Finance Teams

Making Finance Tick

(continued)

One area to assess during a trial or interview, says Cordell, now vice president of finance for Given Imaging Inc., in Duluth, Georgia, is whether or not the person complements the CFO. "The assistant needs to have better skills than I do in certain areas," he says. For example, "I'm a pack rat, so I'll look for someone who's not afraid to say, 'We need to do something with this stack.'" He also finds out what candidates disliked about previous bosses. "I know my style, and I want to make sure it won't conflict with the other person's," says Cordell. Wallis welcomes differences, too, especially when his office gets hectic. "When things get very busy, I tend to raise the stress level. Janice knows how to calm things down."

Remember, of course, that the potential assistant is also testing you, says Jeri Hilleman of Santa Clara, California-based Symyx Technologies Inc. "A surprising number of assistants do not want to work with women executives," she notes. "Often they perceive us as tougher or colder. All three of my assistants had reservations about working for a woman." But she was able to change that perception once they came on board. In fact, Colleen Morefield has been Hilleman's assistant for eight years, and the two have cultivated a great working relationship. "We often say that between the two of us, we have one capable person," quips Hilleman.

Share and Share Alike
Some CFOs, however, don't have the luxury of an executive assistant. Tight budgets and new technology have combined to eliminate the position at many firms. For example, it's been nearly six years since Cordell has had his own executive assistant. Ginger Disney, whom Cordell shares with Given Imaging's vice president of development, handles travel plans, manages calendars for both executives, assembles presentations, and manages their offices.

advertisement

With so much for her to do, there's no room for last-minute forgetfulness. "We can't come in on Monday morning and expect her to prepare presentations for both of us for Tuesday," he says. Instead, the two executives must remain on top of their own tasks and anticipate busy times. "It can be difficult, especially around board meetings and presentations," says Cordell.

Despite varying opinions on how to find the right assistant, most finance executives agree there are three must-haves: strong communication skills, top-notch organizational skills, and dedication to getting things done. When all is said and done, however, CFOs recommend following your gut. "There's no set formula," says Blakely. "Sometimes you just get lucky."

Laura DeMars is a reporter for CFO.

---

CFOs on the Move

El Paso Corp. has named Dane Whitehead as CFO of El Paso Exploration & Production.... Magma Design Automation has named Pete Teshima as its new finance chief.... Todd Ford has been promoted to president of Rackable Systems. Madhu Ranganathan will succeed him as CFO…. James Wall is retiring from consumer-products distributor Core-Mark Holding.... Biotech firm Virexx Medical has named Scott Langille as its new finance head. Langille succeeds Rob Salmon, who left the company last November.... Amerivest Properties has tapped Sheri Henry to take over as CFO.... Jack Callahan Jr. takes the place of Barry Fromberg as finance chief at Dean Foods.... Bally Total Fitness Holding has tapped Ronald Eidell as SVP of finance and CFO.... Kenneth Jensen retired from Fiserv after 22 years with the company. Thomas Hirsch will take over as chief of finance.... The Krystal Co. has appointed James Bear as finance head…. Thomas Hoster is the new finance chief at Workshare.... Exmplar has hired Bill Sickenberger as CFO.... Bruce Hartman was named CFO of Cushman & Wakefield.... LiveDeal has added Greg LeClaire as VP of finance and administration.

Readers' Comments

Comment on this article...

Related Articles

Toward a Leaner Finance Department

April 20, 2006

Smart, Cost-effective Finance Teams

November 04, 2005