The NJ Tech Council 2015 CFO Awards Breakfast was recently held at the Forsgate Country Club in Monroe. Four awards were given by the Tech Council, a trade organization in the region supporting technology companies. In addition, attendees at the CFO Awards Breakfast had the pleasure of hearing keynote speaker Dr. Francois Nader, former president, CEO and director of NPS Pharma who shared insights from the biotech company’s successful turnaround and sale to Shire Pharmaceuticals.
This annual event recognizes the accomplishments of financial executives from the region’s diverse tech and life sciences communities. The program offers awards in four categories: CFO of the Year, Financier of the Year, Deal of the Year and the Hall of Fame Award. The CFO of the Year award is presented to a Chief Financial Officer of a technology firm for outstanding contributions to his/her company’s performance and accomplishments from January 2014 until present. The Financier of the Year award is presented to a venture capitalist, investment merchant or commercial banker who has contributed to the economic development of New Jersey’s technology community. The Deal of the Year award is presented to the CFO who successfully completed a merger, acquisition, buyout, buyback, or large round of funding during 2014 that resulted in increased revenues and growth for the company. Finally, The Hall of Fame Award is presented to a current or former CFO for multiple achievements over an extended period of time, in one company or several, that has elevated him/her to a level of recognition among community, peers, and others involved in the technology arena.
The winners:
CFO of the Year Award
Robert Costantini, Executive Vice President & CFO, ORBCOMM
Deal of the Year Award
Francis Shammo, CFO, Verizon Communications
Financier of the Year Award
Katherine O’Neill, Executive Director, Jumpstart NJ Angel Network
Hall of Fame Award
Jay Shah, CFO, FSAstore.com, Inc.
Also honored were finalists:
· CFO of the Year
Dennis O’Dowd, CFO & Chief Administrative Officer, Ivy Sports Medicine
Bryan Perler, CFO, Vitals
· Deal of the Year
Kathleen Bloch, CFO, CytoSorbents
Scott Coiante, Vice President & CFO, Agile Therapeutics
· Financier of the Year
Ryan Ziegler, General Partner, Edison Partners
· Hall of Fame
Tom Aiken, Managing Partner, Cedarwood Partners LLC
Rob Ripp, President, Fintelligent