June 06, 2011, 2:40 PM — Name: Steve Robertson, CFO and COO
Age: 59
Time with company: Almost three years
Education: University of Missouri at Rolla, bachelor's of science in engineering; Xavier University, Cincinnati, MBA with a concentration in finance
Company headquarters: Chicago
Countries in which it operates: U.S., Canada, China, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, U.K.
Number of employees total: 127
Number CFO oversees: 127
About the company: kCura develops and supports Relativity, which is Web-based e-discovery software for the analysis, review and production stages of the EDRM (electronic discovery reference model). Its legal hold management system, Method, manages legal hold and risk assessment processes. kCura clients include corporations, law firms, service providers and third-party software developers. Its website is http://kcura.com.
1. Where did you start in finance and what experiences led you to the job you have today?
I actually got an undergraduate degree in engineering and joined for my first job the old Bell system, Southwestern Bell, in a management development program. It didn't take me too long to figure out that I didn't have a proper understanding of general accounting and finance and business language, so I went back [to school] to get my master's in business administration. I chose finance for my area of specialization. After having gotten my master's degree and then having success in my career, I got to do a number of different C-level jobs and it was that responsibility for the plans and accounting and organization, and for the profit and loss of the organization, and also dealing with the outside auditors, those various responsibilities and experiences are what helped me shape my finance and accounting knowledge.
2. Who was an influential boss for you and what lessons did they teach you about management and leadership?
After Southwestern Bell, I moved to Cincinnati Bell, which was smaller but part of the [Bell] system. The CEO of that company provided critical leadership, which was continue to be learning about your job and the adjacent areas of your job every day if you really want to continue with your career. The person who was really the best model of a CFO was the guy who was the CFO of Convergys Corp., which was where I was before I came to kCura. His name is Earl Shanks. It was a case where I got to see a CFO at a big company show what good really looks like.
3. What are the biggest challenges facing CFOs today?
You know, it certainly varies depending on the type of business, depending on the size and industry sector. But I think one thing that carries across all sectors today is how to invest prudently and take advantage of the opportunities of a recovering marketplace. Knowing when and how to invest, so that you don't get out ahead of yourself; on the other hand, investing in time so that you can take advantage of opportunities that come along. More than ever today, I think that's an important challenge.
4. What is a good day at work like for you?
With kCura essentially just coming out of a startup company phase -- the product is 4 years old -- it's growing very fast, we have a number of initiatives to take the company to the next level of growth. We're always looking out 12 to 18 months to see the kind of employees and progress we need to have in place. A good day at work is focusing on one or more of the initiatives that help us to sustain our growth.
5. How would you characterize your management style?
I think people view me as pretty friendly and I do have a collaborative management style, of being very supportive, but at the same time I set very high expectations for performance. While I can be very friendly and approachable, that only sustains itself as long as people are doing great work. I want the organization to be a model for the rest of the industry. So, I'm collaborative but demanding.
6. What strengths and qualities do you look for in job candidates?
I really try to assess how effective someone is at working within a team. Are they a team player? Are they willing to subjugate their ego for the benefit of the larger organization? I have seen so many cases where their ego gets in the way of being able to work effectively with a team, and that just slows everything down. In some cases, that can make you go backwards.
7. What are some of your favorite interview questions or techniques to elicit information to determine whether a candidate will be successful at your company? What sort of answers send up red flags for you and make you think a job candidate wouldn't be a good fit?
