GET TO KNOW
If you could go back and change one career decision , what would it be ?
I have very few regrets , having certainly chosen a profession and an industry that excites me . Back in the 90s though , as Finance Director with Compaq in Houston , Texas , I was offered a move to Munich as Financial Controller , Europe . I took it . But looking back , I do wonder if I might instead have found an exciting role , wealth and stardom in Silicon Valley !
What advice would you offer somebody aspiring to obtain a C-level position in your industry ?
Grow yourself in major blue-chips . Undertake different roles . Learn best-practice . Develop your communication and people skills . Then consider moving into smaller , dynamic and exciting firms where your expertise will add huge value . Choose an industry that interests you and find a business that thrills you . Only then can you be passionate and a truly successful CFO .
I DO WONDER IF I MIGHT INSTEAD HAVE FOUND AN EXCITING ROLE , WEALTH AND STARDOM IN SILICON VALLEY !
What behaviour or personality trait do you most attribute your success to , and why ?
Getting on well with people and building trust ; with the finance teams I ’ ve led , the business management teams , boardroom executives and investors I ’ ve worked with . In my experience , being able to build positive relationships with people , understand them , their needs and ways of thinking is essential for any CXO . But I ’ ve seen it lacking in some CFOs . Here at Forterro , we ’ re a great team . We support one-another , we work hard together , we succeed together , we celebrate together .
What ’ s your go-to productivity trick ?
It might sound corny , but I ’ m a great one for todo and priorities lists . I write them almost every morning , for example on my way to work on the train . Beyond that , I do need to make a lot of decisions every day . I need to be clear , decisive and assertive . Over the years I ’ ve learnt how to make good judgements quickly . I ’ ve learnt to define what sorts of information I ’ ll need and how to get it swiftly . I ’ m not one to procrastinate .
What changes to your job role have you seen in the last year and how do you see these developing in the next 12 months ?
Firstly , we used to have just Battery Ventures as our PE investor . A big change for Forterro and for me as its CFO has been welcoming Partners Group , a much bigger investor alongside Battery ( which recently re-invested ). Partners Group rightly expects closer involvement with the business and also has a keen eye on governance .
Secondly , we ’ ve had a much greater focus in 2022 on making the strategic initiatives happen that we set out in our five-year plan – we ’ re laser focused . We need to keep an eye on the global economy and current geo-political situation of course , but right now we still have aggressive growth plans , including via mergers and acquisitions , keeping us on track to deliver ! x
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