RM Nephew and Associates Assists Aspen Technology with Chief Accounting Officer Search
October 16, 2020 – Executive recruitment firm RM Nephew and Associates has placed Christopher Stagno as senior vice president and chief accounting officer of Aspen Technology in Bedford, MA.
From 2018 to June of this year, Mr. Stagno served as treasurer of Cognex Corp. a provider of machine vision products that capture and analyze visual information to help automate manufacturing and distribution tasks where vision is required. From 2013 to 2018, he was vice president, chief accounting officer at Brightcove Inc., a provider of cloud-based services for video. Mr. Stagno also served as vice president, controller at Brightcove from 2011 to 2013. He started his career at PWC in the assurance practice.
Aspen Technology is a global leader in asset optimization software. Its solutions address complex, industrial environments where it is critical to optimize the asset design, operation and maintenance lifecycle.
Veteran Recruiters
RM Nephew and Associates, with offices in Boston and New York, provides partnership-driven solutions to business leadership and recruitment challenges worldwide. The firm specializes in providing executive search services for clients within the healthcare, technology and professional services industries. Its clients range from Fortune 500 companies to mid-size firms to private equity sponsored enterprises. The firm has extensive experience partnering with privately-held family-owned firms.
RM Nephew and Associates Recruits CFO for Financial Recovery Technologies
RM Nephew and Associates placed former Attivio executive Alan Cooke as the new CFO of Financial Recovery Technologies (FRT), a technology-based services organization that helps the investment community identify eligibility, file claims and collect funds made available in securities class action settlements. Mr. Cooke was previously the CFO and general counsel of Attivio.
Bob Nephew founded RM Nephew and Associates with more than 35 years executive search experience. He has built his career within the technology, professional services and healthcare industries. Areas of expertise include human resources, board of directors and financial officer disciplines. Through his extensive work in these areas, Mr. Nephew has refined techniques for placing senior leaders who serve as trusted advisors to the CEO on a range of strategic business matters. His clients value the insights he brings from recruiting success within their niche sectors and functional areas, as well as his work on both the provider and client side of the business.
Chief Accounting Officers
“The need for a chief accounting officer has grown significantly in response to the increased demands of operating in a digital and global landscape,” said Denise C. Amari,
partner and head of the financial officers practice at RM Nephew and Associates. “As a company officer, the CAO is responsible for global financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and audit but the role also demands a broad and strategic mindset. The CAO must understand the long-term financial impact of the company’s business plans and will interact regularly with the company’s board. The board will often take particular interest in the CAO role, as it is viewed as a steppingstone to the chief financial officer position.”
Denise C. Amari leads the financial officers practice at RM Nephew and Associates. She draws on a strong background in executive recruiting as well as extensive business operations experience. Ms. Amari started her career at Deloitte serving in both the audit and tax practices. Following that, with the Boston Consulting Group, she spent three years in Asia helping to expand the firm’s presence in the region. Moving to a Viant, a high-growth technology services firm, she was an integral part of the company’s IPO process. Prior to joining RM Nephew and Associates, Ms. Amari developed clients and recruited leadership talent in a variety of sectors, including technology, life sciences, and renewable energy for BFS Associates.
“When recommending candidates for chief accounting officer, we look for individuals with a meaningful public accounting background and experience working in publicly-traded companies in compliance and strategic roles,” Ms. Amari said. “It is critical that the CAO have the soft skills to lead, motivate, and inspire global teams.”
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media