Company: ACL Services Ltd., Vancouver, BC, Canada
Entry Submitted By: Stanton Public Relations and Marketing
Company Description:ACL delivers technology solutions that are transforming audit and risk management. Through a combination of software and expert content, ACL enables companies to identify and mitigate risk, protect profits, and accelerate performance. For more than 25 years, ACL, a top BC employer, has been known as the leader in audit analytics software, working with 89% of Fortune 500 companies.
Nomination Category:Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category:Female Executive of the Year – Business Products –11 to 2,500 Employees

Nomination Title: Laurie Schultz, President and CEO

Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated executive since the beginning of July last year (up to 525 words):

Laurie Schultz is so committed to her company and employees, she will jump off a building for them – literally. Ms. Schultz made a bet with her sales team: if they reached a goal by the end of this fiscal year, she would rappel off a 20-story building…dressed as a superhero.

The sales team out-performed, so Ms. Schultz kept her promise and, dressed as Venom, rappelled with three other ACL executives as part of the Vancouver Drop Zone, raising nearly $17k to send disabled kids to Easter Seals summer camp.

Laurie Schultz & ACL’s accomplishments since July 2014:

Mobilized Talent:

o Hired nearly 70 new full-time employees, including new CFO, Brent Flichel.
o Appointed two new Board of Advisors members: Carolyn Saint, VP, Internal Audit, 7-Eleven, and Board Member, The Institute of Internal Audit (IIA); and Inder Gulati, Head of Internal Audit, LinkedIn.
o Recognized as one of Canada’s 100 Top Small & Medium Employers.

Disrupted the Category:

o Improved ACL GRC, including updates to the iOS and Android apps and growing the user base by 200% to >30,000.
o Released new versions of ACL™ Analytics and ACL™ Analytics Exchange, increasing user base by >13,000.
o Introduced subscription services:
• ScriptHub: a library of pre-built analytic tests gathered from 25 years of ACL best practices;
• Improved Functionality: basic access added for customers to remediate, track and follow up on red flags, while quickly broadcasting output to stakeholders via the cloud;
• ACL Academy: access to a wide range of online training resources.

Transformed the Business Model:

o Converted to a subscription-based business model, increased software sales growth by 29%.
o Was featured as a representative vendor in Gartner’s 2015 Market Guide for Audit Management Solutions & 2015 Market Guide for Corporate Compliance and Oversight Software.
o Received six awards, including:
• 2015 YWCA Women of Distinction award for Business and the Professions;
• Named one of Canada’s Top Small and Medium Employers in 2015
• BCTIA 2015 Technology Impact Team of the Year Award;
• Three GRC 20/20 Technology Innovation Awards.
• Acquired design firm Artletic LLC.
o Sponsored the BCTIA Innovation Hub.
o Opened a new regional HQ in Singapore.

Ms. Schultz joined ACL in August 2011 as COO, becoming CEO just over a year later. She has since tripled the valuation of ACL and more than doubled the investment in R&D.

As an overarching business objective, Ms. Schultz continues to establish ACL as a leader in Vancouver’s technology community and influence others to secure roots in the region. As a Board Member of BCTIA, an industry-funded organization committed to growing BC’s technology industry, Ms. Schultz aims to encourage other Vancouver technology companies to grow businesses while remaining headquartered in British Columbia.

Ms. Schultz is determined to build ACL, both organically and via M&A activity, while ensuring the company remains headquartered in Vancouver. Ultimately, she hopes to grow ACL and eventually take the company public.

Outside of her professional role with ACL, Ms. Schultz acts on the Board of Dress For Success Vancouver, a not for profit organization committed to helping low or no income women to transition into the workforce.

Provide a brief biography of the nominated executive (up to 125 words):

Laurie Schultz, President AND CEO at ACL, is responsible for leading the company and driving its strategic growth plans. Ms. Schultz has more than 25 years of experience in the software industry.

Prior to joining ACL, Ms. Schultz was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Sage North America’s mid-market ERP portfolio, where she was accountable for solutions sold in over 100 countries. Prior to her role at Sage, Ms. Schultz worked for KPMG’s Marketing and Business Development Consulting Practice.

She was recently awarded the YWCA “Women of Distinction – Business and the Professions” award, honoring extraordinary women leaders in Canada, while raising funds for YWCA programs in Metro Vancouver.

Ms. Schultz holds a MBA and Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta.