Keynote Speaker to the Financial Services Industry
“One of the few women on the national speaking circuit who is guiding financial services firms and their clients to connect with the human side of the client relationship.” — Family Wealth Report Awards 2020
In today’s turbulent world of ruthless competition in the financial services industry, business can be won or lost on subtle differentiators. The stakes have never been higher. Yet too often, firms approach their prospect and client meetings as nothing more than performance and product reviews, and lead with their pitch books. They are squandering a critical chance to focus on what keeps client families up at night, and often lose those business opportunities to firms who treat clients as families and not just as assets under management.
As a self-described “recovering” Trusts & Estates Attorney and CPA, and former principal at a white-shoe trust company catering to ultra-high net-worth families and then family ambassador to a $600 million single family office, Susan R. Schoenfeld, JD, LL.M. (Taxation), CPA, MBA, award-winning thought leader, has the “secret sauce” to help audiences learn to connect with the soft side, the human side, of the client relationship so that their firm can create a competitive advantage, and win and keep more business.
“Susan spoke to our network of professional advisors about the importance of the ‘soft’ topics when discussing family wealth. Her message hit home with our group, and it helped facilitate some amazing conversation about charitable giving within families of wealth. Her presentation was precise, thoughtful, and provided some amazing takeaways for our network of advisors. We absolutely loved working with Susan and would recommend her to anyone looking for a knowledgeable speaker!”
“We were honored to have Susan as a keynote speaker at our professional advisor seminar. Her presentation was exceptionally well-received. Susan’s insights resonated deeply with professionals across various disciplines, including attorneys, financial advisors, CPAs, and wealth planners.
Attendees were not only impressed by the rich content but also captivated by Susan’s skillful integration of storytelling and practical exercises. These elements effectively underscored key concepts and provided actionable advice for implementation in their respective practices.
Due to the overwhelming positive feedback, we are enthusiastic about inviting Susan back to address other targeted groups. Without hesitation, I highly recommend considering her as a speaker for your upcoming event or conference. You will undoubtedly find her expertise and delivery both insightful and engaging.”
“Grateful for the outstanding thought leadership presented by Susan Schoenfeld at The Dallas Foundation Professional Advisor Seminar. Her expertise in helping clients navigate the complexity of family wealth dynamics was truly insightful and informative. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!”
“Thank you so much for speaking for our group this morning. It was a fantastic event and I received excellent reviews from audience members so wanted to thank you again.”
“Susan is amazing! She was the coolest person at the conference.”
“Such great, implementable insights!!”
“Thank you Susan for your fantastic talk at our Marcum Wealth Dimensions meeting. Your insights are spot-on, and the audience just loved it. Everyone was completely engaged.“
“Susan nails it every time! She first spoke at Opal’s Annual Family Office & Private Wealth Management Forum back in 2014, and we’ve invited her back to speak every year since. Our audiences love her insight and actionable takeaways, and our in-house event planners love her flexibility and responsiveness.”
Financial Services Leader
Susan has held many leadership positions in the finical industry, including Principal of Bessemer Trust, where she also creating, developed and facilitated Bessemer's Women and Wealth Workshops.She was Family Ambassador for a $600 million single family office.
Author & Thought Leader
Susan won the Outstanding Thought Leadership Award at the Family Wealth Report Awards in 2023 and 2018 for “her many pieces of written thought leadership and participation on panel discussions and in interviews,” and was awarded the prestigious Women in Wealth Management Award at the Family Wealth Report Awards 2020 for being “one of the few women on the national speaking circuit who is guiding financial services firms and their clients to connect with the human side of the client relationship.” She also won GOLD as Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year at the 2024 Citywealth Powerwomen Awards USA. She wrote “Fiduciary responsibility: the trustee role and its risks”, a chapter in Trusts in Prime Jurisdictions. Susan has also written many thought pieces in the family office space.
Contributor to her Profession
Susan chairs the New York Family Business Study Group, is a member of NYC Family Enterprise Center’s Professional Advisory Board, AFHE (Attorneys for Family-Held Enterprises), Family Firm Institute (FFI), American Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, New York City Bar Association, and is a former Board Member of the New York Philanthropic Advisors Network (NYPAN).
Speaker
Susan is on the national speaking circuit on family office and fiduciary matters at conferences across the country from Newport, RI to Napa, CA, Chicago to Washington DC, Las Vegas, and of course her home town of NYC. Opal Family Office Forum has invited her back to speak at their annual flagship conference every year since 2014, as well as several of their smaller regional events.
Academic Over-Achiever and Serial Volunteer
In addition to her CPA, Susan was awarded an LL.M. (in Taxation) from NYU School of Law, a J.D. from Pace University School of Law, and BBA (summa cum laude) and MBA (with distinction) degrees in Accounting from Pace University.Susan is volunteer Treasurer for both the Broadway Training Center of Westchester, a not-for-profit performing arts school located in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, and the Sutton Place Synagogue Women’s League in NYC.
Photo by Kim Leeson for The Dallas Foundation
Looking forward to speaking at Opal Group Family Office Forum later this week in beautiful Napa, on Family Office Structures -Setting the Stage for Managing a Family Office in today's world. Let me know if you plan to attend— I’d love to meet up!
Check out my latest article: Involving the Next Gen in Family Governance via @LinkedIn
Read this short piece on "What is Family Governance?", as published in Point of View online magazine on August 2, 2023.