The CFO Forum, Atlanta’s premier professional organization for financial leaders, presented the inaugural CFO Forum Preeminence Award to Steve Voskuil, Senior Vice President and CFO at Avanos, at its quarterly meeting today.

The award, which recognizes Atlanta’s most outstanding Chief Financial Officer for 2018, takes its name from a new book by Glen Jackson, co-founder of Jackson Spalding, Georgia’s largest independent marketing communications agency. “Preeminence: What It Means and How to Sustain It” articulates seven key characteristics that Jackson has observed in successful organizations: Trust, Relationship Building, Marketing Communications, Assessment, The Cultural Torch of Servant Leadership, Fanatical Focus and Remarkable Resiliency.

Voskuil was nominated by one of his CFO peers and was vetted as a finalist with an interview with John Tushar, Avanos’ President.

“Steve embodies the principles of this award in everything he does,” said Tushar. “His focus and determination as a leader have helped create a foundation for Avanos to grow and prosper as a leader in the medical device industry.”

“We’re incredibly proud to be able to give this award to Steve,” said Chris White, Co-Founder of the CFO Forum and Vice Chairman of Savills. “When we envisioned this award, we created governance around the selection process, not usually seen in these types of awards, by forming a selection committee by CFOs.  We utilized the Seven pillars from Glen’s book to drive our decision.  We’re thrilled that Steve truly represents all of the preeminent characteristics identified, and we are proud to have him as our Inaugural award winner.”

“I define preeminence as extraordinary excellence that, once reached and sustained, creates a competitive advantage,” said Jackson. “Steve has clearly demonstrated preeminence in his service as Senior Vice President and CFO at Avanos.  He has created that competitive advantage for his company. Steve’s leadership recognition is well deserved. He is the real deal.”

“It’s an honor to be the first CFO recognized with this award,” said Voskuil. “I am humbled to have been considered among this respected group of my peers, and I’m proud to represent Avanos, an innovative and forward-thinking company, where we focus every day on delivering breakthrough medical device solutions to improve quality of life.”

Voskuil joined Avanos in 2014 after the company spun off from Kimberly-Clark, where he had been since 1992. Since then, he has served in roles of increasing responsibility in business analysis, strategic analysis, emerging markets, and mergers and acquisitions for the company’s businesses worldwide. Prior to accepting his current role, Voskuil served as vice president of finance for Kimberly-Clark’s international operations. In that role, he was responsible for driving profitable growth, leading strategic planning, driving cash and capital efficiency, managing enterprise risks and building global leadership capability. He also served as the leader for global finance talent development.

Avanos Medical is a medical technology company focused on delivering clinically superior breakthrough medical device solutions to improve patients’ quality of life. The company is comprised of two franchises – Pain Management and Chronic Care – that address some of today’s most important healthcare needs, namely reducing the use of opioids while helping patients recover faster and preventing infection. Avanos sells its recognized brands and products in more than 90 countries and holds leading market positions in multiple categories across its portfolio. The company operates eight principal medical device production facilities with 4,500 employees worldwide, generating approximately $612 million in net revenue. Avanos Medical, Inc., is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “AVNS”.