Staffing Advisors is proud to have partnered with the National Restaurant Association in the selection of its Chief Financial Officer, Keri Stockland. The National Restaurant Association is the largest foodservice trade association in the world, representing and advocating on behalf of the restaurant industry. The Association has an annual budget of $120MM across seven entities and operates with approximately 325 staff. Read the National Restaurant Association’s full announcement here.
“With Keri helping to guide our financial strategy, we are advancing our priorities for the next era of modernization, indispensability, and growth–ensuring we deliver greater value to our members and strengthen the industry’s long-term momentum.”
— Michelle Korsmo, President & CEO of the National Restaurant Association and CEO of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
About the Search for the National Restaurant Association’s Next CFO
After a deep discovery process to identify the organization’s most critical business issues and strategic priorities, Staffing Advisors sought an experienced, forward-thinking financial leader who excels at implementing new systems, re-engineering financial structures, and establishing best practices that would position the Association for long-term sustainability. The new leader would be stepping into an organization facing increasing market competition and legacy systems and processes in need of significant upgrades to ensure future sustainability.
The search was led by Staffing Advisors Vice President of Executive Search Aileen Hedden, with strategy consulting from Founder & President Bob Corlett and support from the entire Staffing Advisors team.
Working closely with the Association’s leadership, Staffing Advisors surfaced several key focus areas that would demonstrate success within the new leader’s first 1-2 years:
- Partner with the CEO and executive leadership team to assess and improve all aspects of the Association’s financial model while guiding the strategy to grow membership revenue and ensure the profitability of ServSafe and other workforce education and training products.
- Collaborate with the Chief Product Officer to align pricing and product strategies with market demand, establish margin targets, and track profitability. Use financial modeling to inform new product investment and growth strategies.
- Lead upgrades in reporting systems and processes to deliver real-time data, enabling leaders and staff to make informed decisions and manage budgets effectively.
- Oversee the transition of day-to-day accounting activities to an outsourced partner while maintaining accuracy and strong controls. Realign finance team roles following the transition, foster a culture of accountability and performance, and lead teams to provide proactive financial support across the organization.
The Staffing Advisors team was honored to support the National Restaurant Association in this important leadership transition. We have also partnered with the Association on other key roles, including the Senior Vice President of Product Sales and Executive Director of the Restaurant Law Center (affiliated with and operationally supported by the National Restaurant Association).