Letter from

One hundred years of partnership. That is what RSM celebrates this year—the cumulative weight of a century's worth of decisions made in the interest of something larger than any one of us. The most important of those decisions share some common threads: They prioritized the long term over the expedient, the collective over the individual and the future over the familiar.

That is why we are in the enviable position we hold today. RSM was built to serve the middle market, and our clarity of purpose continues to set us apart in a changing world.

‍The forces shaping our profession will only accelerate. AI, evolving regulation, shifting talent expectations and geopolitical complexity are not distant challenges. They are here. Our task as a board is not simply to help the firm respond to that change, but to ensure RSM is positioned to define it. That requires the courage to invest ahead of demand, the clarity to support difficult strategic choices and the discipline to hold ourselves accountable for results.

The result is an organization built for where the middle market is going, not where it has been. Our clients have increasingly global ambitions and complex operations. They need advisors who can move as fast as they do. In a rapidly evolving landscape, being decisive and agile with our strategy ensures we are in a position to help our clients achieve their business objectives through relevant insights, compelling services, digital solutions and an organizational structure that enables seamless collaboration focused squarely on their needs.

This year, we built a platform for unprecedented scale. The formation of our transatlantic partnership with RSM UK is one of the most significant structural transformations in our firm's history. It required the alignment of governance models across multiple jurisdictions, the integration of shared values into a common framework and the commitment of partners on both sides of the Atlantic to build something that has not existed in our profession: a truly partner-owned, cross-border enterprise. That did not happen by accident. It happened because our governance model was strong enough to support it and flexible enough to evolve with it.

But scale without discipline is just size. What gives me the greatest confidence is not how large we have become, but how clearly we have defined the principles that will guide our growth—shared values, aligned incentives. A relentless commitment to quality and client service. Strategic investment in technology, talent and capability. And a culture of stewardship—the belief that every generation of leadership has an obligation to leave this firm better than they found it.

Ira B. McGladrey started this firm with conviction and a willingness to do things differently. One hundred years later, that same spirit lives in the partners, professionals and leaders who carry this firm forward every day. As a board, our job is to protect that spirit and to ensure it has the structure, the resources and the runway to reach its full potential.

I am proud of the foundation we have built. I am confident it will prove solid as we pursue the opportunities ahead.

Sincerely,