Control(ler) Issues

Such regular contact with the board and constant interaction with the CFO, while often anxiety-producing, should lead to opportunities, says Richard Roth, principal at The Hackett Group, a business-advisory firm based in Atlanta. "The good news is [the controller] can be a star. The bad news is it's going to be a hell of a lot of work."

Notwithstanding the demands of his schedule, Wotta tries to maintain perspective. "This isn't open-heart surgery. No one's going to die on the operating table if you make a mistake," he says. But the pressure makes such equanimity tough to achieve. "It's really important to me to bring a sense of fun to the job," he says. "[But] with Sarbanes-Oxley, everything's become a little more serious."

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