5 Questions with Javier Labra

March 6, 2018 | News

In “5 Questions With…,” we share a brief Q&A with a staff member. In this edition, we hear from Javier Labra, Controller, who joined Rosov Consulting in 2015, bringing over twenty years of expertise in financial management and financial IT integrated workflows.

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1. What’s your area(s) of expertise and how has it been beneficial and led to success in your work?

My expertise in Accounting and Business Administration has driven my success to provide protection, with clear operating and financial direction, for small to mid-size firms.

2. What experiences have led you into your current career path?

Prior to college I started at the school of hard knocks with a couple of small businesses, including a pizza restaurant and a dry cleaners. Then during college I was very lucky to have been mentored by a CPA and venture capitalist. He taught me so much as we cleaned up the accounting and finance departments of mid-sized troubled companies. I then continued building my expertise by expanding my involvement with multiple types of consulting firms. Just before I finished receiving my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting, I started and managed for 15 years a global IT marketing communications firm. We specialized in servicing clients with global campaigns, such as Intel, Apple, and HP, with multimillion dollar budgets. In an effort to expand my project costing expertise, I later went to work for a local redevelopment construction firm, and then a global architecture firm (mostly China and California). These and other experiences have all helped me sharpen and simplify how Rosov Consulting collects, processes, and reports project and company financial data as it continues its global expansion.

3. What do you like learning about most through your work?

I like learning about the new cloud software technologies, and discovering and utilizing the latest in user friendly interfaces and streamlined workflows for our global workforce. I really appreciate these innovative technologies because they continue to provide deeper and clearer information while, at the same time, making it easier to enter data with fewer errors than using paper or MS Excel.

4. What do you like most about working at Rosov Consulting?

My coworkers are hilarious. I really enjoy watching or participating in the office antics. When I hear people talk about their awful coworkers and nightmare bosses, I say a little prayer of thanks. Also, I like that the company provides snacks. I know that sounds minor, but it’s definitely good for morale when there is chocolate or fresh fruit to help us power through the day.

5. How do you think your job and/or the field might change in the next 10 years?

The accounting field has become more and more automated, and I expect it to continue to do so.  This evolution requires controllers to continually increase their IT expertise, their company operations knowledge, and their understanding of how data flow can be utilized by the accounting department and operational teams.