Chris Palmer

Chris Palmer spent a successful decade at large semiconductor companies and then made a deliberate choice to transition to a small business backed by private equity. The opportunity to have a greater influence in a smaller setting was too attractive to pass up, he said.

“After a comfortable and lucrative decade building a career at large semiconductor companies, I decided to leave for the dark side to take a high equity potential, low cash pay role at a PE-sponsored small business,” Palmer said. “Small businesses are less predictable than most large counterparts, but they allow professionals to make an impact, grow their skills and control their own destiny in a way unavailable in most large companies. I've never looked back!”

Palmer serves as chief financial officer of Renren US, a Phoenix-based holding company operating in the BtB SaaS industry. Since joining the company, Palmer has led a restructuring of the finance organization and assumed responsibility for legal operations.

His expertise and proactive approach have been instrumental in guiding the company's entry into the enterprise market and optimizing resource allocation, the company said. In addition to his CFO role, Palmer spearheaded the recruitment effort to shift the company's board from China to the U.S.

Beyond his finance responsibilities, Palmer supports the CEO in guiding the company's future. With Palmer’s help, the company is poised to scale and fulfill its vision of building a SaaS incubator that benefits shareholders and the Phoenix community.

Before joining Renren, Palmer successfully guided companies through major transitions, such as IPOs, capital raises and the establishment of new business units. As a recipient of the 2015 CFO of the Year Award for his work at Televerde, a local demand generation business, Palmer takes pride in helping each company he serves improve and grow.

“Leaders must exhibit high integrity and discernment in a world that moves increasingly fast,” Palmer said. “Circumstances come and go, but the underlying principle of doing the right thing never changes. Our job, as much as creating value, is to help future leaders operate with integrity, discernment and purpose.”

Palmer is a CPA and an MBA who graduated with top honors from Duke University. He also won FEI's Arizona Small Private Company 2015 CFO of the Year Award for the work he performed in helping build and grow Televerde.

“Chris has become a trusted leader at the company, paving the path to guide employees,” his team said. “When there is a need, Chris is first at trying to assist. Even if it means more workload for him. He has been a valued mentor at the company … Chris believes strongly that companies with a collaborative spirit, and aligned to a common cause will nearly always achieve what they set out to, and deliver great results.”