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About: Stephen T. Zarrilli

Stephen T. Zarrilli

As Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Safeguard Scientifics, Steve leverages more than 25 years of strategic, financial and operational experience in raising capital, managing diverse organizations and developing innovative financial and corporate strategies, skill sets which greatly benefit Safeguard’s shareholders and partner companies. During the course of his career, Steve has demonstrated an ability to successfully grow and manage a number of entrepreneurial and mature enterprises. He has raised more than $200 million of growth capital through both venture sources and public offerings for a number of businesses, and launched two businesses during the last 15 years, one of which went public in 1999 and the other which currently operates to serve middle market enterprises in strategy, capital development and operational management.

At Safeguard, Steve is responsible for all corporate financial and administrative matters. He focuses on developing longer term asset management strategies for the company, directly participates in providing strategic oversight and support to Safeguard's partner companies, and participates in the development of Safeguard's long-term business strategy. In addition, Steve is responsible for analyzing and helping to identify the value-add that each partner company brings to Safeguard and its shareholders. Steve's public company experience complements Safeguard’s rich history and ensures a strong, disciplined financial infrastructure which drives excellence and accountability.

Prior to joining Safeguard, Steve held a number of financial, operating and board roles in both venture-backed and publicly traded companies. Today, in addition to his responsibilities at Safeguard, he is also the non-executive Chairman of the Penn Valley Group, a middle-market management advisory firm which launched in 2005 to assist middle market companies in capital development, financial and organizational management and corporate strategy. Prior to the creation of the Penn Valley Group, Steve served as the Chief Financial Officer of Fiberlink Communications Corp., a leading provider of remote access VPN solutions for large enterprises. Steve’s prior experiences also include serving both as the Chief Financial Officer and then Chief Executive Officer of US Interactive, Inc. where he led the company’s initial and secondary public offerings. Steve also served as Chief Executive Officer of Concellera Software, Inc., orchestrating the sale of its proprietary technology to Hewlett Packard, and spent over a decade with Deloitte & Touche, where he was responsible for developing an emerging business practice for the firm in Philadelphia.

3 Tips for CFOs to Weather the Storm of Today’s Economy
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The job of a CFO in a weak economy has become increasingly difficult with each passing quarter, pushing the CFO further into the line of fire.  Revenue demands, financing uncertainty and cost management limitations require the focus of an expert tactician...

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Can Social Media Directly Impact Share Price?
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We are only beginning to realize the true impact of a robust social presence in the field of Investor Relations. Even as more and more companies begin taking their Investor Relations practices social, there is a portion of IR executives who view the social...

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Now is not the time for a “one-size fits all” strategy
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The last few years have reminded us that the world remains fraught with risk.  Business managers came to believe there was no end in sight to the challenging economy, much as they believed prior to the Great Recession that the punchbowl would never be...

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Taming Regulatory Reform

Taming Regulatory Reform

Posted by Stephen T. Zarrilli on January 31, 2011
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Many a CFO has lost more than a night’s sleep contemplating both the intended and unintended consequences of new healthcare regulations.  Because of the uncertainty that’s been created, the paralysis is virtually palpable. While the ultimate impact...

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Capital Available

Capital Available

Posted by Stephen T. Zarrilli on December 10, 2010
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In this morning’s Wall Street Journal, Justin Lahart wrote an article titled “Companies Cling to Cash.” Justin reports that there is an increasing number of companies throughout the U.S. that are holding onto substantially more cash...

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The Blogging CFO

The Blogging CFO

Posted by Stephen T. Zarrilli on October 15, 2010
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Recently, I was interviewed by Karen Bannan for an article on CFO bloggers in Inside Edge.  I have to admit, not unlike most CFOs I know, I was initially a bit skeptical about social media, and blogging in particular, as it relates to Safeguard’s...

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