2023 Controller of the Year Awards – Winners Announced

Chicago, IL—February 15, 2024—Winners of the 2023 Controller of the Year Awards have been selected after a nomination period and judging process that began in October 2023. The fourth annual program is produced by the Controllers Council, a member association and community focused on career development, training resources, research, and recognition.

Corporate Controllers and related titles that have Controller responsibilities including VPs, CFOs, Chief Accounting Officers, and related roles are eligible to enter. Applicants can self-nominate or be nominated by a colleague via a brief online survey that requests anonymous information on 2023 financial performance, work experience, volunteer or philanthropic activities, and educational background. Entry is complimentary to both members and non-members.

All nominations were screened by an algorithm, and then judged by Controllers Council Board Advisors. The following Winners and Runners-Up are announced for 6 categories based on size and type, along with public or private classifications, where applicable.

Category/Classification 2023 Winners Company/Org Title
Small/Private/Winner Matt Fausett STN Digital Director Finance & Accounting
Small/Private/Runner-Up Kathleen Bankhead Cold Storage Construction CFO
Medium/Public/Winner Sarai Luksch Solid Power, Inc. Corporate Controller
Medium/Private/Winner Thomas Reams Nightingale College CFO
Medium/Private/Runner-Up Michael Mance Dialysis Care Center VP Financial Operations
Enterprise/Public/Winner Gregg D’Eon DraftKings Corporate Controller
Enterprise/Public//Runner-Up Gene Liu Atlassian Chief Accounting Officer
Enterprise/Private/Winner Sheri Widerburg FJ Management Chief Financial Officer
Enterprise/Private/Runner-Up Manoj Karn Bangalore Int’l Airport

VP Finance Controlling
Startup/Private/Winner Christine Andrews Mercury Controller
Not-For-Profit/Winner Sherrard Zamore United Hospital Fund Controller
Not-For-Profit/Runner-Up Mohammad Muntasir Alam Bhuiyan Fred Hollows Foundation Sr. Finance Officer – Global
Government Sarah Benatar Coconino County Treasurer

From the category winners above, a 2023 National Controller of the Year was selected based on the same criteria. Congratulations to Gregg D’Eon, DraftKings.

“Controllers and corporate finance executives proved their importance in 2023, and the Controller of the Year Awards brings much deserved recognition to these hard-working individuals”, states Neil Brown, Controllers Council Executive Director. “The Controllers Council is proud to support the corporate finance industry during these challenging and unprecedented times.”

All winners will be notified by email and receive a frame-quality Certificate. The 2023 National Controller of the Year will receive a gold-plated and engraved statuette/trophy manufactured by the makers of the Oscar® Awards.

Applications and registration for the 2024 Controller of the Year Awards will begin October 15, 2024 at the following link: https://controllerscouncil.org/recognition/

ABOUT Controllers Council

Controllers Council™ is a national member association, community and platform of more than 100,000 Controllers, CFOs, and corporate accounting and finance professionals focused on career development and training, best practice resources, networking, recognition and more. Programs include CPE and professional certification, a national Career Center, strategic research studies, webcasts with expert panelists on trending topics, articles and whitepapers. Controllers Council publishes the annual CFO/Controller Sentiment™ Study and the CFO/Controller Financial Performance Index™ (FPI) and produces the annual Controller of the Year™ Awards, Meet the Controller™ Interview Series, and the Controllers Seal of Approval™ program.

For more information, visit www.ControllersCouncil.org, email or call Executive Director Neil Brown at neil@controllerscouncil.org or 630-710-4710.

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