Partner, PwC, Detroit
Revenue: $31.5 billion (Global) // Employees: 108,500 (Global)

A native Detroiter and one of the youngest partners at PwC, the largest of the Big Four professional services firms, Aaron Sikora has long had a passion for the Motor City. “I was raised on the east side,” he says, “and I’m very vested in the long-term success of the city.” He started working at the age of 9 as a Detroit News carrier and held a variety of jobs before joining PwC at 19 — two years before graduating with a business administration degree from the University of Michigan–Dearborn. At PwC, Sikora provides services to both public and private clients while contributing to “the professional development of the people in our practice.” He served on Mayor Dave Bing’s transition team in 2009 and, after being elevated to partner at PwC in 2010, he became an active member of United Way for Southeastern Michigan. “I get a lot of energy from United Way’s goal of helping Detroit become one of the top five places to live and work by the year 2030,” he says. “Look at the results of the turnaround schools and the excitement around the downtown redevelopment.” Sikora also serves as board vice chairman of the Catholic Youth Organization. “I grew up in the CYO sports program in elementary school and the youth leadership program in high school,” he says. “They laid the foundation of who I am today, and those are the values I believe are important for kids to learn to be successful in life.” — Gary Witzenburg