Computer Support Blog

It is a tough thing for a company when the chief product that business creates is past its peak in the marketplace.  Many companies actively attempt to keep the truth about their product’s chances of survival in the market concealed from investors in order to continue the struggle for market dominance.  Not so at TomTom, the satellite navigation company.  Impaired by cheaper hardware flooding the market and similar, free, software offered by Google, TomTom has experienced a few rough years.  Fortunately, TomTom has Marina Wyatt.

Marina Wyatt is the Chief Financial Officer of TomTom.  Wyatt was hired as CFO immediately before TomTom made its initial public offering for stock in 2005 and she has remained with the company ever since.  Marina Wyatt came to TomTom with an impressive resume.  As a graduate of Cambridge University and a first job as a chartered accountant, one might assume Wyatt’s education was strongly rooted in finance.  Actually, her degree was in geography and it was not until she joined the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales that her interests turned to economics.  Her accounting jobs led her to positions at Psion, Symbian, and finally COLT Telcom Group.  As CFO of COLT Telecom Group, Wyatt gained the real-world experience she needed to be a vital hire for TomTom.

Having seen TomTom through its IPO, Wyatt served as CFO during the company’s boom time.  TomTom exploded on the market as one of the premiere satnav systems, dominating the market for years.  But, as is inevitable with a niche product like a GPS navigation system that provides turn-by-turn directions aloud, soon the marketplace was flooded with similar products from other big named brands.  As if the low-priced generic GPS satnav systems were not enough of a threat to TomTom’s market position, Google releasing a free application for smartphones that provided the same essential service as TomTom put a virtual nail in the company’s coffin.

Through it all, Marina Wyatt has helped guide TomTom.  As the stockholders become nervous about the company’s long-term prospects, it is frequently Wyatt who makes statements that clearly detail the current market position of the company, as well as reveal the marketability of current projects in the research and development branch of the company.  TomTom was not entirely unprepared for moving forward from satnav systems and Wyatt, in addition to the traditional roles of a Chief Financial Officer, has taken to educating investors frequently on the state and future of the company.  Wyatt’s reassuring presentations have prevented a nosedive in TomTom stock more than once over the past few years.

It is easy to be a good corporate officer when everything is going right for your company.  The true test of leadership and skill often comes when a company has adversity.  TomTom’s Marina Wyatt proves that she is an exceptional Chief Financial Officer, regardless of the economic climate!

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

Filed under: business, computer help, david milman, GPS, Internet, pc support, performance, rescuecom