The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Chief Officer Awards were announced April 15, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place virtually May 27.
Next is Chief Financial Officer Award finalist Kathleen Liedy, who’s CFO of Axiologic Solutions. Here, she talks key professional achievements, professional risks, proud career moments and more.
What key achievements did you have in 2019/2020?
It’s been an incredibly exciting past two years! I joined the Axiologic Solutions executive team in March of 2019 as its first chief financial officer. This is a new position that Axiologic’s founders and managing partners, Thomas Stauber and Michael Chavira, strategically added to the company’s leadership framework to help prepare the organization for continuing rapid organic growth as well as upcoming M&A activities. I had worked with Axiologic as a consultant for three years before officially joining as its CFO, so I stepped into the position already having been part of the team.
Since day one of my full-time CFO role with Axiologic, I played a key role supporting our first acquisition. The end of last year, we welcomed the team of Knowledge Link into the Axiologic family. Knowledge Link is a well-respected intelligence solutions firm with strong relationships in the intelligence community, an area of strategic growth for us.
They are an amazing and talented group of professionals who share our passion and commitment for serving the national security mission, and they have brought us great additional capabilities especially in the area of financial services management. The acquisition allowed Axiologic to nearly double the size of its team and annual revenue.
What has made you successful in your current role?
There are a number of factors that have helped me be successful as CFO of Axiologic, especially during this important period of growth as we solidify our competitive positioning in the mid-tier of government industry.
First, I bring about 20 years of financial consulting experience supporting a diverse range of technology and services companies serving federal customers and solving an array of customer challenges. I worked for a variety of emerging companies in a senior financial role, including most recently as CFO adviser for CAVU Advisors, a financial consulting and accounting outsourcing company for government contractors.
I also served as the CFO for ExecuTech Strategic Consulting from 2013 to 2015, a small business specializing in cybersecurity, information assurance and IT service management.
Another factor to my success has been establishing solid partner relationships throughout my career, both with internal and external teams. Finally, but perhaps most importantly, is the support from Axiologic leadership and the overall positive culture within the company that creates momentum for success across the team.
Success is a team effort and requires relationships that provide you with the proper tools and resources to help companies succeed as a whole, and support from leadership is really critical to enabling success across any organization. That’s part of what makes Axiologic such a great place to work.
What are you most proud of having been a part of in your current organization?
I am most proud to have supported Axiologic Solutions in its first ever acquisition. In 2020, Axiologic acquired intelligence firm, Knowledge Link. The addition of Knowledge Link nearly doubled the size of Axiologic, strategically expanding its capabilities, and allowing it to bring a greater range of services and mission support to more customers across the federal national security spectrum.
This acquisition grew Axiologic from $53,000,000 in revenue for 2019 to $90,000,000 in revenue for 2020. We are actively engaged in researching additional acquisition opportunities as part of our overall growth plan for the future. I look forward to continuing to support Axiologic’s growth as we work to continue to grow the organization strategically, to align with the needs of our customers across the intelligence community, in the years ahead.
What’s the biggest professional risk you’ve ever taken?
The biggest professional risk I took was entering the world of consulting. Developing relationships with multiple clients can be a difficult challenge, especially in the beginning of one’s career. Every client operates at different tempos based on different growth spectrums and goals.
However, the risk paid off for me personally and professionally. Through my successful earlier career as a consultant, I gained knowledge about the industry and about organizational growth and change management, and I made invaluable relationships throughout the GovCon community that continue to support me in my role today.
Because of that experience, I’ve become more adaptable and attuned to the specific and changing needs of Axiologic, which will remain a valuable asset as we continue to grow.
Looking back at your career, what are you most proud of?
My proudest achievement throughout my 20-year career would be my role in helping government contractors grow and succeed, thereby enabling greater success for our government in its mission to secure our nation and serve the citizens of the United States. I take pride in the relationships I have developed with my many clients in the past, as well as within our Axiologic team and industry partners, and appreciate the trust they place in me to support them.
Serving as CFO for several companies has given me the opportunity to be able to provide my full expertise and knowledge to ensure maximum success for Axiologic. There is no better feeling than assisting leaders in realizing their goals and dreams for the company and developing an actionable plan to execute those desires. Being a part of that journey is the greatest reward of my career.