SARATOGA, CA, June 27, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to recognize Steven L. Emberland, CPA, for his exceptional leadership, outstanding achievements, and commitment to finance, operations, and accounting organizations throughout his high-tech career. Mr. Emberland is an accomplished listee based in Silicon Valley, who has garnered extensive experience throughout his career, and has been widely recognized for his exceptional credentials, remarkable successes, and exemplary leadership qualities. As with all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals are selected based on their current reference value, considering their position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in their field.
His expertise includes financial planning and analysis, budgeting, financial modeling, management reporting, accounting operations and building teams to scale. He is known for being a proactive, adaptable, and empathetic leader who adopts a collaborative and people-first approach and is skilled in leading cross-functional teams and implementing efficient financial processes. Mr. Emberland has also led teams outside of finance and accounting including human resources and people & culture, global real estate and facilities, procurement, and office administration.
Leveraging more than three decades of excellence in scaling organizations, recent successes in taking companies public, and building and leading teams, Mr. Emberland has earned the distinction as a founding member of The F Suite, an independent, invitation-only, community platform for CFOs of high growth technology companies and leading venture capital funds.
As an executive and VP of Finance & Administration for SoundHound AI, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOUN), a global leader in voice AI and conversational intelligence, Mr. Emberland played an instrumental role in the company's success. This included expanding the company's international footprint into Europe and Asia, helping to raise over $200 million in equity and debt financing, supporting the company's growth from 65 employees to over 400 employees, and driving its public company readiness efforts. This contributed to SoundHound's Nasdaq listing in 2022 at a $2 billion valuation. Mr. Emberland's outstanding contributions to the success of SoundHound, spanning over 8 years, are a testament to his remarkable achievements and leadership qualities.
As the Vice President, Corporate Controller & Principal Accounting Officer for Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: CCSI), a software developer that provides interoperability and secure data exchange solutions utilizing natural language processing & AI, Mr. Emberland played a pivotal role and was a core team member helping to drive and execute the successful Consensus spin-off from J2 Global (now Ziff Davis) in 2021. This involved providing financial expertise and support throughout the process, including the Production-to-Production ERP set-up and data validation, technical accounting, internal management reporting, processes and procedures, and SEC reporting. His commitment to the spin-off and his ability to collaborate with key stakeholders helped to facilitate a successful spin-off that will benefit both Consensus and its shareholders for years to come.
Mr. Emberland is known for being a collaborative and people-first leader. He places an emphasis on learning and refining soft skills like empathy and compassion, which can set a leader apart from industry peers, providing a competitive edge in attracting and retaining top talent. This is especially important for smaller, privately held organizations, as they may struggle to compete with industry giants that offer higher salaries. Employees often view compensation packages as a key indicator of an organization's commitment to its team. Mr. Emberland believes that companies can compete effectively even if they cannot offer higher salaries if leadership can differentiate itself in other ways. For example, by demonstrating a focus on mental health and wellness initiatives, prioritizing empathy and compassion in the workplace, and offering benefits such as a flexible remote work policy, leaders can create a work environment that is more enticing than just a higher salary. By proving an authentic desire to look out for their team's well-being, leaders can create a culture that fosters engagement, motivation, and loyalty among employees. This investment can produce returns by way of higher productivity, greater employee retention and improved workplace morale, which can impact a company's top line and bottom line.
Mr. Emberland began his career in 'the Big 4' as a member of the audit team with Ernst & Young (San Jose, CA) in 1991 and later as a senior auditor for PwC (San Jose, CA) in 1993. After leaving public accounting, Mr. Emberland served in various finance and accounting roles in both publicly traded and privately held high-tech companies. This included roles such as the Accounting and Treasury Manager for C-Cube Microsystems (NASDAQ: CUBE), and the Manager of Treasury and Corporate Finance with Aspect Development Inc. (NASDAQ: ASDV), which was later sold to i2 Technologies for $9.3 billion in what was the largest software acquisition in history at the time. He continued his career as the Finance Director and Assistant Controller for Covad Communications (NASDAQ: COVD) and was the Senior Finance Director and Corporate Controller for Selectica, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLTC). Currently Mr. Emberland has taken a leadership role as the VP Finance at Delphix Corp., a privately held software developer specializing in DevOps Test Data Management, Application Recovery, and Analytics & AI.
An alumnus of the University of California, Santa Barbara, Mr. Emberland earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Economics with an emphasis in accounting in 1991. He was issued a certified public accountant license by the California State Board of Accountancy in 1994, which remains active to this day.
In addition to his full-time commitments, for over 15 years, Mr. Emberland has partnered with World Vision through their child sponsorship program which provides families economic empowerment opportunities, access to clean water, healthcare, education, and disaster relief assistance. Mr. Emberland has been affiliated with Westgate Church in San Jose, CA across multiple campuses supporting various strategic initiatives including L.O.U.D. which supports local and global organizations that educate, feed, clothe, provide shelter, heal, and provide hope to those less fortunate. Additionally, he has been involved with Westgate Water which aims to raise awareness, allocate resources, and provide human capital to address the global water crisis, where over 700 million people lack access to clean water.
Mr. Emberland is dedicated to his current role at Delphix Corp, where his focus will be on scaling teams, expanding his scope of responsibilities, ensuring profitability, and leading the company to a successful exit. Longer term, Mr. Emberland plans to start a private foundation with his wife Sholeh. The foundation will focus on supporting a range of important causes, including cancer research, mental health and wellness initiatives, and supporting organizations that serve the underprivileged and under-resourced. Mr. Emberland's vision is to make a meaningful and lasting impact on these critical issues and to inspire others to do the same.
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