Name: Michael Smyth
Job Title: Vice President Finance – Dell Technologies
Previous Career Experience:
Started my finance career in Wang Labs in mid-1980’s in Accounts payable and later, in 1991, joined Dell and spent next 14 years based in Limerick working in many roles across Financial Accounting, Cost Accounting, Audit, Financial Strategy and Accounting Shared Services. In 2005 I moved to Johannesburg, South Africa to take a 2-year assignment as Finance Director for Dell Southern Africa, and in 2007 moved to Bratislava, Slovakia to head up Dell’s Finance Shared Services operations for Europe, and General Manager of our European Business Center. In 2010 I moved to Austin, Texas and over the past 12 years I have held a number of executive positions within the CFO and IT organizations, working in Mergers and Acquisitions, Information Technology Leadership roles and for the past 6 years Vice President of Finance for our Sales organization and heading up Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) for Global Sales.
When and Why did you move to the US?
In 2011 and why, really three reasons. I wanted my two children to experience University in the American college system and have broader career opportunities than I felt they would have in Europe, and personally Austin is our global headquarters and my career accelerated by being located there. The income tax rate and may be 4 reasons, the weather in Texas is awesome!
What does your current job involve?
As VP for FP&A for Global Sales my team sets the annual operating plan for Dell Technologies, giving global sales their Revenue, Margin and Operating Expenses targets for the year. As a $100Bn company, monitoring progress to these targets and ensuring they are achieved is a huge part of what we do – as is working alternative strategies to mitigate when issue occur.
What advice would you have for an Irish CPA interested in working in the US?
Do it! Wonderful country, great opportunities and only six hours from home! Be open minded about what you come to do. It’s very easy to change jobs, company, and career direction once you are here. Be prepared to work hard, my workday starts at 6/7am every day but my family always comes first and that is respected in our culture. America certainly isn’t better than Ireland, it’s just bigger, and bigger means more opportunities. Take a risk, if you work at it, you WILL be successful.