SFVBJ CFO of the Year Awards 6-30-14

The San Fernando Valley Business Journal presents

June 30, 2014 • Advertising Supplement

CFOs

Presenting Sponsors: Gold Sponsors:

OF THEYEAR, 2014

This year’s CFO of the Year award recipients (top row) joined by our Presenting Sponsors (bottom row) on stage following the event.

Bank of America

Bessolo Haworth & Vogel LLP

Mission Valley Bank

Montrose Travel

Wells Fargo Bank

19_42_sfvbj_cfo_2014.qxp 6/25/2014 6:35 PM Page 19

20 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL JUNE 30, 2014

Letter from the Publisher

Thank You to the 2014 CFO Awards Advisory Committee

Welcome to the San Fernando Valley Business Journal’s CFO Awardsspecial supplement, in which we celebrate the efforts and achieve-ments of those too often unsung heroes of the corporate space.

Every successful company in the Valley owes a tremendous debt of gratitude tothe Chief Financial Officers of their respective businesses, each of whom plays akey role, not only in the success of their companies, but in the success of theValley financial community as a whole. So to all the great CFOs profiled in thisvolume we say thank you!

This issue sheds some additional light on the honorees we celebrated at ourCFO Awards luncheon on Tuesday, June 17th at the Warner Center Marriott inWoodland Hills.

Ten honorees are announced in this section from a diverse selection of indus-tries. Congratulations to each of you – together with your CEOs, your decisionsaffect all aspects of your respective businesses. You truly are among the finestthat the San Fernando Valley has to offer.

We hope you enjoy this special section, which contains some insights on whatexactly it means to be a CFO in today’s business climate, as well as profiles ofeach of our esteemed CFO honorees.

And again, congratulations to all the great CFOs in the San Fernando Valleywho tirelessly contribute to the bottom line of your businesses, and ultimately,our business community as a whole.

Best regards,

Josh Schimmels

SHARON

DABABNEH

Senior Vice

President, Business

Banking Group

Citi Commercial

Bank

GEOFF

MATTHEWS

Senior Vice

President & Group

Manager

Comerica Bank

MARIA

NAZARIO, CAE

Strategic

Relations Director

California Society

of CPAs

STEPHEN

REDMOND

Senior Manager

Moss Adams LLP

DANONE

SIMPSON

President & Chief

Executive Officer

Montage Insurance

Solutions

DOUGLAS SPIRO

Senior Vice

President

Union Bank

MARCELLA TYLER

Executive Director,

Program

Advancement

California State

University,

Northridge

CFOs OF THE YEAR 2014


CORPORATETRUSTHAS A BRAINTRUST.Being a corporate trustee is serious business and requiresserious commitment. Over time, many banks have stoppedoffering this complex service. Our bank has not.

Union Bank,® a member of MUFG, a global financial group, has again been named “Best Corporate Trust Bank” in the U.S.* It’s an honor that follows 90 years of dedication to bond administration.

And it’s not just our bank that’s committed over the long haul—our relationship managers have, on average, 20 years ofexperience in corporate trust, escrow, and project finance. So whether it’s making timely interest payments to bondholders or providing comprehensive recordkeeping, you’ll be in good hands.

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Dean LevittVice PresidentNorthern CA andPacific Northwest 415-705-5020

Julie B. GoodVice PresidentMidwest andWestern U.S.714-336-4230

Jenepher LattibeaudiereVice PresidentLatin Americaand South America 646-452-2014

Nils DahlVice PresidentEastern U.S., Europe, and Middle East 646-452-2115

Carl BoydVice PresidentSouthern CA213-236-7150

©2014 Union Bank, N.A. All rights reserved.

*Global Banking & Finance Review, 2012, 2013, and 2014.



A t Glendale based Avery Dennison Corporation,Mitchell Butier has served as Senior Vice Presidentand Chief Financial Officer for the 26,000 employeelabeling and packaging materials and solutions leader

for the past four years. He was elected to his current position inMay of 2010. As senior vice president and chief financial officer,Butier leads the company’s financial strategy and operations,including the audit, financial reporting, investor relations, plan-ning and analysis, tax and treasury functions, as well as oversightof the finance functions of the company’s businesses. Prior to hiscurrent position, Butier was corporate vice president, globalfinance and chief accounting officer, a position he held startingin March 2008. Butier joined Avery Dennison in 2000 as director,finance of Office and Consumer Products’ North America divi-sion, and served as group director, finance in Label andPackaging Materials Europe from 2002 to 2004. Subsequently, hewas appointed to vice president, finance in Retail and BrandingInformation Solutions as well as general manager, Americas, ofthe Information Brand Management division. He also served asacting group vice president of RBIS as well as vice president, con-troller in 2007. Prior to joining Avery Dennison, Butier served assenior manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Butier graduatedfrom Loyola Marymount University with a Bachelor of Sciencedegree in accounting.

CFO of the Year HonoreesMITCHELL BUTIERSenior Vice President andChief Financial OfficerAvery Dennison Corp.Glendale

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JUNE 30, 2014 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL 23

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Accountax Financial Services • Acena Consulting LLC • Allegretti & Co. • Allied Beverages Inc • Amgen Inc • Arxis Technology Inc • Ash Amarshi • Bank of America • Becker Professional Education • Berkeley Research Group LLC • Bibby Financial Services • Blackline Systems Inc • Brummett Consulting Group • Bullseye Capital • Caditz & Grant Attorneys • Camarillo Escrow Co • Cannon Constructors • Canoga Camera Corp • Capstone Turbine • CBS Studio Center • Chaminade College Preparatory • Child Care Resource Center • City of Simi Valley • Compulink • CountryWide Home Loans • Crespi Carmelite High

School • Crown Media Holdings, Inc. • David Fractor Consulting • Defense Contract Audit Agency • Dennis Korn, Inc. • Disney Consumer Products • Disney Interactive Studios • Down to Earth • DreamWorks Animation SKG • Dynamo Aviation • Edwards &

Liptz • Elabor Inc • Eng Flanders Group Inc • Fastframe USA Inc • First California Bank • First

California Bank • Fore Property Company • Fredrick Towers Inc • Fruit Growers Supply Co. • Galpin-Ford, Lincoln, Jaguar Volvo & Mazda • Global Eagle Entertainment • Haynes North America • HealthNet Inc • Image Entertainment • Internal Revenue Service • Irwin D Goldring Attorney at Law • Israel A Levy • Jackson DeMarco Tidus & Peckenpaugh • Janice N. Cutler CPA • JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. • K12, Inc. • Klein & Associates • Kythera Biopharmaceuticals Inc • Laguna & Associates • LCF Dreyfuss Group • Lewis & Co • Los Angeles Valley College • Macadamia Natural Oil LLC • Management & Consult. Concepts • Mannco LLC • Margaret Hendler Investments • Marketing Innovations Intl Inc • Mattco Investments • Media Financial Structures LLC • Mission City COmmunity Network, Inc. • Motion Picture & Television • Motion Picture Industry • MTSR Consulting • National Construction Rentals • Nexsan Technologies

V

SST

David Cieslak, CPAPrincipal, Arxis Technology Inc.

Charles C. Best, Jr., CPA (inactive)CFO, Blackline Systems Inc

CalCPA is proud to sponsor theSan Fernando Valley Business Journal




• Number Crunchers • Olive Vista Middle School • On Assignment Inc • Payne Financial Forensics • PBS Tax & Bookkeeping Service

• PennyMac • Polestar Consultancy Inc • Premier America Credit Union • Providence Holy Cross

Medical Center • Public Storage • Realty and More • Rediger Investment Corp. • Ryland Group • Salem Communications Corp • Salvador A. Figueroa, CPA • Saul Sobol CPA • Schonfeld,Brickman & Associates Inc • Second Sight ® Medical Products,Inc • Securitas Security Services • Sfvar New Horizons • Simi Valley Hosp & Health Care • Smith Geiger LLC • St Jude Medical Cardiac Rhythm Mngtt • Superior Auto Extras • Takata & Marzalek • Tamrac Inc • Tax Resolution Services, Co. • Taylor & Ambe-Crain Partnership • The Master’s College • Timely A Division SDS Inds. • Tix Corporation • Tutor Perini - Saliba Corp. • TV Film Biz Int’l • Unico American Corporation • US Energy Program • Ventura County Community Foundation • Walt Disney Company • Walt Disney Company • Warren Gilmore CPA • WellPoint Health Networks Inc • World Financial Group

Jennifer E. Ziegler, CPADirector, Berkeley Research Group LLC

Behind all the numbers,people are the bottom line.

CalCPA Members. Trusted. Objective.At the heart of sound financial decisions.

www.calcpa.org

2014 CFO of the Year Event



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CFO of the YearSan Fernando Valley Business Journal

Rachel Howitt is President andCFO of NAI Capital, Inc., a leadingcommercial real estate brokeragewith 14 offices throughout the 5county region of Los Angeles. Shehas had a notable career in realestate tied together by 35 years ofwide-range experience in financeand business development. Withover 26 years of experience leadingthe company, Ms. Howitt overseesall financial and administrativematters. Ms. Howitt is a SustainingBoard Member of the UCLA ZimanCenter for Real Estate, AndersonSchool of Management.

Congratulations!

Rachel Howitt

Joseph C. Capezza, CPA serves as executive vice president, chief financial officerand treasurer for Health Net, Inc. For the 7,565 employee health services leaderbased in Woodland Hills, Capezza is responsible for all financial activities of thecompany, including financial reporting, accounting, finance, risk management,

treasury, investments, business and financial planning, and investor relations. Health Net,Inc. is a publicly traded managed care organization that delivers managed health care serv-ices through health plans and government-sponsored managed care plans. In short,Capezza oversees the financial elements of a company that provides and administershealth benefits to approximately 5.5 million individuals across the country through group,individual, Medicare (including the Medicare prescription drug benefit commonly referredto as “Part D”), Medicaid, U.S. Department of Defense, including TRICARE, and VeteransAffairs programs. Health Net also offers behavioral health, substance abuse and employeeassistance programs, managed health care products related to prescription drugs, managedhealth care product coordination for multi-region employers, and administrative servicesfor medical groups and self-funded benefits programs. Prior to joining Health Net inNovember 2007, Capezza was the chief financial officer of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care inWellesley, Mass. His earlier professional experience includes CFO responsibilities at GroupHealth Incorporated in New York and Reliance Reinsurance Corp. in Philadelphia. Previouspositions also include executive responsibilities at Willcox Incorporated ReinsuranceIntermediaries and Skandia America Reinsurance Corporation. Capezza also worked forCoopers & Lybrand. Capezza is a member of the American Institute of Certified PublicAccountants and serves on the board of directors of the Society of Insurance FinancialManagement (SIFM). He served as president of SIFM from 1999 to 2001 and is the formerchairman of SIFM’s Reinsurance Committee (1992 to 1993) and Accounting Committee(1987 to 1988). Capezza received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from FordhamUniversity in Bronx, New York.

CFO of the Year HonoreesJOSEPH CAPEZZAExecutive Vice President and Chief Financial OfficerHealth Net Inc.Woodland Hills

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M ike Dooley began his role CFO for Applied Companies (a Valencia-basedmanufacturing company) in May of 2012. Overall he has vast experience andbeen involved in the finance workforce for over 20 years. He has well round-ed business strategies with a successful career leading and redesigning organi-

zational infrastructure, operations and finances for companies in diverse industries withmultiple operating entities. His background encompasses P&L management combined andaccounting financial management for companies with over $1 billion in annual revenues.Prior to joining Applied Companies, Dooley served as President and CEO of The FinancialMapping Group based in Denver, CO for seven years. He provided management consult-ing serving small to mid-sized businesses in financial services, media, technology and vari-ous start-ups. Dooley has worked with clients to develop efficient operations, financialreporting and planning, internal controls and assets preservation. Other projects haveincluded legal structure design, contract preparation and negotiation, risk management,system implementations, policies and process analysis. As the Interim VP/Controller forSunCorp, a $3 billion Commercial Credit Union, where he served for 4 1/2 years, he wasbrought in to reorganize the finance and accounting department. In this position he hired,trained and developed the staff, selected and implemented financial systems, increasinginternal controls to meet SAS 109 (Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404) compliance and developedeffective cross-training programs. He successfully managed the annual budget process, vari-ance analysis, month-end close, monthly call reporting, charter conversion, all tax filings(including Form 990), payroll and 401(k) plan, selecting and changing external auditors,local tax filings, consolidating three offices into one, reducing headcount and operatingcosts, managing the 457(f) benefit plan, outsourcing non-strategic operations and complexsecurities and subsidiary valuations. Taking a look further back at Dooley’s career, he’s hadroles of CFO, Interim CEO, Finance Manager, and accountant within a broad base ofindustries from a meat processing plant to the aerospace industry.

CFO of the Year HonoreesMIKE DOOLEYChief Financial OfficerApplied CompaniesValencia

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Get it as it Happens.Local Business News from Your Local Business Source.

Follow us: @SFVBJ

Working directly at the right hand of Visionary CEO Robert Yallen, TimGerrity is a key leader who is responsible for the financial management ofall 12 of the InterMedia companies. As Yallen innovates and expands thecompany, Gerrity works with him directly to develop the financial and

reporting structures to accommodate the new business developments and growth — and tocarry the entire corporation forward as a leader and innovator in the direct response andgeneral media advertising industries. Gerrity is responsible for all aspects of finance,accounting, tax, treasury and financial planning for the Inter/Media Group of Companies.Under the leadership of Gerrity, InterMedia has expanded and diversified its portfolio ofcompanies into commercial and residential real estate through subsidiaries - InterMediaProperties and Sydney Properties. Under Gerrity, the company sales have exceeded $600million annually. The company has increased by more than 30% since his arrival. Amongthe company’s key clients are ShoeDazzle, Corinthian Colleges, Clear Choice Dental,GoDaddy, Marinello Schools of Beauty, and Lifestyle Lift. One of the company’s majorundertakings was the purchasing and renovation of a new company headquarters in 2012-2013 in Woodland Hills. Yallen looks to Gerrity for leadership on business development,financials planning, acquisitions, negotiation and oversight of contracts, real estate man-agement and developing and maintaining banking and other financial relationships.“Bringing aboard Tim Gerrity was a major step in creating a superior C-Suite team that hasallowed us to grow exponentially, while controlling our costs and maintaining our cashflow requirements,” reports Yallen. “He brings to his job supreme ability, coupled with wis-dom and an engaging personality that makes him a well-liked by everyone in the compa-ny. Tim always has an open door and a smile for everyone. And that’s often rare in a CFO.Furthermore, he is unflappable … handling all of the most pressurized dilemmas with care,consistency and calmness.”

CFO of the Year HonoreesTIM GERRITYSenior Vice President & Chief Executive OfficerInterMedia Group of CompaniesWoodland Hills

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Commercial Bank

Citi® Commercial Bank salutes Mike Dooley

for being named the San Fernando Valley

Business Journal’s 2014 CFO of the Year.

Congratulations on your achievement.

Sharon DababnehSenior Vice President818-205-3463 [email protected]/commercialbank

Contact Citi Commercial Bank to support your business’ operations and expansion plans.

© 2014 Citigroup Inc. Citibank, N.A. Member FDIC. Equal opportunity lender. Citi and Arc Design is a registered service mark of Citigroup. 2811



Rachel Howitt serves as President and CFO of NAI Capital, Inc, a leading commer-cial real estate brokerage with 14 offices throughout the five county region of LosAngeles. Howitt has had a notable career in real estate that is tied together by 34years of wide-range experience including metallurgical engineering, finance, and

business development. It is with such experience that Howitt so successfully oversees allfinancial and administrative matters relating to NAI Capital, Inc. With over 26 years of expe-rience leading the company, Howitt is also responsible for exploring strategic alliances toenhance the depth and scope of the services NAI Capital provides to its clients, includingstrategizing on company expansion plans. As the regionally exclusive NAI Global member,NAI Capital provides transactional services for the leasing and sale of industrial, office andretail properties, as well as the sale of land, senior housing and multi-family properties.Howitt earned her Bachelor’s degree at University of Massachusetts-Amherst, attendedBrown University Graduate School of Engineering with a concentration in metallurgicalengineering, and was hired by Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. While working at JPL,she simultaneously received her degree from the UCLA Graduate School of Management.Her entrepreneurial spirit lead her to join four male counterparts to start Brentwood Savingand Loan, the highest capitalized Savings and Loan to open in California at that time. In1988, she joined NAI Capital, Inc. as CFO and also became President in 1996. Howitt nowhandles all areas of finance for the organization and its expansion plans and developmentof new lines of business. Overall, Howitt’s ambition and purpose is to provide a nurturingenvironment that promotes independent, productive thinking, and to demonstrate thatthose she is in business with don’t work for one another, but are instead interdependent onone another.

CFO of the Year HonoreesRACHEL HOWITTPresident & Chief Financial OfficerNAI Capital Inc.Encino

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Randy Hutchings has been the CFO of Helmet House Inc. for 15years. In that time he has helped the company grow to the largestmotorcycle helmet distributor in the country. He is involved inevery aspect of the business including all of the usual CFO duties

such as budgeting, financial reporting, projections and analysis, managingbanking relationships, etc. As if these duties did not already constitute a fulltime position in which only a highly motivated and dynamic individual canexcel, Hutchings involves himself in much more. Hutchings plays a key rolein vendor relationships including traveling to Japan and Korea to negotiatecontracts with suppliers. He negotiates all of the prices for shipping withthird party providers as well as contracts for credit card processing and allother business critical activities. He displays a remarkable knowledge of eachof these disparate areas. He can match most credit card processing reps interms of knowledge when talking about how merchants are charged for cred-it card transactions (a complicated field to say the least and can dissect acomplex bank statement or UPS invoice often as well if not better than hisbanker or UPS rep. It is because he takes the time to master each of theseareas that he is able to advocate so effectively for his company. HelmetHouse has the most aggressive pricing possible from every vendor that theyuse, thanks to Hutchings. His financial statements are always timely andaccurate. His AR and AP agings are clean and precise. In fact, according to hiscoworkers, there seems to be no area where Hutchings is anything less thanremarkable. Hutchings is a graduate of USC’s Leventhal School ofAccounting and prior to joining Helmet House was in public accounting.

RANDY HUTCHINGSChief Financial OfficerHelmet House Inc.Calabasas





CFO of the Year Honorees

R ick Kline joined IPC the Hospitalist Company (IPC) in November of2011 as Chief Financial Officer. Kline oversees all financial matters forIPC, which is the nation’s leading provider of hospital medicine andrelated facility-based services. Its providers deliver high quality inpa-

tient care efficiently and cost-effectively, supported by IPC-Link, the most sophisti-cated, comprehensive physician software technology available today. Under Kline’sfiscal stewardship, IPC employs more than 1700 affiliated healthcare providers in22 states. To support its providers, IPC offers management and administrativeservices such as billing and collections, recruitment, marketing, training and edu-cation. A pioneer in the field of hospital medicine and related facility-based serv-ices, IPC has a reputation as a leader in quality and innovation. IPC is the firstpractice group exclusively focused on hospital medicine and post-acute care tobecome a publicly traded company. Prior to arriving at IPC, Kline served as VicePresident and Chief Financial Officer and later as President and Chief OperatingOfficer of Castle & Cooke, Inc., a consortium of businesses in real estate, hospitali-ty, golf courses, restaurants, warehousing/logistics, building materials, aviation, lifesciences, oil and gas, and transportation. Prior to that, he was with Ernst andYoung, LLP, serving most recently as Partner of the Assurance and AdvisoryBusiness Services group in the Los Angeles office. He received his BS in Accountingfrom the University of Southern California.

RICK KLINEChief Financial OfficerIPC the Hospitalist Company Inc.North Hollywood

Julie McClure purchased Montrose Travel in 1989 along with herhusband Joe McClure and sister in law, Andi Mysza. From 1989 to2013, they built Montrose Travel from a small travel agency into anationwide “major-player” travel management company that now

has over 200 employees, 800 independent contractors, and six operatingdivisions located in four self-owned buildings in Montrose. Today MontroseTravel is one of the Top 40 Travel Management Companies in the US. JulieMcClure showed her strength quickly when within the first six months oftaking over the company the Gulf War started and stunted travel for all sec-tors of the industry. Her very conservative cash flow management skillsgleaned from her hard-working North Dakota parents allowed MontroseTravel to weather that first storm with great success. In fact, much ofMontrose Travel’s success is due to the amazing work she has accomplished.Proudly funding its organic growth solely from profit and positive cash flow,Montrose Travel has never had any debt on its balance sheet and continuesto remain one of the most financially healthy Travel ManagementCompanies in the United States. Successfully navigating its way through allthe challenges, tragedies, and opportunities of the travel industry including9/11 and the economic downturn in 2008 – both which forever changedthe way we travel and do business – McClure’s skills and leadership werealways present. While most companies try to “cut” their way out of prob-lems, Montrose Travel has always fought to “grow” their way out. As anexample, when other competitive travel agencies hunkered down in theirbunkers and cut all extraneous spending during these difficult periods oftime, due to McClure’s strong financial management skills, Montrose Travelwas able to aggressively quadruple its advertising spend allowing it to actu-ally grow the business.

JULIE McCLUREChief Financial OfficerMontrose TravelMontrose

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CFO of the Year Honorees

BJ Sattar has over 19 years of progressive experience in the accounting field work-ing with closely held and publicly traded organizations in the entertainment,financial services, manufacturing and distribution, real estate sectors. Her experi-ence ranges from managing day-to-day accounting and treasury management

functions to fiscal reporting, audit, due diligence, mergers and acquisitions. A strategicthinker, self-starter, energetic, focused, driven, well-rounded and articulate are all ways todescribe and distinguish Sattar in her professional acumen. She strives to identify ways inwhich she can add value to business processes and the overall financial growth of the organ-ization. ADCO produces covers for recreational vehicles, automobiles and patio furniture.About two years ago they hired Sattar as the company’s CFO. Initially she was involved inupdating the accounting system and financial operations of the company as well as provid-ing the normal financial reporting for a growing company with operations in three coun-tries. During these two years the company moved to Valencia from Studio City and broughta significant amount of inventory into their new warehouse. This change required signifi-cant cash management and coordination with Comerica Bank. During this transition Sattarcommunicated extensively with the bank at every significant event. At the same time sheexpanded the detail in financial reporting allowing the company to better understand itsincome and expenses across multiple products. Colleagues and people from other organiza-tions and banks who work with Sattar report that she is very organized, has a good under-standing of complicated legal agreements and repeatedly presents all information in an easyto follow format, with audit trails back to the originating documentation.

BJ SATTARFinancial Controller/Chief Financial OfficerADCO Products Inc.Valencia

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L isa Turchan has been the Chief Financial Officer for The Buckley School since2004. Her role as CFO has changed the financial position of the school in 10years, in which time she has led and managed all nonacademic functions for thenot-for-profit K-12 school, including the business office, human resources, IT, risk

management and campus operations. Established the School’s financial rating asInvestment Grade A by increasing the Board Reserves from less than $1 million in 2004 toover $18 million in 2014. In the decade since she started with The Buckley School,Turchan has grown the School’s endowment by over 150%. She has also developed a cashmanagement strategy, selected a manager targeting returns to achieve long term strategicgoals while balancing the risk levels. Turchan is also a key strategist and developer ofCampus Master Plan obtaining City entitlement for a new conditional use permit (CUP),allowing for growth in enrollment by 80 students, construction of approximately 95,000 ofnet new square feet and greater campus usage. She is also the representative for the MasterBuilding Plan, managing an overall $42.5 million campus enhancement plan budget,delivering projects on time and under budget. Under her financial stewardship, the schoolbuilt its first new campus state of the art buildings in over 30 years. She has been instru-mental in maintaining full enrollment, including an increase of 80 students from 2008 topresent, during a weak economic climate and led the charge in increasing the level offinancial aid the School awards from 7.5% to 12% of expenses to address the growing needof applicant families. She also serves as liaison to the Board of Trustees, succinctly present-ing all financial and operational communications. Her dramatic impact on the school haslargely been thanks to her disciplined approach and creation of a long-term vision.

LISA TURCHANChief Financial OfficerThe Buckley SchoolSherman Oaks



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Roger AlmondChief Financial OfficerNetSol Technologies, Inc.Calabasas

Douglas BennChief Financial OfficerCheesecake FactoryCalabasas

Kevin Berg Chief Financial Officer MMP Printing & Digital Graphics Panorama City

Charles Best Chief Financial Officer BlackLine Systems Woodland Hills

Jason Boling Chief Financial Officer Cherokee Inc. Van Nuys

Tom Emrey Chief Financial Officer DineEquity Inc. Glendale

Steve Garcia Chief Financial Officer MRV Communications, Inc. Chatsworth

Rachel Glaser Chief Financial Officer MOVE, Inc. Westlake Village

Sandra Graves Controller & Corporate Secretary Band Pro Film & Digital, Inc. Burbank

Steve Handy Chief Financial Officer Tix Corporation Studio City

Craig Jones Vice President & Chief Financial Officer Electro Rent Corporation Van Nuys

Larry Keffer Corporate Controller Classic Cosmetics Chatsworth

Margaret Killeen Controller AG Machining Moorpark

Tomas Kokko Chief Financial Officer Harbor Freight Tools Calabasas

Paola Macchiavello Chief Financial Officer So Cal CDC Valencia

Tim Martin Executive Vice President &Chief Financial Officer Guitar Center Westlake Village

Martin McDermut Senior Vice President of Finance &Chief Executive Officer Vitesse Semiconductor Corp. Camarillo

Selam Meharena Chief Financial Officer &Vice President of AdministrationProject GRAD Los Angeles Inc. Mission Hills

Michael Model Chief Financial Officer American Fruits and Flavors Pacoima

Tom Pascoe Chief Financial Officer Unicare Pharmacy Inc. DBA MedicoRX Van Nuys

John Petersen Chief Financial Officer ACCO Engineered Systems, Inc. Glendale

Matthew Pfeffer Corporate Vice President &Chief Financial OfficerMannkind Corporation Valencia

Mark Quant Chief Financial Officer Wood Ranch BBQ Agoura

Steven Raft Chief Financial Officer Alfred Music Van Nuys

Jay Rasulo Senior Vice President& Chief Executive OfficerWalt Disney Co. Burbank

Edward Reich Executive Vice President& Chief Financial OfficerCapstone Turbine Corporation Chatsworth

John Reyes Chief Financial Officer Public Storage Glendale

Larry Scherzer President Scherzer International Corp. Woodland Hills

Francis Shelley Treasurer Children of the Night Van Nuys

Jerome Taieb Chief Financial Officer& General ManagerMS Aerospace Sylmar

Lois Ungar Chief Financial Officer Lola Getts Active Woodland Hills

Karen Velligan Chief Financial Officer Avjet Corporation Burbank

John Wallis Chief Financial Officer Interamerican Motorcar Corp. Canoga Park

Bradford Wright Chief Financial Officer Clay Lacy Aviation Van Nuys

CFO of the Year Finalists





At the Event

Over 300 attendees were on hand for the Business Journal’s CFO Awards Reception and Luncheon event at the Warner Center Marriott Hotel.





Businesses around the world seekenhanced competencies amongtheir finance professionals to bet-

ter address the challenges and opportuni-ties of today’s complex business environ-ment. Based on extensive global researchamong employers and other stakeholders,the Chartered Institute of ManagementAccountants (CIMA) and the AmericanInstitute of CPAs (AICPA), two of theworld’s largest accounting organisations,have identified a competency frameworkwith 45 areas where employers such asIBM and Unilever expect proficiency.

The framework is comprised of fourknowledge areas — technical, business,

people and leadership — with competen-cies defined at four levels: foundational,intermediate, advanced and expert. It wasdeveloped through research that includeda survey of nearly 3,400 members, stu-dents and educators; roundtable discus-sions in 13 countries; and in-personinterviews with representatives from 67organisations, including IBM, Unilever,Microsoft and Shell.

The CGMA Competency Frameworkwas created to assist Chartered GlobalManagement Accountants – includingCFOs, controllers and treasurers – in iden-tifying the broad skills employers expectfrom their finance professionals. The

framework helps management accountantsassess their current competency level andprovides insight on steps they can take toexpand their skills while meeting theircommitment to lifelong learning. It is pub-licly available to any employer or educatorto benchmark their team’s capability, cre-ate job profiles or design curriculum.

Expected capabilities include risk man-agement and internal controls, macroeco-nomic analysis, communication andnegotiation along with strategic under-standing in a global context. Technicalfinancial competencies include financialaccounting and reporting, managementreporting and analysis, and risk manage-

ment. The number of competencies andproficiency expected varies by functionalarea and level of seniority.

Charles Tilley FCMA, CGMA, ChiefExecutive, CIMA, said, “With the role offinance constantly developing it can behard for employers to know the standardto expect of their management account-ants. The CGMA Competency Frameworkis research-led and informed by those onthe front line of business and it will showemployers the new knowledge require-ments and skills needed for both currentand future management accountancyroles. In addition, it will help accountantsto become more employable by guidingthem through their professional develop-ment, as well as helping educators to bet-ter prepare students to become well-grounded management accountants.”

The competency framework underpinsthe updated CIMA Syllabus that will beexamined from January 2015, and under-scores the commitment of both CIMAand the AICPA to meeting the needs ofbusiness. The organizations, through aglobal joint venture, created the CGMAdesignation in January 2012 so employersanywhere in the world can easily identifymanagement accountants with the high-est levels of technical knowledge, busi-ness acumen and ethical integrity.

In addition to helping organizationsfind and develop high quality talent,CIMA and the AICPA are also working tohelp improve the decision-making andforecasting processes that businesses use.They are developing a set of GlobalManagement Accounting Principles thatwill provide businesses with the first setof globally applicable managementaccounting best practices to more effec-tively manage the complexity thatdefines modern business.

“Today’s CEOs need a partner at thehelm – a co-pilot to help steer clear ofobstacles and toward opportunities,” saidBarry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, presidentand CEO of the AICPA. “They are turn-ing to their management accountants toprovide this guidance, to pull insightfrom information and connect it to oper-ations in new ways to position their busi-nesses for long-term, sustainable success.The CGMA Competency Frameworkensures management accountants’ skillsremain aligned with the demands of anincreasingly complex and constantlychanging business environment.”

Information for this article was provided byAICPA. To learn more, visit AICPA.org.

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Congratulations to the EY EntrepreneurOf The Year™ 2014 Greater Los Angeles

competitors, these 13 leaders stood outfor their dedication, brilliance, creativityand gumption. You’ve inspired us all!

Good luck, and we’ll see you at thenational awards!

Your vision.Our applause.

Platinum sponsors

Silver sponsors

Nationally sponsored by

CuracaoRetail & Investment Services

JerryAzarkmanCo-Founder

EdgeCast NetworksTechnology

AlexKazeraniChairman& CEO

JamesSegilPresident

ENI-JR286, Inc.Distribution & Manufacturing

JonathanScottHirshbergPresident & CEO

Fuhu, Inc.Retail & Consumer Products

RobbFujiokaFounder& President

JimMitchellCEO

For more information on

www.ey.com/us/eoy/greaterla.

The Honest CompanyEmerging

Jessica AlbaCo-Founder& President

ChristopherGaviganCo-Founder& Chief Product

SeanKaneCo-Founder& COO

BrianLeeCo-Founder& CEO

Prodege, LLC / SwagbucksAdvertising

Josef GorowitzCEO

Stamps.comBusiness Services

KenMcBrideChairman& CEO

TrueCar, Inc.Consumer Services

Scott PainterFounder& CEO

2014 Greater Los Angeles award recipients

New Research Identifies What Businesses Value in Finance Professionals

CFOs OF THE YEAR 2014

‘With the role of financeconstantly developing it canbe hard for employers toknow the standard to expectof their managementaccountants. The CGMACompetency Framework isresearch-led and informedby those on the front line ofbusiness and it will showemployers the new knowledgerequirements and skillsneeded for both currentand future managementaccountancy roles.’

CHARLES TILLEY,

Chief Executive, CIMA


SFVBJ CFO of the Year Awards 6-30-14

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