Dave Sylvester
CFO, Facilities, Security & Aviation at Steelcase
TED Attendee
Grand Rapids, Michigan, United StatesAbout Dave
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Business leader, Christian, Educator/Teacher, Finance professional, Parent, Potential employer, Real Estate professional, World traveler
Bio
Dave Sylvester is senior vice president and chief financial officer for Steelcase Inc., the global leader in the office furniture industry.
Named to this role in April 2011, Dave expanded on his previous role as vice president and chief financial officer (2006-11) and also took responsibility for Global Facilities & Real Estate and Corporate Aviation. In Nov. 2013, Dave also temporarily added Information Technology to his reporting structure. And in March 2014 Global Business Centers were added to his responsibilities.
Previously, Dave was vice president, Operations Finance (March 2005 - October 2006), responsible for operations finance in North America and internationally. He also worked closely with the Supply Chain organization on product and process placement decisions and on implementing supply chain strategies around the world.
Dave began his Steelcase career in 1995 as manager, Financial Reporting and Planning. In 1998 he became director and assistant controller, Corporate Finance, for Steelcase Inc., primarily responsible for all internal and external financial reporting and analysis. During this time, Dave helped Steelcase Inc. with the transition to becoming a publicly traded company in 1998.
Dave then served as finance leader for Steelcase International (2001-2005), based in Strasbourg, France and was responsible for all finance related activities outside of the United States and Canada, including profitability analyses, EVA measurement, accounting and reporting, acquisition integration, as well as a variety of special projects.
Before joining Steelcase, Dave held several audit positions with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Chicago, Ill. He graduated from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich., in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s of business administration in finance.
He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Illinois Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He also serves on many of Steelcase’s subsidiary and joint venture boards of directors, as well as local community boards.
Dave resides in Grand Rapids, Mich., with his wife, Kathy, and has two children, Matt (Ford Motor Company) and Emily (student at Miami University).
I'm passionate about
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Self discovery & insight
Coaching & mentoring
Anything Michigan State, but especially sports
Things you might not know
Synthesizing complexity
Financial story telling
Multi-cultural collaboration
Leveraging diversity