Lukas Polak

Why I love Kentico

One thing that impresses me about Kentico is the transparency. We openly communicate our results, how we’re doing, and what we do to achieve our goals, including finance. Transparency is one of the fundamental Kentico values, and it’s not just a fancy word on paper; it’s real. Another thing I like is the ability to influence the company’s financial strategy and to introduce new processes that can help us all perform better. Kentico has a very shallow management structure and friendly culture. Everyone can contribute their ideas and change things.

My job at Kentico

I accepted the CFO role with two clear goals: Firstly, the finance department should be a strategic partner for the executive and commercial teams. Secondly, I want people in my team to develop their skills and to know that their work is meaningful. 

I’m responsible for the strategic direction of finance and BI (business intelligence), including finance strategy, reporting, financial modeling and business performance analysis. I manage the process of budgeting and forecasting for the entire group. I closely collaborate with our CEO, Marketing, Sales, IT, and Operations to ensure we have the most efficient processes in place.  I am responsible for managing partnerships with key stakeholders – banks, external auditors, and tax consultants.

My journey

I joined Kentico in 2021 as a Finance Controller. During the carve-out of Kontent.ai, a previous division of Kentico, I was creating reports for the investor board, and since July 2022, I’ve been building a new finance department structure. I was appointed as a CFO in January 2023.

Before I joined Kentico, I worked for Heineken Czech Republic, Deloitte Czech Republic, and Honeywell Aerospace. I gained invaluable experience, but it was time to leave the corporate environment. I was looking for a more human company, and Kentico caught my eye. The company culture is based on cooperation, openness, and trust; it almost feels like one big family.