Welcome to the CEO EDGE Podcast! In this episode, we talk with Laurie Schultz, President & CEO of ACL and MacKay CEO Forums member.
Laurie Schultz is responsible for leading the transformation of ACL’s global business by mobilizing talent toward category disruption and double digit growth.
With over 25 years of experience in software and technology sectors, Laurie has led 12 multi-million dollar software P&Ls spanning the personal finance, small business accounting, SaaS, ERP, Business Intelligence and GRC categories. Holding prior leadership positions with Sage, Intuit, KPMG and Telus, Laurie has both DOUBLED revenues and DOUBLED profits by empowering change and relentlessly focusing on the “right critical few.”
Since being appointed CEO of ACL in 2011, Laurie has successfully pivoted the company from hard sales of software to a software-as-a-service model with over 250 employees and to accolades as one of Canada’s Top Employers.
Laurie is a strong advocate for technology and serves on the Board of the British Columbia Technology Industry Association (BCTIA) where she chairs the BCTIA Software C-Council—a CEO group committed to growing the footprint of software in British Columbia. Her voice is an important contributor to the Canadian technology landscape and she is a preeminent thought leader published in media outlets such as the Huffington Post and the Globe and Mail.
She has received multiple leadership awards, including being named to the Women’s Executive Network’s (WXN) 2016 Canada’s Most Powerful Women list, the 2015 Gold Stevie® Award for Female Executive of the Year, the YWCA’s 2015 “Women of Distinction” award, Business in Vancouver’s 2014 “Women of Influence” award, and the Minerva Foundation’s 2013 “Excellence in Leadership” award. Laurie has also been featured as one of Canada’s Top 20 Women in the IT Channel (2011) and in the Top 100 Women in the North American Channel (2012).
Laurie holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Commerce degree, both from the University of Alberta. She serves as Director at Large for Dress For Success Vancouver, a not-for-profit organization that helps 2,000 people/year with low or no income to get a job.
Laurie proudly makes her home in Vancouver with her husband, two children and their dog, Stripe.
Laurie has been featured in: The Globe and Mail | The Huffington Post Canada | Business in Vancouver – Economy | The New York Times | Techvibes | Business in Vancouver – Technology