Episode 09
Building high-performing & global finance teams with Fivetran's Katie Slattery
Episode summary
In this episode of Controllers Classified, host Erik Zhou is joined by Katie Slattery, VP of Accounting and Corporate Controller at Fivetran. The conversation begins with Katie’s start in Ireland at KPMG Dublin as an auditor, and traces her path from auditor to accountant. Fun fact: Katie has been the first controller/accounting hire at several high growth companies!
The conversation then pivots to Katie’s current priorities at Fivetran and how she translates company-wide KPIs into team specific goals around reliable data and control efficiencies. Katie also spends some time talking about how to build a high-performing team, how to make sure an accounting team is structured to deliver on the needs of the business, and how to foster effective communication with teams and leaders outside of accounting.
Given Katie’s extensive background in high growth companies, the conversation pivots to the IPO landscape, and how teams should be thinking about IPO readiness amidst the uncertainty. Katie notes that you have to be able to balance day-to-day activities with activities that prepare for the future, because you don’t want accounting to be the blocker when a company is ready to go public.
Finally, the conversation ends with a discussion on the challenges and opportunities that come with being a global company. Katie spends time on Fivetran’s global operations and some of the decisions they have had to make as an accounting team as they navigate a complex tax landscape.
Show notes
Katie’s journey to Fivetran [00:55]
Setting a high-performance standard at Fivetran [17:20]
Forecasting the IPO landscape [20:30]
Managing global accounting operations [32:22]
Shopping mall audits [42:23]
Guest bio
Katie Slattery, VP, Accounting & Corporate Controller, Fivetran
Katie Slattery is the VP, Accounting & Corporate Controller at Fivetran. She got her start in Ireland at KPMG, working across their audit, management consulting, and venture capital practices. She was the first controller/accounting hire at several high growth tech companies prior to joining Fivetran and has extensive experience building teams, functions, and processes from the ground up. She also founded Hyre, which helps build accounting and finance functions for emerging growth companies.
Katie has her Bachelors of Commerce and Masters of Accounting from University College Dublin.
“It is a true global company. And that presents challenges for our accounting org. How do we support teams across countries?”
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