SAN RAMON, Calif., Jan. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Armanino LLP, one of the 25 largest accounting and business consulting firms in the U.S., today announced the winners of its second-annual CFO Evolution Client Awards. Winners are CFOs recognized for their transformative efforts in navigating today’s turbulent environment in order to focus on the areas of business that drive strategic value aligned with the CFO Evolution 2.0 Framework. Erin Sorgel of Peterson CAT was named CFO of the Year, Evan Fein with Chef Software was recognized as Most Innovative CFO, and Nolene Fabre of Reading Partners was awarded Most Influential CFO.
“These winners exemplify the values and skills best-in-class CFOs need to impact their organizations and develop strategy for future market advantage,” Matt Armanino, CEO of Armanino LLP and founder of CFO Evolution. “By leading a business culture change and leveraging technology, these CFOs are blazing the path to a successful business transformation.”
Of 14 finalists, three won awards and two were selected as honorable mentions.
CFO of the Year
Erin Sorgel brings a degree of energy, initiative and innovation to the CFO role at Peterson CAT that goes beyond the traditional expectations of CFOs and redirects strategic priorities to remodel outdated legacy systems and processes creating efficiencies and value. As the third-generation owner to operate Peterson CAT, Erin took an innovative approach to running a large, family-run business with deep historic ties by acknowledging stagnant procedures and modernizing operations.
She leads her organization by implementing new technology, such as AI and bots, with a vision to structure the company for future growth. She joined Armanino’s AI Lab to better understand how to apply the burgeoning technology solutions to scale Peterson CAT for growth and market dominance. In order to remain competitive in the market, Erin founded an innovation team to pursue technological advances and implement new strategic procedures.
She created and filled new vital roles with external hires to drive transformation while honoring the company legacy, which includes launching a Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) function that solely focuses on strategy and innovation. Erin’s forward-thinking mindset has been recognized in awards for CFOs and influential women, and exemplifies the transformational CFO needed to set any organization up for success. Watch the CFO of the Year video here.
Most Innovative CFO
As CFO at Chef Software, Evan Fein drives collaboration, openness and curiosity, resulting in bolder, innovative activity. Driven by a desire to see his industry move forward, Evan founded a CFO group known as “Tech Community Group” that advocates for the actions of all the CFOs in Seattle and provides a platform for best practices on information sharing, recruiting and outreach support. He championed a disciplined, quarterly approach to business reviews and equipped Chef Software with the tools to execute QBRs more efficiently and with strategic future goals in mind such as making alterations to the company’s core business model.
In a counterintuitive move, Evan shaped the success of Chef Software by helping release all base products on open source as free services. As the company aspires to become an enterprise software company, different strategies are involved for how to go to market and how to monetize operations in comparison to an open source company. Evan spearheaded the move from one to another by analyzing market strategies, making investments and guiding the transformation, allowing Chef Software to gain alignment, provide clarity and create leaders for this new business model that essentially positions Chef for double-digit growth. Watch the Most Innovative CFO video here.
Most Influential CFO
Influential CFOs like Nolene Fabre shape the CFO role into an integral part of a new transformational business model. Nolene joined Reading Partners at a very challenging time for the company and became a strong influencer through her communication efforts, organization techniques and plenty of cross-training. She introduced structure and a culture of collaboration to Reading Partners, and within six months she helped transform the company by creating a stable business model with a strong, financial capacity and future mindset for success.
Nolene developed a contingency plan to mitigate risk in the event of losing major funding and implemented a program elevating the organization’s financial literacy with respect to revenue and expense planning in an educational approach to restructure a new financial system. By collaborating and communicating across departments, bringing a positive energy and setting a valuable example, Nolene gained trust and influence throughout the organization and enabled staff to unite as a team and become more results-oriented for greater opportunities. Watch the Most Influential CFO video here.
Honorable mentions include: Rocky Bretting of Glencoe Management and Travis Kirsch of B&B Roadway and Security Solutions.
The following were named as finalists: Clark Harlow of Park Lawn Corporation, Kevin McDonald of Westbrook Global Inc., Mike Butler of Creative Channel, LLC, Rebecca Scully of FourKites, Maria Stefanou of Crestwood Behavioral Health, Inc., Alex Soich of Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, Margarita Rosero of Crestwood Behavioral Health, Inc., David Wohlwend of ModSquad, and Anna Brunelle of Kinestral Technologies, Inc.
To learn more about Armanino’s CFO Evolution, visit: https://www.armaninollp.com/about/cfo-evolution/
About Armanino LLP
Armanino LLP (www.armaninollp.com) is one of the 25 largest independent accounting and business consulting firms in the nation. Armanino provides an integrated set of audit, tax, business management, consulting and technology solutions to companies in the U.S. and globally. The firm helps clients adapt and change in every stage of business, from startup through rapid growth to the sale of a company. Armanino emphasizes smart technology, leading a cloud revolution of financial, operational, sales and compliance tools that are transforming the way companies do business. The firm extends its global services to more than 100 countries through its membership in Moore Global, one of the world's major accounting and consulting membership organizations. In addition to its core consulting and accounting practices, Armanino operates its division, AMF Media Group (www.amfmediagroup.com), a media and communications services agency. Its affiliate, Intersect Capital (www.intersectcapitalllc.com) is an independent financial planning, wealth and lifestyle management firm.
Kyle McGuire, AMF Media Group
925.790.2788
kyle@amfmediagroup.com