LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHT

Richard Skufza brings more than 20 years in the advertising, marketing and design industry experience to his role as executive vice president and CFO of LaneTerralever. Although his greatest talents are at crunching numbers, colleagues say Skufza regularly contributes to the creative mix at the advertising and public relations agency. Skufza will draw upon all the tools in his skill set as the next president of the FEI Arizona Chapter, succeeding Bret Lawson this summer.

Why did you go into financial leadership?
I originally wanted to go into physical education and during one of my motivational talks with my father, he said, “Why would you want to go into physical education? There’s no money in it.” That resonated with me, so I decided to go into business and knew the language of business was accounting, so I went into accounting. 

How did your love of sports impact you professionally?
I define myself as a frustrated jock turned accountant. Everybody wants to be the star halfback, quarterback or wide receiver. I didn’t have the skill set to do that, so my contribution came as a lineman and I did that well. The discipline that athletics teaches you, the competitiveness that it brings out and developing the ability to work together as a team are all skills that also serve you well in business.

How did you become involved with FEI?
I went to FEI events previously and didn’t feel a connection. But as a CPA, there are continuing professional education requirements that you need to comply with, so I started attending FEI programs again about seven years ago and they really made guests feel comfortable and connected. So that got me in. Then, I got involved at the board level.

What are your goals as the next president of FEI Arizona?
CFOs have a lot of demands on their time, so work pressure and family pressure make it hard to get away for a networking event or dinner. I want to continue to show value to existing members, grow membership, add value through continuing education and help members enhance their career development. Some people say FEI is the best kept secret for CFOs. I want to make sure CFOs really know about us.