Finance Monthly CFO Awards 2017 Winners Edition

Finance Monthly CFO Awards 2017 financial information for both management and external reporting. It is imperative that financial information is presented in a way that it is readily understandable to the reader, so that both external and internal stakeholders can make the correct assessment of the company’s finances. My experience from my previous roles has also proven to be most valuable in dealing with challenging business situations, both internally and externally. What was the most challenging period of your career and how did you overcome it? How does this affect your current work as CFO? The most challenging period of my career were the moves I made globally, firstly from the UK to the Silicon Valley, California in 2001. In 2010 I moved to Boston, which was followed by a move to Singapore in 2012. I have since moved back to the Silicon Valley. In the various roles I held, I managed global teams and was faced with learning and understanding different cultures and individual needs. In any role, teamwork is imperative and can make or break the success of the leader. Staff are important and understanding your staff needs and being able to address concerns in a timely manner is vital for a successful company. Otherwise, things fester and can become issues. Something that may not be an issue to you, could You have been the CFO of Finesse Solutions for just over a year now. What have been/are your priorities since your appointment? Upon my return from Asia in early 2015, I was introduced to Finesse Solutions. I was attracted to Finesse as its goal to lower the cost of biological drug products and to enable medicine to become more readily available, especially in the third world counties. Essentially, the company had a very humanitarian vision, while still enabling a profitable business. The company was experiencing rapid growth but was lacking in some of the financial disciplines, so it was difficult to obtain accurate and meaningful financial information. My priorities were to take control over reporting and to ensure that the company’s financial records were cleaned up. I also had to take control over cash. Cash is always challenging for small companies that begin to experience rapid growth. Due to this growth, it became very important for senior management to build a strategy for raising cash to feed this growth. To this end, it was imperative to ensure that adequate internal controls were present over financial reporting, so that investors could rely on the information presented. What education or prior experience have helped you succeed at your current role? I am a qualified accountant and was awarded a Fellowship by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants from London, and I am also a Certified Public Accountant with the California Board of Accountancy. Both of these qualifications coupled with holding a Masters in Accounting and Finance from the University of Central England have taught me the discipline in compiling About Sara Kaur Sara Kaur was CFO for Finesse Solutions, Inc. until its acquisition by Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2017. As CFO, Sara was responsible for all financial matters of the business as well as partnering with other functional heads and providing both commercial and strategic support. Prior to joining Finesse in early 2015, Sara had held a number of senior global finance positions. Here she speaks to Finance Monthly about her career path, experiences and achievements. Cash is always challenging for small companies that begin to experience rapid growth “ “ www.finance-monthly.com 43 USA i l