Published in TFW Magazine
Winter 2009

The Ascent:
An interview with Tamara Sales
Chief Financial Officer, Bioaxxess, Inc.
San Diego, California

By Becky Nelson

Standing at the base of Half Dome at 4 a.m., Tamara Sales craned her neck to look up the 5,000-feet-tall vertical granite formation that she would soon be climbing. What she felt was not fear, nor uncertainty, but rather adventure – the adrenaline coursing through her veins, preparing her for the 12-hour trek ahead. She would be navigating strenuous, narrow trails that lead to a cable-assisted vertical climb to the top. The 47-year-old looked around at her friends and family, took a deep breath, and began her steep ascent with one dedicated first step.

Only one week earlier, Tamara was sitting in her office, considering not her future attack on Half Dome, but the cash flow of the company where she was director of finance. In an interview with TFW, Tamara explained how being dedicated and focused on life’s adventures can help build a successful career.

Uphill challenge: Tamara has navigated through career challenges all along. At one point, she took a break from her own career while supporting her husband on a two-year assignment in Switzerland. Concerned that suspending her career would stifle her ambition, she sometimes questioned her decision. But she took that time to begin her family – and what she did not know was that she was setting the foundation for her future success. “You may never know what the hidden dangers are on your career path; likewise, you may never see a hidden opportunity.”

Getting on track: Back in the states, Tamara’s career took off after she earned her Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license and sharpened her technical skills. “That’s when I felt like I had a serious foundation for a career path – not just to be an accountant, but a CFO,” she says. She landed a position with a small biotech firm that had foreign operations in Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Germany. (Coincidentally, the CEO of the biotech firm was from the same village in Switzerland where she had lived.)

Tamara worked through several mergers and acquisitions that prepared her for opportunities and required that she travel internationally. She has since made other strategic professional moves, providing her with extensive business experience in the European and Asian markets.

Continuing the climb: In the workplace, knowledge and confidence are key. “Every board meeting I’ve ever been in, I’ve been the only woman – and I could have let that limit me,” she said. “But I don’t feel like I have any limitations. Your limitations are only what you think they are, what you perceive them to be.” Tamara is exploring her options for earning an executive masters in business administration, specializing in international business. “I’m 47, in the midplace of my career. If I could’ve done anything differently, I would have focused on advanced education early on,” she says. “I don’t know that you necessarily need it to do your day-to-day job, but it builds confidence.”

Help along the way: Although she doesn’t frequent networking events, Tamara credits other accountants, lawyers and professionals who helped her move up. “Our professional community is really very small, so it’s really important to foster relationships,” she says. She also made valuable connections before she needed them. “Earlier in my career, I built a relationship with a small private bank,” Tamara says. “Later, when I was part of a management buyout, I was able to get a $1 million unsecured loan from that bank that I may not have gotten otherwise.”

Support system: Tamara credits her parents and her husband’s parents for playing a key role in her career as well. “My son and daughter are very close with their grandparents, and I think that has a lot do to with all those band tournaments and orthodontist appointments they drove them to. Also, my husband, Ivan, has a fantastic career as an engineer but he was a very hands-on dad.” She is proud of the way that she and her husband raised their children, who are now in college. In the workplace, she still finds that women’s support for other women is lacking. “Sometimes women are reluctant to help other women, when in reality we should be each other’s biggest supporters. I try to mentor, train and teach each person that is working for me. It’s better for them and better for me,” she said.

Serious fun: Tamara has never believed in working 80 hours a week. “I take my work very seriously, but I equally take my play time very seriously,” she said. For Tamara and her husband, that has included volunteering countless hours with their children’s school activities, including high school marching band. When she is not golfing, hiking, biking, finding the best microbrews in San Diego, or hanging out with close friends and family, she is vacationing in a little-known remote country.

No novice to the dedication and focus one must embody to be successful, Tamara’s adventurous spirit makes her a success in the workplace and in life. Tamara and Ivan walked away from Half Dome as the only two of their party to complete the treacherous climb to the summit. “I don’t always take the safe or easy path in life,” she said, “and that makes the end result much more rewarding.”

More About Tamara
Recently read: Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and Michael Braungart and Twilight by Stephenie Meyer – “to see what all the hype is about.”

Best sources of info: CNN web site; American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

Can’t live without: iPhone and golf clubs