Ep. 604 - FAN FAVORITE | Former ActiveCampaign President Sameer Kazi - The Financial Skill Most Leaders Skip

How do you walk into a company of nearly 800 people as its first-ever president and win over the ones who wanted your job? We are bringing this one back because it keeps landing with second-in-command leaders. Cameron sits down with Sameer Kazi, the first president in ActiveCampaign's history, who joined a fast-growing company of nearly 800 people and had to earn trust from day one. Sameer traces his path from employee 200 at ExactTarget through the Salesforce acquisition, KKR, Bessemer, and running Cheetah Digital, then unpacks how he split responsibilities with the CEO, why he brings non-finance leaders close to the numbers, and how he decides with incomplete information. If you are stepping into a senior seat or scaling a business without losing its edge, this one is worth the revisit. Listen now. **Sponsored by:** This episode is brought to you by our Silver Sponsor, **Next Level Growth**. They help COOs and leadership teams build Elite Organizations through a proven, customizable framework built around the Five Obsessions of Elite Organizations. If you and your leadership team are ready to operate at the next level, take the Elite Organizations Assessment and receive a free 20-page customized report based on your answers, plus a complimentary one-hour coaching session with a Next Level Growth Partner and Business Guide to begin implementing tools that will help you build an even more elite business. Complete the assessment here to **get started - nextlevelgrowth.com/cooassessment** ## **Timestamped Highlights** **02:35** Employee 200 at a "tiny little company" called ExactTarget **03:15** Filing an S-1 in 2008, right as the markets fell apart **03:50** Why the growth never actually slowed down **05:37** The years between Salesforce and ActiveCampaign **08:50** Walking into KKR and asking, "Barbarians at the Gate?" **10:38** The boardroom lesson from a business with declining growth **12:38** What an MBA is actually good for **13:38** Reading Salesforce's income statement before SaaS was cool **14:48** The 54% lever that only works while growth holds **15:52** Quitting his job to raise money with twins on the way **16:32** Why ActiveCampaign came looking for him **19:23** Why the role was never about empire building **21:46** Winning over the people who wanted his seat **25:11** How you know when you know enough to decide **26:24** What ActiveCampaign really does **34:47** Why every non-finance leader should learn the numbers **37:25** The advice he would give his 21-year-old self ## **About the Guest** Sameer Kazi was serving as President of ActiveCampaign at the time of this recording, the first person to hold that title in the company's history, reporting to founder and CEO Jason VandeBoom. A veteran SaaS operator, he was an early executive at ExactTarget (employee 200) through its acquisition by Salesforce and ran EMEA operations from London. He later served as interim CEO of Simply Measured and CEO of Cheetah Digital, and worked alongside investors including KKR and Bessemer. He holds an MBA and describes himself as a sleeves-rolled-up, sweat-the-details operator. Sameer is now the Chief Executive Officer at Pantheon Platform. 🔗 LinkedIn ## **Mentioned Resources** - ActiveCampaign - Salesforce, formerly ExactTarget - Simply Measured - acquired by Sprout Social - Cheetah Digital - now Marigold - KKR - Bessemer Venture Partners - Experian - Silversmith Capital Partners - True - Cisco - Zapier - 1-800-GOT-JUNK ## **Important Links** - Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn - Explore the COO Alliance - The World's Leading Community for Seconds in Command - Get Cameron's book: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book - Claim your FREE copy: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book - Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) - Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi ***Note:* This Fan Favorite episode is a recast of one of our most impactful interviews, still packed with insights for second-in-command leaders. Whether it is your first listen or a revisit, there is timeless value inside.** The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand. **Sponsored by:** This episode is brought to you by our Silver Sponsor, **Next Level Growth**. They help COOs and leadership teams build Elite Organizations through a proven, customizable framework built around the Five Obsessions of Elite Organizations. If you and your leadership team are ready to operate at the next level, take the Elite Organizations Assessment and receive a free 20-page customized report based on your answers, plus a complimentary one-hour coaching session with a Next Level Growth Partner and Business Guide to begin implementing tools that will help you build an even more elite business. Complete the assessment here to **get started - nextlevelgrowth.com/cooassessment**