ADK Consulting & Executive Search Seeking CFO for the City of North Miami Beach

September 25, 2024 – ADK Consulting & Executive Search has been retained by the City of North Miami Beach to lead in its search for a new chief financial officer. The search is being led by senior consultant Barry Bratton and senior project manager Kenneth Gwyn. The CFO is a senior management role that reports directly to the city manager. The position involves directing the development, operation, and evaluation of city programs within the framework of state and federal regulations, as well as the policy guidelines set by the city commission. The CFO plays a crucial role in managing the city’s financial operations, including accounting, cash management, treasury functions, procurement, pension administration, payroll, and compliance.

The CFO also leads and develops a team of financial professionals, ensuring they receive the necessary training and support, according to ADK. The role requires strong leadership in managing staff, addressing employee concerns, and conducting performance evaluations. The CFO is responsible for advising city officials on fiscal policies related to tax rates, fee schedules, and other revenue sources, including managing financial functions associated with interlocal agreements and contracts.

This position offers a unique opportunity to shape the financial strategy and stability of the City while working closely with a diverse group of stakeholders and contributing to the community’s long-term success.

Those applying for this role, must have a bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, public finance, or public administration and seven years of experience in governmental budgeting and management with three years of senior-level supervisory experience in a municipal government financial operation. Certifications as a certified government finance officer (CGFO) and certified public finance officer (CPFO) are strongly preferred.

North Miami Beach is a vibrant community known for its rich cultural diversity, scenic beauty, engaging community events, and promising growth potential. Located in the northeastern part of Miami-Dade County, it offers a unique blend of urban amenities and natural splendor, making it an attractive destination for residents and visitors alike. The city’s development plans include revitalizing key commercial areas, promoting mixed-use developments, and investing in public transportation and infrastructure.

Veteran Recruiters

Founded in 2003, Atlantic Beach, FL-based ADK specializes exclusively in talent searches for the airport management community. The firm is led by founder and president Doug Kuelpamn, who has a history of over 40 years in aviation. ADK’s services include retained executive search, interim management, organizational consulting, and leadership development.

Mr. Rondinella has an extensive background in aviation management and a history of transformational and visionary leadership. He brings more than three decades of experience in the airport and transportation industry. Most recently, he was airport director for the John Wayne Airport, Orange County, which ranked highest in customer satisfaction among large airports by J.D. Power in 2017 and 2018, and number two in 2020 during his tenure. Mr. Rondinella has held increasingly responsible management positions in transportation and airport operations with Los Angeles County, the City of Lompoc, the Santa Maria Public Airport District, San Joaquin County, Sacramento County, and the City of Los Angeles as the Director of Operations for LAX.

The majority of Mr. Gwyn’s career was with the City of Dallas, where he quickly rose through the ranks to lead several major departments and held several executive level positions, including director of the department of aviation. As director, he had responsibility for the overall management and operation of Dallas Love Field Airport, Dallas Executive Airport and the Dallas Vertiport/Heliport. Prior to ADK, Mr. Gwyn was employed by FedEx Express Corporation representing the company on all airport related lease and property development matters, managing a large real estate portfolio at 30 airports.

CFO Confidence Crisis 

Few roles are as important as the chief financial officer at most companies, but the CFOs of today who are thinking about tomorrow are growing nervous about a key talent issue: They worry that no one else in the company can assume their role. Indeed, according to one Korn Ferry study, 81 percent of CFOs surveyed say they want to groom the next CFO internally, but don’t believe that there’s a viable candidate in-house. Currently, about half of new roles are filled internally.

Related: ADK Consulting & Executive Search Recruits CEO for the National Association of State Aviation Officials

“The current CFO is the one charged with identifying and developing that talent, and since they know best the skills required to meet what’s coming, they are realizing the internal bench isn’t fully prepared,” said Bryan Proctor, senior client partner and global financial officers practice lead at Korn Ferry.

The lack of confidence is owed in part to CFOs feeling that their firms’ leadership development programs have failed to keep up with the rapidly changing role of CFO, Korn Ferry said. Core functions such as finance and accounting are increasingly being combined under one role, with CFOs citing a lack of resources or skills and career development opportunities as reasons for the merging. Korn Ferry surveyed more than 700 CFOs worldwide, asking them about their own internal talent pipelines. The top two abilities CFOs feel their direct reports need to develop are “leadership skills and executive presence” and “strategic thinking.”

“The tapestry of skills and experiences CFOs of today and tomorrow need are vastly different than what was needed in the past,” said John Petzold, senior client partner and CXO optimization lead at Korn Ferry. “The reason subfunctions are merging is because the focus is less on a role or person and more about the capabilities that need to be covered by a set of individuals.”

In essence, the CFO function is being deconstructed for optimization, according to Korn Ferry. Leaders are breaking down necessary functions based on their organization’s strategy and identifying people with a combination of those skills and piecing them together to get the right set of talent to execute against that plan. Core financial functions such as taxes, capital allocation, and M&A still need to be done accurately and in compliance with regulations, of course. But experts say the CFO role is becoming more about adapting and deploying talent in the most efficient manner possible.

“The leadership profile of the future CFO is less about tactical, direct experience, and more about learning agility, adaptability, and big-picture global perspective,” said Mr. Proctor. “That kind of nimbleness and ability to pivot isn’t naturally engrained in the typical CPA.”

Related: ADK Consulting & Executive Search Recruits CFO for the Ontario International Airport Authority

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor  – Hunt Scanlon Media