CFO Dossier | Michael Waxman-Lenz, CFO, Undertone
SUMMARY
It’s no secret, the rules that once governed the pathway from private-to-public ownership have changed. Moreover, so too have the priorities of private firms when it comes to the adoption of more robust internal controls.
Compliance readiness is the new normal for privately-held firms that realize future opportunities and growth could be put at risk.
What happens when your meticulous IPO plan gets shot down?
And your firm is acquired by a publicly-held firm.
Exclusive case study: A little over a year ago, when publicly held Perion advanced with a deal to acquire digital agency Undertone, Michael Waxman-Lenz began preparing to exit his post as Perion’s chief strategy officer to spearhead Undertone’s private-to-public journey as its CFO.
Now, for the first time, CFO Waxman-Lenz charts the action steps and milestones that allowed his team to rapidly transform Undertone’s internal controls, allowing it to achieve initial and ongoing compliance. Plus Expert Insight: Steve Hobbs, managing director of Protiviti’s public transformation practice, joins us to reveal how firms can best develop a structured plan to meet key compliance and internal control objectives along the private-to-public journey. Finally, Susan Parcells, Senior Director of Finance Transformation, BlackLine, completes the panel as she reveals how new advances in automation are once and for all putting an end to the controls laggard mind-set inside both public and private firms.
Recommended Resources:
e-Book: Continuous Accounting | Provided by BlackLine
Thought Leader Interview
About Our CFO Thought Leader:
Michael Waxman-Lenz is Chief Financial Officer at Undertone and is responsible for Undertone’s financial planning, accounting and treasury operations. With more than 25 years of global financial management experience, Michael has focused his career on the challenges and excitement of digital businesses.
Michael joined Undertone from Perion Networks, where he was the Chief Strategy Officer and head of corporate development. He previously was CEO and co-founded INTEAD and Chief Financial Officer of American Greetings’s digital divisions. Earlier in his career he managed a venture capital fund in Central Asia and worked for Ernst & Young.
Michael is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and holds a Masters Degree from Johns Hopkins University (SAIS). Originally born in Germany, he has lived and worked on three continents but now resides in New York City with his wife and two sons.
