Several months ago, we had the distinct pleasure of on-boarding a new Chief Financial Officer and the newest addition to our Powerhouse Women team! She hit the ground running, helping the company navigate the unexpected business climate we found ourselves in this year. So, we are only now pausing to officially introduce her. Meet Dianna MacDonald.
Dianna joins Powerhouse from Authentix, a leading global authentication and information services nanotechnology company. She brings to the company more than 25 years of private equity experience, an executive skillset complementary to Powerhouse’s current growth strategy through acquisitions initiated late last year with the investment of Lincolnshire Management, Inc.
Dianna will lead Powerhouse’s financial operations, centralizing efforts on establishing and deploying advanced forecasting, asset protection, and reporting processes.
“Powerhouse has been experiencing a 40 percent year-over-year organic growth rate for a decade and a half,” said Michael Wroughton, Principal at Powerhouse. “That rate of expansion, along with our recently adopted acquisition strategy, calls for a different type of leadership proficiency that adapts our financial foundation so that it effectively supports our future success. Dianna has a wealth of knowledge here earned from direct experience moving into companies at critical junctures and driving impactful, effective change. She has also proven to do this while developing strong, collaborative relationships with existing team members and partners. We’re proud to have her on board.”
Dianna’s career began at KPMG where she served as an auditor, concentrating on financial institutions. It was in this role, during the savings and loan crisis, where she drove the audit that led to a financial institution developing an operational recovery plan. The recovery strategy included the sale of a loan portfolio to Brazos Partners, a private equity firm that ultimately hired Dianna—a crucial career move that inspired her future trajectory in private equity work.
Dianna spent the subsequent eight years working for Brazos Partners and Hudson Advisors, a subsidiary of Lone Star Funds. She held the Chief Financial Officer seat for the former and Senior Vice President of Operations and Director of Compliance roles for the latter. In 2005, Dianna began taking her experience directly to start-ups and transitioning companies requiring niche expertise in investor relations alongside proven financial operation strategies.
“Financial data is a telltale sign of a company’s strengths as well as its opportunities,” said Ms. Dianna. “My primary responsibility to Powerhouse is to establish strong financial security by maximizing investments. This all hinges on rolling out accurate reporting that accommodates the company’s current and future growth. Powerhouse is at an exciting stage of its corporate evolution and I’m honored to be part of the team that will help them capitalize on the incredible company they’ve built to date.”
A certified public accountant, Dianna holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an accounting concentration from Oregon State University and has participated in The Wharton School’s The CFO: Becoming a Strategic Partner program. Additionally, she is active in several industry organizations including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), Financial Executives International (FEI), and Texas Wall Street Women (TXWSW).