Kameron Rezai is the CFO at Verkada, where he leads finance and operations for the high-growth physical security tech company. He previously held senior leadership roles at BlackRock and has a background in investment and advisory across the financial services sector. He joins us in the “Q&A” Series with direct and actionable advice on building finance teams that support rapid growth.

Q: Why did Verkada choose to decentralize sales operations?
A: Early on our main challenge was getting talent in the door and up to speed. We had a model that worked, with a sales leader building from zero to 50. But it’s much harder to get from 50 to 500, so, we adopted a strategy where leaders in different locations would each grow their team from scratch — building several successful zero to 50 operating teams simultaneously across geographies. This "pod strategy" allowed us to replicate success more effectively. The decentralization was really driven by our need to scale rapidly. Empowering local leaders with autonomy allowed us to tailor strategies to diverse market dynamics and accelerate growth in new areas faster.

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Q: How did you ensure financial responsibility while granting autonomy?

A: We treated each location like a startup. New office leaders received seed-stage funding and limited corporate cards. This allowed them to set up their workspace independently, from choosing their office space right down to buying essentials like office furniture and coffee makers. 

From a financial standpoint, we closely monitored their hiring efficiency, productivity metrics, and budgeting processes to ensure they aligned with our company standards. This approach facilitated rapid scaling but also maintained financial discipline across diverse locations, supporting our global growth strategy.

Q: What challenges did you face in implementing this decentralized approach?

A: Initially, alignment across diverse offices and maintaining cultural cohesion posed challenges. One of the key insights was that it’s ok to have regional differentiation in style/culture – this allowed the local leaders to really be CEO of their business. For the big items, regular communication, shared goals, and periodic evaluations helped bridge these gaps, ensuring unified growth despite operational independence.

Q: How did autonomy contribute to innovation within your sales offices?

A: Autonomy fostered a startup-like environment where local leaders could innovate freely. This led to creative solutions in hiring, sales tactics, and office culture, all tailored to meet specific regional demands and drive performance.

Q: What metrics did you use to measure the success of decentralized offices?

A: Success metrics included not only revenue growth but also factors like sales rep hiring, sales rep churn, average attainment, rep participation rate, and of course adherence to operational budgets. Each office's ability to meet these metrics determined its scalability and future investment.

Q: How did you maintain company-wide cohesion with decentralized offices?

A: While granting autonomy, we ensured that each leader was aligned with Verkada’s values. Many of the first leaders of our new offices were leaders who had spent time at headquarters. They were well-established culture carriers who we knew could maintain and build on all the things that make Verkada a great place to work. 

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