Stephen Rivera: The Passionate Accountant Who Defied Stereotypes

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Throughout his entire career, Stephen Rivera has been something of an outlier in accounting. He’s managed massive mergers and acquisitions, as well as IPO deals, over the past forty years. As such, he established himself as a major player for the industry—and one people can come to for insight.

If you have a question, everyone inside and out at Johnson & Johnson (J&J) knows Rivera, vice president of global technical accounting advisory services and policy, probably has the answer. However, his expertise isn’t what always made him feel like a bit of an outsider. It’s the love he shows in caring for individuals looking for direction in their career.

“I try to show love in everything I do and, at times, encourage others to find those things in your job that you are passionate about,” Rivera says. “Further, I didn’t have mentors who looked or sounded like me in my career, who understood what I was going through. I’m not sure that people always knew what to do with someone who seemed to have so much passion for the world, helping others professionally and personally.”

Rivera, half-Puerto Rican and half-Italian, jokes that he is as exuberant with his emotions as stereotypes might suggest. He regularly cooks and bakes for his staff. He teaches fitness and loves to dance. He’s a hugger, a supporter, and a cheerleader. And his emotions can get the best of him when he speaks of Maria, his wife of thirty-five years, his four children (including a set of triplets), and his coworkers.

“The biggest challenge organizations face today is that our young Latino talent doesn’t see people in positions of leadership that look or sound like them. I see that across our industry as a big piece of the puzzle that needs to be addressed.”

Stephen Rivera

But Rivera wasn’t always this way. Right out of college, he knew he was different. His life experience, heritage, style, and background were often living on their own island in the accounting and finance world of yesteryear that, at the time, was very white and stiff.

“While my ethnicity wasn’t necessarily apparent from my appearance, every time I signed my name ‘Rivera,’ I knew it meant something,” the VP recalls. When Rivera was at the hospital becoming a father of triplets, he was told to get in line for those who couldn’t pay their medical bills. The assumption that he would need financial assistance, because his last name was Rivera, was astounding.

Then, in February of 2014, Rivera was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It served as a turning point for the VP as he reflected on his life and career, especially because pancreatic survivor rates did not look great. Only about 12 percent of those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are still alive five years after their diagnosis, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Rivera beat the odds, though, surviving an incredibly invasive surgery and pancreatic cancer. After receiving the news of his post-op miracle, the current and soon-retiring VP of global technical accounting services and policy at J&J decided to lean all-in on being who he is at heart, since he knew he had more to accomplish in this life.

“I was told I had six months to live,” Rivera remembers. “I don’t know why I was the one who was given the chance to make it through this, but I decided that it was time to be my authentic self and pay it forward for others.”

Because of those experiences, some overt, some more subtle, Rivera became a champion to help drive diversity efforts within the accounting profession at J&J—and in the industry at large. Rivera served on the Financial Latino Leadership Council, the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting, and is a proud member of J&J’s HOLA ERG, which provides leadership and growth opportunities for Latino employees.

“I’m proud of J&J, because they understood that we need to include more voices in the conversation,” Rivera says. “The biggest challenge organizations face today is that our young Latino talent doesn’t see people in positions of leadership that look or sound like them. I see that across our industry as a big piece of the puzzle that needs to be addressed.”

Rivera says he has spent the last part of his career at J&J working to cultivate and develop as many new leaders as he can. He speaks at conferences, colleges, and events, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities that future diverse leaders face. As such, he wants to be part of the better future they can build.

“Having cancer gave me the courage to speak up,” Rivera says. “It gave me the courage to approach our leadership and to be very firm about where I stood. There is an incredible culture here today and I’d never be so vain as to think it’s because of me. But I hope I’ve been part of helping advance opportunities for more diverse voices.”

While he may be retiring soon, Rivera has so much left to give. He’s not sure what that means just yet, but his future looks bright. What matters now is Rivera will finish his career at J&J as the person he’s always been inside, helping those like him embrace their authentic selves. His mission? To spread as much love as possible and make a real difference, one person at a time.

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