ON Partners Recruits CFO for Salute Mission Critical
July 17, 2023 – Baillie Parker of ON Partners recently assisted in the recruitment of Louise Lopez as the new chief financial officer of Salute Mission Critical, an LLR company. Ms. Lopez joins the organization as part of its global growth and organizational development strategy. “Throughout her career, Ms. Lopez has demonstrated leadership in scaling enterprises while fostering leadership and business partnerships,” said Erich Sanchack, CEO of Salute Mission Critical. “In addition to her recent experiences, her leadership experience at companies like PwC and Florida Progress (now Duke Energy) will help drive our business ambitions to focus on our customers’ growth needs with a global perspective.”
With over 20 years of experience in executive-level positions within public and private companies, Ms. Lopez brings a wealth of expertise to her new role. Her most recent position was vice president of financial planning and analysis at CDW Technologies (CDW), where she oversaw the financial planning and management reporting process for the enterprise. Notably, as CFO at Focal Point Data Risk, a subsidiary of CDW, Ms. Lopez showcased her ability to support and enhance a company’s long-term vision, according to ON Partners.
“Louise Lopez’s appointment as CFO of Salute Mission Critical marks a significant milestone for the organization,” the company said. “Her extensive financial expertise and proven track record of enhancing shareholder value and driving operational performance make her an invaluable addition to the executive team. As Salute Mission Critical continues to grow and innovate in the industry, Ms. Lopez’s skills and experience will undoubtedly play a crucial role in achieving its strategic objectives.”
“I am thrilled to join this dynamic Salute Mission Critical team,” said Ms. Lopez. “I am committed to driving excellence, fostering innovation, and strategically positioning Salute Mission Critical for sustainable growth.”
Salute Mission Critical is a global full lifecycle data center services provider that delivers critical facility management services to hyperscale, colocation, and edge leaders. The company was established in 2012 and is headquartered in Franklin, WI.
With a primary focus on technology, consumer, industrial, and the life science sectors, ON Partners recruits C-level and board talent for public and private companies, as well as venture capital and private equity firms. Founded in 2006, the firm’s consultants work from offices in Atlanta; Boston; Chicago; Cleveland; Dallas; Menlo Park, CA; Minneapolis. MN; San Francisco; and New York. ON Partners was named once again to Hunt Scanlon Media’s CleanTech/Sustainability Top 25, HR/Diversity Recruiting Power 65, Life Sciences & Healthcare Power 50 and Private Equity Recruiting Power 100 lists.
Related: ON Partners Recruits CFO for ClearStar
Mr. Parker focuses on board, C-level, and VP-level placements for leading private equity and venture backed companies. His search experience spans over a decade of work across a range of functions and disciplines for both private and multi-billion-dollar public companies. He has completed over 300 searches for C-level, board, and high-level executive leaders across a range of functions.
Evolving CFO Roles
Since COVID-19 struck, CFOs are being asked to play an ever-broader role. “The tumultuous environment companies are operating within demand a different skill-set in the CFO chair,” said ON Partners co-president Tim Conti. “CFOs are playing a critical strategic role in companies, not only to pull levers necessary to secure a company’s financial platform, but also to position the company to emerge in a strong competitive positioning in a marketplace where not all will survive. This requires the CFO to lead from the front, be strategic and savvy, to navigate a company through choppy waters. When boards and CEOs do not have confidence that they have this strategic CFO, then they have no choice but to seek out an alternative.”
Financial Services is Booming, CFO Role Continues to Evolve
Despite economic uncertainty and the challenges of finding top talent, the financial sector continues to change and grow. Interviewed by Hunt Scanlon Media, search leaders who specialize in the sector offer their insights on the path forward, the CFO’s responsibilities, and more.
“In times like these, where businesses demand hyper-agility, being a functional specialist isn’t good enough,” said Bryan Buck, partner at ON Partners. “It’s required now that CFOs can see around corners and understand the physical (and digital) trends that are reshaping their world – and then act quickly. They need to think like P&L owners – not like accountants. Regardless of the product or service their company offers, customer expectations have changed. And the CFOs in highest demand right now are the ones who have proven to be nimble and business-focused enough to drive organization’s to where the puck is moving (both organically and inorganically).”
This business environment is also putting more pressure on CFOs. “There’s definitely more need for CFOs to operate with transparency around the realities of the market conditions, how those conditions are impacting the business in the short and long term, and what strategic steps are being taken to address the challenges faced,” said Mr. Conti. “Shareholders understand that market conditions are challenging, and they’ll be more patient in these unique times, but only if they have confidence in the CFO’s leadership and strategy.”
“Yes – and it’s industry-agnostic,” Mr. Buck added. “For public companies specifically, those in negatively impacted sectors are trying to survive the rapid slow down, and maintain various levels of ongoing business operations, while planning and positioning for a potential recovery that could happen within the next few quarters…or the next few years,” he said. “Public finance leaders on the other end of that spectrum are seeing tremendous growth and demand, but they’re also cognizant that current share price reflects Wall Street’s expectation of perfection – leaving no room for quarterly missteps.”
Related: ON Partners Assists Papa John’s with CFO Search
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
