3 continents. 30 years. 4 offices. 8 languages spoken daily. That’s SOFTEL today, and most of what makes it work never shows up on LinkedIn.
Founded three decades ago, we’ve grown into a global team of contact-center experts across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. Different cities, different time zones, different languages and local customs, but one shared craft: making sure every customer conversation lands the way it should, anywhere in the world.
The people behind that work rarely get the spotlight. We want to change that.
SOFTEL Behind the Scenes, our weekly series introducing the global experts who keep contact centers running seamlessly, continues despite the summer heat. Each week you’ll meet a different colleague: what problem they solve, what they’ve learned from working in their region, and what most outsiders get wrong about their work.
This week, our journey takes us back to Montreal, Quebec, where we catch up with our VP of Finance, Mitchell, to learn what his role looks like behind the scenes and what keeps SOFTEL running smoothly every day. Let’s hear it from him.
Interview with [Mitchell]
Questions
1. Mitchell, please allow us to get to know you. What do you do, and what does a typical day as VP of Finance at SOFTEL actually involve?
Mitchell: As VP of Finance at SOFTEL, I manage the numbers behind much of what you’ve read in this series; our multiple offices, currencies, and client contracts across three continents. Anything that affects cash, costs, or client invoicing eventually comes through finance.
A typical day starts with the overnight numbers: APAC and EMEA activity, currency movements, margin impact, and urgent priorities. From there, I may be closing the books, reviewing pricing for a new contract, or helping regional finance leads navigate tax or currency issues.
A big part of the role is translating operational changes, like staffing shifts or market launches, into financial information leadership can act on.
2. As VP of Finance, what problem are you best at solving, and why does it matter right now, with SOFTEL operating across three continents?
Mitchell: I’m best at making complexity clear: taking a business that operates across eight languages, multiple currencies, and different regulatory environments, and turning that into numbers clients and leadership can actually use.
That matters because SOFTEL operates globally every day. Pricing that works in Canada may not work elsewhere once currency risk, labour costs, and tax rules are factored in. Getting it right protects margins and helps us enter new markets with confidence.
3. What do you enjoy most about the finance side of running a global AI-first contact-center and AI governance business?
Mitchell: Honestly, it’s the variety. Finance is more than spreadsheets and month-end close at SOFTEL, it also means shaping client deals and assessing the financial case for entering new regions.
I enjoy seeing the numbers influence decisions; whether a pricing model helps us win the right client, or a cost analysis leads a region to rethink staffing. That’s when finance becomes a driver of growth, not just a back-office function.
4. Running finance across multiple currencies, tax jurisdictions, and time zones is its own kind of global, remote-team challenge. Any tips for managing that complexity, and the people behind it?
Mitchell: Global finance has the same challenge as any remote team: information does not move on its own. Regional finance leads need autonomy because they understand local tax and regulatory realities best, but a shared reporting rhythm keeps issues visible early.
My advice is to standardize the basics early, chart of accounts, reporting calendars, and key definitions, so teams can solve problems instead of debating the numbers. Consistency is what lets a remote global team trust each other’s work.
It also helps to build real relationships with regional counterparts. When finance leads feel comfortable raising concerns early, you avoid bigger surprises at month-end.
5. Can you share a recent finance challenge you worked through, and how you approached it?
Mitchell: Recently, we were pricing a large multi-region client contract. The challenge was that our standard model did not reflect how differently costs move by region, especially labour, currency, and local overhead.
Instead of applying one global formula, I worked with regional finance leads to price each region on its actual cost structure, then combine that into one client-facing rate. It took more effort, but protected margins across regions instead of letting some subsidize others.
It was a good reminder that, in a global business, shortcuts often cost more later. Doing the detailed analysis upfront is worth it.
