Mike Meriton, president and CEO of GoldenSource, takes the two-minute test
Name: Michael J. Meriton
Date and place of birth: 1960 Washington, D.C.
Residence: Westfield, N.J
Marital status: Married - two daughters
Education: BA 1981 Yale University
Career path:
1. ADP Accounting Services/New Client Acquisition Team Manager
2. Oracle Corp - Account Executive Pharmaceutical Industrial Corp.
3. D&B Software - Northeast Regional Manager
4. JGI/Baan - Founder & General Manager
5. CheckFree Financial & Compliance Solutions-President
6. GoldenSource-President & CEO - 2002 & Co-Founder EDM Council - 2005
Current posts: President & CEO GoldenSource Corporation since 2002
What was your first job? Worked for ADP in the Accounting Services Group, and ultimately managed a new client acquisition team (NCAT). This was a new position at ADP and put both initial sales and implementation resources for new clients under one single manager.
Which business leaders do you most admire? Mike Bloomberg was the pioneer of data services for the financial services industry and built a multi-billion dollar business from the ground up. He is now applying his leadership skills as the Mayor of New York City. As an excellent leader he addresses issues head on, communicates well and is always finding innovative ways to deliver value to NYC citizens.
If you weren't in your current job, which company would you most like to lead? A non-profit organization that would be targeting technology in improving learning and education opportunities for disadvantaged children.
Do you read books on management theory? If, so which has influenced you the most? "Lincoln on Leadership": Executive Strategies for Tough Times written by Donald Phillips - is a fascinating and useful review of the leadership techniques of one of our most revered Presidents during one of the most challenging times in American history. This book goes further in helping the reader understand how these techniques can be usefully applied in a business environment. This is an excellent read and especially appropriate given the current climate. Also "Crossing the Chasm" and "Inside the Tornado" both by Geoffrey Moore. These books are a roadmap to mastering emerging markets and are especially relevant for the development of the EDM (Enterprise Data Management) market place where GoldenSource is very active.
What has been your best experience in business? In 2000 as President of CheckFree Financial and Compliance Solutions, I had the opportunity to launch a business dedicated to helping American citizens find unclaimed property in the United States. MissingMoney.com has reached tens of thousands of Americans. It has received special recognition in the media including Good Morning America, CNN, and the NY Times. This was a very special venture that brought direct value to people on a national scale.
What keeps you awake at night? I like to think of different ways to help our team and our clients especially during these challenging times. We all have a tendency to focus on the problems - you can sleep better at night when you can also see that every problem often presents an opportunity!
How do you relax? I compose music on the piano and electric keyboard and I love to read multiple books, often at the same time. I also work out as much as I can and still manage to play on an indoor soccer team that's been together for 10 years
Favorite Web site: MissingMoney.com
Desert island disc/book: Bible - Daily way to keep the faith that things all work out for the better especially if you are on a deserted island!