IDG News Service — -- Name: Walter Willey
-- Age: 47
-- Time with company: 3.5 years
-- Education: Salisbury University in Maryland, CPA and certified fraud examiner
-- Company headquarters: Orlando
-- Number of countries: 15
-- Number of employees total: 15
-- Number of employees the CFO oversees: 2
-- About the company: Wave Software provides early data analysis, legal hold electronic data discovery, and litigation project management technology for global corporations. The company website is http://www.discoverthewave.com.
1. Where did you start in finance and what experiences led you to the job you have today?
I received a bachelor of science in accounting, so I took a fairly traditional route and started out in public accounting at a firm called C.W. Amos & Co. During that time, I had on a client in Rhode Island related to the failure of credit unions in that state, so I became involved in forensic accounting and litigation support. I really enjoyed that kind of work so I left the public accounting firm, became a certified fraud examiner and started my own consulting business, specializing in forensic accounting and litigation support. I worked on various cases for the next 15-plus years, with a stint as a CFO in a public charter school that came out of mediation. In 2004, I began working on a case in Washington, D.C. I was put in charge of document production and by this time, the need to understand the production of electronic documents really become imperative. While working on this case, I met the owner of Wave Software. Wave was one of the first developers of products needed in the eDiscovery industry, including the initial version of one of our flagship products, Trident Pro, that is still a go-to product in the marketplace today. At the end of that case, the owner asked me to come work at Wave Software. It seemed to be a great fit as I was able to understand our client's needs and challenges, having worked on the other side as a user of the type of software that we provide.
2. Who was an influential boss for you and what lessons did they teach you about management and leadership?
That's a bit of a tough one for me because I've worked for so many different kinds of people. I've worked with lawyers and litigation specialists at all levels. I'm a person who really draws on all those experiences. I've learned my management and leadership skills from a wide range of people. I try to learn from all different aspects of my life and try to bring that to work with me.
