The C Suite: Cyndi Dye

Achievements: Joined the company as a consultant in August 2010 and successfully navigated and integrated the sale of Rockfish to WPP Group, the largest media holding company in the world, the following year; promoted to CFO in November 2012 and oversees the company’s finance, operations and human resources departments; previously owned two successful startups: a retail store and a waste management company.

Hometown: Rolla, Missouri

What got you pointed toward your current career? I left public accounting in 2010 to work with a small consulting firm whose owner just happened to be a 50 percent shareholder in Rockfish. My first consulting engagement involved working with the Rockfish executive and finance teams to prepare the company for acquisition.  A year later, the company was acquired, and I was offered the positon of senior vice president of finance.

What aspects of your work do you find the most rewarding? Working with people is not typically an accountant’s strongest attribute, yet it’s one of the areas of my job I enjoy the most. I personally enjoy and find reward in mentoring employees across all departments in the company.

What one word best describes you? Driven.

What was your first job? Wendy’s crew member my sophomore year of high school.

What is your favorite thing to do when you are not working? I enjoy landscaping and gardening with my husband and spending time with my daughters. Either makes for a perfect day.

What’s something interesting about you that people would be surprised to learn? My first attempt at college was a total failure due to my inability to make it to class. I left Kansas State my freshman year and enrolled in cosmetology school.