadership practices early on, Jeff attended multiple leadership programs at Harvard University and at Stanford University.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Jeff has a long-established commitment to his community. For over a decade, Jeff served on the Board of the New York City chapter of the American Heart Association, with five of those years as Chairman of the Board. Today, Jeff sits on the Board of The Marfan Foundation and on the Villanova University Provost’s Board. Previously, Jeff was a Board member of the Junior Achievement of Miami and was head of the Miami Chamber of Commerce. To acknowledge Jeff’s passion for community involvement, Jeff was honored by the Patriots’ Path Council of the Boy Scouts of America and received the 2018 Distinguished Citizen Award. A Certified Public Accountant in Florida and New York, Jeff is also a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Jeff resides in the New York metropolitan area and in Florida with his wife and daughter. Jeff enjoys reading, playing golf, collecting wine, and watching his daughter’s tennis career flourish.