We’re excited to announce that Matthew Stanford has been named the Q1 2026 Duffy Award winner at Celero, recognizing his outstanding impact and leadership. Recently promoted to Vice President, Finance, Matthew continues to expand his contribution to our organization.
Over the past year, Matt’s contributions have extended far beyond traditional financial planning & analysis (FP&A) responsibilities. He has become a core strategic partner to the executive team and a highly trusted resource across the broader organization. His work has helped shape how Celero views and manages performance, bringing sharper clarity and discipline to financial decision-making.
Expanding Impact Across the Business
Matthew has led the annual budget process with a focus on alignment and accountability, while also rebuilding the company’s operating model to better reflect the realities of a fast-scaling business. He has elevated executive and Board reporting, ensuring leadership has clearer visibility into performance trends and key drivers. In addition, Matthew has enhanced the way Celero evaluates channel, processor, and deal economics.
A key milestone this quarter was Matthew successfully closing his first RBO transaction, further demonstrating his expanding scope and ability to support complex, cross-functional initiatives. His work reflects a broader evolution in our Finance division, where insight and execution increasingly go hand in hand.
Driving Better Decision-Making Across Teams
Beyond specific deliverables, Matthew is known for improving the quality of decision-making across the business. He collaborates seamlessly with teams across Finance, Sales, Operations, RevOps, and the executive leadership group, helping translate complex financial data into actionable insight. His ability to connect strategy to numbers has made him an essential voice in both planning and execution discussions.
As Dustin Renn, Celero’s Chief Financial Officer, shared:
“Matt has had a significant impact on both our finance function and the broader business. He consistently delivers high-quality analysis that drives better decision-making across the company. Whether he’s leading FP&A, supporting strategic initiatives, building models, or enhancing our performance reporting, he brings a level of rigor, business judgment, and reliability upon which Celero depends. He has been foundational to the progress we have made over the past year and is well deserving of this recognition.”
Looking Ahead in an Expanded Role
This recognition reflects both the significant impact Matthew has already made and the expanded leadership role he continues to grow into. In his Vice President, Finance role, Matthew will continue leading FP&A while taking on an even broader remit across commercial performance management, executive reporting, transaction support, and strategic finance initiatives.
Please join us in congratulating Matthew Stanford on being named the Q1 2026 Duffy Award winner—a well-earned recognition of his leadership, impact, and continued contributions to Celero’s growth.