Scott Price believes that leaders need to learn and care. If they care, they will want to learn to improve themselves, the company, products or services, said Price. The learning comes from the fact that they care to improve themselves and others to provide the greatest opportunity to the company stakeholders, whether that be shareholders, employees, customers or partners.
Learning has been a crucial part of Prices entrepreneurial journey that began when he left Arthur Andersen in the wake of the Enron scandal to launch his first company SAS 70 Solutions, now known as Schellman, at 26 years of age. Price founded A-LIGN in 2009 to broaden the service offerings and use of technology for cybersecurity compliance objectives.
A-LIGN is the leading provider of high-quality, efficient cybersecurity compliance programs. Combining experienced auditors and audit management technology, A-LIGN provides the widest breadth and depth of services.
Under Prices leadership, A-LIGN has grown to over 4,000 customers globally and nearly 600 employees on multiple continents. He has led A-LIGN through two private equity transactions with FTV Capital and most recently with Warburg Pincus.
Each year I am the chief executive officer of a larger company than I have ever run before and I do believe the risk that you take is that people will believe you can continue to grow the company when you have never taken a company to that scale before, said Price. In my opinion, it is not the chief executive officer who is taking the company to that scale but that the chief executive officer empowers and motivates the right people within the company to drive that scale.
Prices success and leadership have led to recognition and accolades, including being named an Ernst and Young entrepreneur of the year finalist, awarded the 30 under 30 award and the 40 under 40 award from the Tampa Bay Business Journal, and was named the youngest chair of the Florida Institute of CPAs.
He is a leader in the Tampa Bay region serving on several nonprofit boards. Price served as chair of Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay through COVID-19 and the creation of the new 3DE high school programs to systematically change learning in the Tampa Bay area.
As a leader, Price said that he leads by building rapport, which is the first step in building trust. Rapport building develops a basis for two people to have a common bond or experience, he said. As a leader, I need to develop trust with my team to allow them to reach for more and know that failing is acceptable and just an incomplete success. I want them to trust me but also trust each other.
