Finance Monthly CFO Awards Winners Edition

Finance Monthly CFO Awards 2020 www.finance-monthly.com 68 USA Finance Monthly CFO Awards 2020 CFO of Wayfair Inc. MICHAEL FLEISHER ABOUT WAYFAIR INC. Wayfair is one of the world’s largest online destinations for the home. How it all started... Steve Conine and Niraj Shah met as high school students attending a summer program at Cornell University. They both went on to study engineering at Cornell and quickly struck up a friendship while they were freshmen living in the same dorm. During their final semester of college, Steve and Niraj both enrolled in a class on entrepreneurism which sparked a business plan that turned into their first company and, ultimately, became the foundation for founding and building several businesses in the technology sector. The big idea... In 2002, the duo founded Wayfair on a shoestring budget in a spare bedroom of Steve’s house. By carefully analyzing Internet search patterns and results, Steve and Niraj recognized a market opportunity to sell stereo racks and stands online. What would grow to become the largest ecommerce destination for home furnishings and décor started with just one single website and soon grew to more than 250 standalone sites selling everything from barstools to birdhouses. A new way to shop for home In 2011, Steve and Niraj took a giant leap and moved all of their e-commerce sites into one mega destination for the home and named it Wayfair. By the next year, Wayfair had exceeded $600 million in annual revenue and was well on its way to becoming a household name offering millions of products across a wide array of styles and price points. Wayfair generated $11.5 billion in net revenue for the twelve months ended June 30, 2020. Wayfair offers over 18 million products across five distinct brands - Wayfair.com, AllModern, Birch Lane, Joss & Main and Perigold. The company employedmore than 16,200 people as of June 30, 2020 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts with operations throughout North America and Europe. Steve and Niraj continue to build Wayfair into their biggest business endeavor yet still innovating every day to create the ultimate home goods shopping experience. Our Promise Wayfair believes everyone should live in a home they love. Through technology and innovation, Wayfair makes it possible for shoppers to quickly and easily find exactly what they want from a selection of more than 18 million items across home furnishings, décor, home improvement, housewares and more. Committed to delighting its customers every step of the way, Wayfair is reinventing the way people shop for their homes - from product discovery to final delivery. Our Culture Wayfair is a rapidly growing company with a variety of career opportunities. We offer employees exciting work in a fun, dynamic environment that encourages learning and growth. We are accepting résumés on a rolling basis from motivated individuals who are interested in working in the e−commerce industry. www.wayfair.com ABOUT MICHAEL FLEISHER Michael Fleisher, Chief Financial Officer, drives finance, mergers & acquisitions, human resources and business strategy at Wayfair, one of the world’s largest online destinations for the home. Wayfair’s portfolio of home brands includes Wayfair.com, AllModern, Joss & Main, Birch Lane and Perigold. The company generated $11.5 billion in net revenue for the twelve months ended June 30, 2020. Wayfair currently employs more than 16,200 people across North America and Europe. Michael is also on the board of Squarespace, Inc., the Back Bay Association, and serves as a Trustee and Vice Chair of the Chewonki Foundation. Prior to joining Wayfair, Michael served as Warner Music Group’s (WMG) Vice Chairman, Strategy and Operations, where he oversaw the company’s global corporate strategy and operations, led the transformation of its business models and operational processes and managed all corporate development and M&A activity. Prior to his departure, he led the deal process that culminated with the sale ofWMG to Access Industries in a $3B take private transaction. Michael joined WMG in 2005 as its Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, where he was responsible for the company’s worldwide financial operations and led the company to achieve its highest operating margins.