Beginning his career as a practicing CPA, Brett Maxam built a solid foundational understanding of how successful businesses are set up, organized, grown and operated. Ultimately, he joined a small professional service and SaaS company as the chief financial officer where he led four acquisitions, 8x growth, and a liquidity event. In 2023, Maxam joined the ERI Group leadership team to help support ERI’s vision to support clients in bringing life-changing medical and wellness products to the market.
ERI Group brings medical innovations to life by offering clients a world-class, multidisciplinary team that spans the entire process of bringing medical innovation to market, including product design, development, quality assurance, regulatory compliance and contract manufacturing. With 35 years of experience and deep technical expertise to handle the most complex projects, the company connects the dots, so its clients don’t have to.
“Brett is a versatile titan in the role of CFO and company leader, taking an agnostic approach to each new industry he encounters,” said his colleagues. “He brings not only his experience and expertise into a business but also his thirst for knowledge.”
Early on in his new role at ERI Group, Maxam focused on understanding how the pieces of the organization fit together, diving into what was or was not working. He also engaged others’ ideas, analyzed available data and weighed alternatives. Looking forward, Maxam will be an integral part of the growth of the company with plans to add 34,000 square feet of additional manufacturing space and grow across all service offerings.
“He is cognizant of the risk of inaction and is a confident decision-maker,” said his colleagues. “Brett focuses and values building relationships with his board, CEO, peers, direct reports, customers and vendors, and these relationships not only enhance his enjoyment and passion for the work he does but have led to lifelong friendships.”
According to Maxam, successful leaders are adaptive, resilient, empathetic and not afraid to take action. “When critical, I can quickly analyze an issue or situation with the information on hand, determine if further information is necessary, and then either delegate or take action myself,” said Maxam. “I try to identify the root cause of the problem, including key variables and factors, think through potential solutions, and from that list, commit to the best course of action.”
If Maxam could give his younger self advice, it would be to “keep an open mind, never stop asking questions and focus on simplicity.”
