10 questions for Skybox Security CFO Lior Barak

By Nancy Weil, IDG News Service
January 16, 2012 08:15 AM ET

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Name: Lior Barak

Age: 43

Time with company: 11 months

Education: B.A, in economics and Finance from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; MBA in Finance from the New York Institute of Technology

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Company headquarters: San Jose, California

Number of countries: U.S., U.K., Israel

Number of employees total: 50+

Number the CFO oversees: 3-4

About the company: Skybox Security provides automated tools that find and prioritize cyberrisks such as vulnerabilities, firewall configuration errors and access compliance issues. Its products help IT security staff continuously monitor security risks that could lead to a data breach or cyberattack.

1. Where did you start in finance and what experiences led you to the job you have today?

I started in finance right out of college after completing my B.A. in finance and accounting and then I did my MBA in New York. My first job out of college was working for the government. Although I gained some valuable experiences through that, it became evident that it was not my passion to work for the government.

Before working for Skybox I spent over 10 years working in finance and accounting both for public and privately held companies. I refined my skills and I think I gained a lot of experience that led me to this job. I think the one thing that separates a good financial executive is his ability to be a decathlon champion rather than a gifted athlete in a specific sport. The capacity to master and deal with many financial, legal, sales and operational aspects of the business separates you from the rest of the crowd.

2. Who was an influential boss for you and what lessons did they teach you about management and leadership?

This is a tough question. First thing that I want to say is that my management and leadership conduct is not only attributed to people I worked with. My style of operating and behavior derive from all walks of life. If I go back in time, I remember that as a child, I was very competitive and gifted in sports. The one lesson, for example, that I learned from my coach is that it is not enough to be a superstar you also need to make the people around you better and I think I took that wisdom with me to the work environment. I also spent three years of my life in the Israeli army, and what I learned from my commanders is to never, ever give up and always apply yourself to the task

I was also privileged to work with several CEOs and CFOs, who had a can-do attitude, especially when it comes to work. There is no one who is famous so that people would know his name, but there are several of them [who were influential on my behavior]. Last, I am also inspired by people that are optimistic in a "religious way" and did the right thing despite the consequences. I mean historical figures such as Winston Churchill, who decided to go by himself to fight World War II, or Martin Luther King and his crusade for equality in life.

3. What are the biggest challenges facing CFOs today?

I think it heavily depends on the type of company you are working for. People can tell you all type of answers, but the challenges I'm facing are entirely different challenges from the ones the CFO of Juniper is facing, So I can only talk about the environment in which I'm operating: working for a fast-growing, small-size company with limited financial resources under challenging economic times. I think the ability to balance between growth and financial viability and the ability to make decisions that impact on those are mindboggling. For example, hiring when you don't really have the money to support those positions, but feeling that you have enough growth opportunity to expand to support those positions. Working with a company that is growing with limited financial resources and the decisions you need to make to mitigate between those are the challenges I'm facing.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.