In the early years of Scott Henderson’s career, the dotcom bubble burst, leaving the tech industry in turmoil and many young professionals uncertain about their futures. Despite this chaotic climate, Henderson decided to take a calculated risk by joining another dotcom venture. This time, the company was a modest enterprise with 300 employees and $25 million in revenue. At the time, it was known as Salesforce.com.
Read MoreHenderson’s gamble paid off handsomely. As Salesforce grew from a promising start-up into a global tech giant, Henderson’s role within the company expanded significantly. He ascended through the ranks, eventually managing a team of 600 people across 13 countries. During his tenure, he played a pivotal role in integrating major acquisitions like MuleSoft and Tableau, helping to navigate the complexities of these integrations while driving corporate planning and strategic initiatives.
In 2022, Henderson took on a new challenge as CFO of DISQO, a brand experience platform company. Stepping into DISQO, he was greeted by a smaller team and the economic headwinds of a post-pandemic world. Henderson immediately set about understanding the company’s structure, focusing on areas for improvement and leveraging his extensive experience to bolster DISQO’s finance operations.
One of his key initiatives was to enhance Revenue Operations (RevOps), positioning it as the crucial link between the front and back offices. This strategic focus helped DISQO to navigate economic uncertainties while preparing for durable growth. Under Henderson’s guidance, DISQO transformed its finance function into a strategic partner, enabling better decision-making and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
Henderson’s career journey, marked by calculated risks and strategic foresight, underscores the importance of adaptability and vision in the ever-evolving tech landscape. –Jack Sweeney
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CFOTL: What made DISQO a good match for you? Why this company?
Henderson: When I went to DISQO, one of its differentiators was that the CEO and investors were looking to bring in somebody who had a finance background but also experience in RevOps. If you look at companies that have done well, you see that it’s all about growth, so I think that they were looking to have a CFO who could partner with the CRO to really think not about profit alone but about profit plus growth. This is not to say that other firms don’t think this way. Still, I believe that was a bit of a differentiator that made me feel that with my type of background, I might be placed near the top of the deck rather than be shuffled down within it, as is often the case in such moves.
Read MoreDISQO was founded in 2015. As a brand experience platform company, we help marketers, advertisers, brands, and companies to understand their touch points with the customer. Our products are powered by our own audience, in the form of a little more than 2 million consumers who have opted in to our consumer data platform. Our client companies then tap into our audience to understand sentiment and behavior, in order to see if their campaign or whatever it is that they’re doing can actually move the needle. At the end of the day, it’s all about driving more revenue and figuring out how to best do that. This is what we help them to understand.
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“As a CFO, embrace the privilege of serving the company, investors, executive team, and finance team with humility and a beginner’s mindset. Learn and understand the business thoroughly, connect with people across the organization, and challenge the status quo when needed. Develop strategic thinking habits. Regularly reflect on short-term, medium-term, and long-term impacts. Foster a culture of accountability within your team and across the company. Lead by example, set clear expectations, provide feedback, celebrate successes, and strive for continuous improvement.” –Scott Henderson, CFO, DISQO
DISQO | www.disqo.com | Glendale, CA