Friday's Last Word: Cloud Sherpas CEO David Northington
As CEO of Cloud Sherpas, David Northington is responsible for business development, strategic partnerships and corporate strategy. He previously served as COO of Capgemini North America, EVP of Kanbay, COO of Adjoined and CEO of Plaut Consulting. Here's what he says made him the executive that he is and what he's like outside the office.
September 18, 2015
Friday's Last Word: Cloud Sherpas CEO David Northington
To find out more about the man behind the executive title, click through this slideshow.
NORTHINGTON: “Memory Man,” by David Baldacci*
TALKIN' CLOUD'S SPIN: *Northington isn’t sure “Memory Man” was the latest, but he’s sure it was Baldacci. Northington isn’t one to let too many facts slip. But like the rest of us, he writes down the important details so he doesn’t always have to rely on memory. Smart.
NORTHINGTON: “The One Minute Manager,” by Kenneth H. Blanchard and Spencer Johnson.
TALKIN' CLOUD'S SPIN: “The One Minute Manager” is one of the few things to survive 1980s intact and still hold up. Just 111 pages long, the book nonetheless packs a punch with advice on goal setting, mentoring and leading. You can read it in an afternoon and apply its wisdom immediately. Northington says it taught him how to provide feedback, which is critical in a people business.
NORTHINGTON: Grass cutting, age 14.
TALKIN' CLOUD'S SPIN: Classic first job. The work is hard, teaches volumes about equipment and responsibility. Plus, the rewards are instant. Hard to beat grass cutting as a first job—unless of course it’s winter and time to pull out the snow shovel.
NORTHINGTON: Sales, American Cast Iron Pipe, Birmingham, Ala.
TALKIN' CLOUD'S SPIN: Northington was paired a senior sales leader—a legend at the company. The man didn’t think much of the “snot-nosed” little college boy who was assigned to him. But like all great buddy stories, the relationship blossomed. The sales manager mentored Northington and remained a friend to him until the day he died. Lesson learned: Find a mentor and then be one.
NORTHINGTON: Samsung Galaxy smartphone
TALKIN' CLOUD'S SPIN: Android-bashing aside, we love this phone. Northington says he loves sitting on an airplane and running his business without having to take out his laptop. We love it because movies never looked so good.
NORTHINGTON: “Can’t You See,” by The Marshall Tucker Band
TALKIN' CLOUD'S SPIN: We’re partial to “Heard It in a Love Song” but love the lyrics of “Can’t You See.” True confession: When we were young and first heard the song, we thought band sang, “What a one-eyed woman would do to me.” We couldn't see our way to hear correctly. We know better now.
NORTHINGTON: Old Fashioned.
TALKIN' CLOUD'S SPIN: A real man’s cocktail, the kind that Don Draper enjoyed. Head over to Esquire for instructions but make sure you gather your ingredients first, and a real old-fashioned glass:
1 sugar cube
3 dashes Bitters
Club soda
2 ounces rye whiskey
A crystal glass tumbler
NORTHINGTON: Old Fashioned.
TALKIN' CLOUD'S SPIN: A real man’s cocktail, the kind that Don Draper enjoyed. Head over to Esquire for instructions but make sure you gather your ingredients first, and a real old-fashioned glass:
1 sugar cube
3 dashes Bitters
Club soda
2 ounces rye whiskey
A crystal glass tumbler
Friday’s Last Word: David Northington, Cloud Sherpas CEO
As CEO of Cloud Sherpas, David Northington is responsible for the overall strategic direction and execution of the hyper-growth cloud services and consulting company. During his tenure, Northington has guided the company through several acquisitions and a rapidly changing competitive landscape—all without a hitch. In September 2015, he helped close a deal that paved the way for the acquisition of Cloud Sherpas by Andersen Consulting.
What are his plans for Cloud Sherpas?
Northington spends a lot of time with customers and will likely to continue to do so in the aftermath of the acquisition.
What is the background of the company?
Cloud Sherpas was founded in 2007 and currently has more than 1,000 employees, according to the announcement. The company also ranked as No. 56 on the Talkin’ Cloud 100 list of cloud service providers. Last year, it made a $10 million investment in a new global cloud advisory business unit and recently launched a Managed Services group in April.
Want to get involved? Send an email to Talkin’ Cloud Editor in Chief Nicole Henderson at nicole.henderson[at]penton.com.
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