CFO Intelligence Magazine – Fall 2021
Arlen Shenkman
Citrix, EVP and CFO
When folk singer Joni Mitchell penned a song with the lyric, “I’ve looked at life from both sides now,” she may have been envisioning Citrix CFO and Executive Vice President Arlen Shenkman.
“Perspective is important in any decision or action we take. I’ve sat on both sides of the table. As a lawyer, writing 10-Ks and 10-Qs for companies, I gained a deep understanding of materiality and other concepts,” says Shenkman, who practiced law before moving across the table into corporate finance. “My time as a lawyer helped me when I moved into corporate finance, because I knew what matters to companies, investors, customers, and employees – from disclosures to explaining a company’s purpose and helping to formulate strategy.”
Based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and operating across the globe, Citrix develops digital workspace solutions that enable employees to work when, where and how they want in a consistent, secure and reliable manner. Shenkman joined Citrix from SAP in September 2019, where he most recently served as Executive Vice President and Global Head of Business Development and Ecosystems.
A VIEW WITH A HISTORY
Shenkman’s ability to take the widescreen view combining law and finance was sparked by his grandfather, who owned an electrical equipment factory and advised Shenkman, when he was still young, to go for a law degree instead of an MBA, “to gain a good understanding of the complexities of a business.” Shenkman valued the advice, but still went on to earn an MBA (from the Fox School of Business at Temple University) as well as a law degree (a J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law). From there he spent about nine years with law firms and as in-house corporate counsel. But his long-term goal was to earn an executive position that would utilize his legal and business knowledge.
Initially, Shenkman found a challenging role at SAP, where his responsibilities included driving business development by building new ecosystems, fostering strategic partnerships, incubating new business models, and overseeing investments and mergers and acquisitions. But the drive for “hands-on” involvement that spurred his rise at SAP eventually led Shenkman to move to Citrix, a smaller but growing company where he would get even more embedded in the company’s operations.
Besides being responsible for Citrix’s financial and capital management strategies, ESG, budgeting and planning, accounting, tax and treasury, investor relations, strategic alliances and M&A, Shenkman also oversees Wrike, the Collaborative Work Management solutions provider Citrix acquired in 2021.