The past few months at Fairmarkit have been all about momentum. Our customers are seeing terrific results, and those stories are resonating across the market. To build on that momentum and take our company to the next level of growth and maturity, we knew bringing in an A+ leader for our financial and operational functions was critical.
I am honored to share that the incredibly talented Celeste Ackert has joined Fairmarkit as our Chief Financial Officer! Celeste’s accomplished career in Finance spans 18 years, having most recently served as the VP of Finance at Platform9 Systems, a global software company focused on integrating infrastructures with cloud-native technologies. With a history of successfully spearheading financial positions in a multitude of software companies, Celeste will make an immediate impact at Fairmarkit. Her expertise, talent, and dedication to her work will help us solidify our position as the leader in procurement innovation technologies and support our growth for years to come.
During her first week at Fairmarkit, we interviewed Celeste to hear more about her. Here is what we learned:
Q: Tell us a little about yourself
I have been in the Bay Area now for twenty years, after initially starting my career in New York City. My husband Steve is in management/technology consulting, and my son Ashton is nine, in third grade. As a family we like to hike, cycle, play tennis, and look forward to resuming more travel as conditions allow.
Both of my parents were officers in the US Air Force, which allowed me to have a pretty unique childhood. I spent most of my early formative years in northern Virginia, when my parents worked at the Pentagon - and went to high school in Colorado. During my college years in Pittsburgh attending Carnegie Mellon, I developed a special affinity for the city’s sports teams that still continues today - Go Steelers! (Black & Yellow!).
Q: What did you do before Fairmarkit?
Most recently, I built and led the G&A functions at Platform9 Systems. Just prior to that, I built and led the FP&A team (Financial Planning & Analysis) at Sumo Logic - scaling from < $20m ARR to pre-IPO scale. Before Sumo, I held numerous financial and operational roles at various privately-held and public companies, including VMware and NETGEAR.
I actually started my career in Operations, which resonated well with my desire to work cross-functionally. Not too long after, a CFO took a chance and hired me into Finance, focused on reporting and planning. It was then that I found and fell in love with the niche discipline of FP&A. This incredibly important function of marrying operational, financial, and strategic goals within organizations became my career focus.
Q: What excites you about Fairmarkit?
Fairmarkit is absolutely committed to its North Star - to revolutionize the way all organizations buy and sell. I love that our platform creates a tangible and immediate return on investment for our customers. Finance leaders like myself, and other key decision makers can realize the benefits of our platform in both savings and efficiency.
Q: What are you most looking forward to accomplishing with Fairmarkit?
I am excited to help build upon the phenomenal foundation that the Finance/Accounting teams here at Fairmarkit have created. Our team has the opportunity to continue to play a pivotal and strategic role as the company massively grows and scales. The positive energy by everyone at the company is infectious! I am looking forward to digging in, working hard, and having some fun along the way.
