Cleo has announced the appointment of Sameer Katiyar as its new Chief Financial Officer. Katiyar replaces Andrew Skarupa who left Cleo last year. Katiya has worked in the software sector for over 20 years, most recently as CFO of SAI360, a leading ESG cloud provider connecting GRC, EHS, Sustainability and Learning. He was also CFO at Infogix and was at the helm of finance when it completed a successful exit following a competitive sale process to Precisely.
Before that, he held finance leadership positions at the Sabre Corporation and Sabre Holdings for 15 years. His experience in finance roles is diverse and includes FP&A, Investor relations, treasury, M&A and others. Katiyar holds a BE degree from the University of Gorakhpur (India) and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.
He will report to Mahesh Rajasekharan, Cleo’s President and CEO. He will oversee the company’s global Finance, Accounting, Legal, and Corporate IT functions.
Rajasekharan said, “Sameer has precisely the right acumen and background for a rapidly scaling global SaaS business like Cleo, and we are thrilled he’s joining us. I have every confidence he can partner across the organization and further strengthen our strategic focus, capital allocation, and operational execution as we continue to innovate aggressively to meet our customers’ needs and drive Cleo’s profitable growth.”
A quiet CFO
Katiyar is undoubtedly an experience Finance leader. He does not appear to be vocal though, he prefers to sit in the background, advising and helping to lead the companies he works within. In his previous positions, Katiyar appears to be internally focused, and with Rajasekharan’s statement, that seems unlikely to change in the near future. However, as the role of CFO is evolving, will he become more vocal in the coming months within his new role?
Katiyar commented, “I joined Cleo because I see a well-run business poised for accelerating long-term growth as it shapes and leads the rapidly evolving Ecosystem Integration software category. I’m looking forward to working with all my new colleagues as well as Cleo’s 4,100+ customers, partners, suppliers, and other stakeholders as we work tirelessly to unlock Cleo’s full potential.”
What is different about Katiyar is that finance is his second career. He spent nine years leading cross-functional teams to design, build, operate and transfer complex refinery projects valued at over $12 million for Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited. That practical experience is an unusual route for a CFO, but it will bring Cleo a more diverse set of skills and might prove valuable in discussions with some customers.
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
It is unclear why Skarupa left Cleo, and it has taken several months to find a full-time replacement. Cleo has found an experienced CFO to lead, one that has helped firms grow successfully. It will be interesting to see whether Katiyar will become more externally facing than he has in previous roles. He certainly has an interesting background.
