The challenge for any modern day chief financial officer is the ability to be flexible.
Long gone are the days when CFOs were solely asked to be the number crunchers. While that is still a key part of the job description, chief financial officers are increasingly becoming strategists — the top lieutenants and advisors to their company’s CEO.
Take Richard Anderson, for example. The CFO of Avon-based iDevices is not only the company’s financial guru, but an executive advisor and mentor to the startup’s mostly younger staff. He’ll also weigh in on topics as diverse as marketing, industrial design and human resources.
Then there’s Robin Barrett, who serves as CFO of three different entities: Infinity Hall’s Hartford and Norfolk music venues and Farmington-based Data Management Inc. She not only oversees their collective finances, but also performs human resources and construction management duties as well.
Jim Bedard, CFO of UnitedHealthcare’s Northeast Region, isn’t just scrutinizing the insurer’s bottom line; he’s also looking for ways to make the company’s health plans more affordable for consumers, all while trying to keep up with rapid changes from federal healthcare reform.
Meanwhile, Thomas Wood, CFO of the American School for the Deaf, was tasked with overseeing the $21.7 million construction of a new education center that is adapting the West Hartford institution to the changing needs of 21st century students.
In this week’s issue, we celebrate four Greater Hartford leaders with Hartford Business Journal’s 2014 CFO of the Year awards. They are drawn from Connecticut’s broad spectrum of industries and organizations, for-profit and nonprofits alike. And their stories are inspiring.
We also pay tribute to a larger group of finalists. And collectively they were honored at our Nov. 5 luncheon celebration at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.
In this special section, we’ll tell you a little more about the winners and their organizations. Together they have presented a compelling tapestry that captures the tough task being performed daily by these CFOs.
In terms of methodology, the business community was invited to submit nominees in four categories — nonprofit (full-time paid); private company (less than or equal to 100 employees); private company (greater than 100 employees); and public company.
Our judges — David Christie, CFO of COCC; Callie and Rory Gale, co-founders of Hartford Prints!; and Kristina Newman-Scott, the director of marketing, events, and cultural affairs for the city of Hartford — reviewed the nominations and came up with our four winners.
Please join HBJ in congratulating our winners and all their accomplishments. And remember, we’ll be back with our CFO of the Year Awards again next year, so if you know of worthy candidates please nominate them, as they could be featured in next year’s issue.
– Greg Bordonaro
Editor
Hartford Business Journal
Private, 100 or fewer employees: Richard Anderson, iDevices LLC
Private, 100+ employees: Robin Barrett, Infinity Music Hall & Bistro and Data Management Inc.
Public: Jim Bedard, UnitedHealthcare
Nonprofit: Thomas Wood, American School for the Deaf
