B. Riley Financial Announces CFO Transition
B. Riley Financial (NASDAQ: RILY) has announced the appointment of Scott Yessner as its new Chief Financial Officer, effective June 3, 2025. Yessner, who has been serving as a strategic advisor for the past two months, will succeed Phillip Ahn, who is departing for another opportunity.
Yessner brings significant experience as a CFO, notably improving EBITDA by $40 million at CEMCO and achieving a $45 million EBITDA improvement at Universal Technical Institute, where the stock price increased 250%. His compensation package includes 100,000 restricted shares and 300,000 stock options exercisable at different price points ($7, $10, and $12.50), vesting over three years.
B. Riley Financial (NASDAQ: RILY) ha annunciato la nomina di Scott Yessner come nuovo Chief Financial Officer, a partire dal 3 giugno 2025. Yessner, che negli ultimi due mesi ha ricoperto il ruolo di consulente strategico, succederà a Phillip Ahn, che si sta trasferendo per una nuova opportunità professionale.
Yessner vanta una solida esperienza come CFO, avendo migliorato l'EBITDA di 40 milioni di dollari presso CEMCO e ottenuto un incremento di 45 milioni di dollari all'Universal Technical Institute, dove il prezzo delle azioni è aumentato del 250%. Il suo pacchetto retributivo comprende 100.000 azioni vincolate e 300.000 opzioni su azioni esercitabili a diversi prezzi ($7, $10 e $12,50), con un periodo di maturazione di tre anni.
B. Riley Financial (NASDAQ: RILY) ha anunciado el nombramiento de Scott Yessner como su nuevo Director Financiero, con efecto a partir del 3 de junio de 2025. Yessner, quien ha estado actuando como asesor estratégico durante los últimos dos meses, sucederá a Phillip Ahn, que se retira para asumir otra oportunidad.
Yessner aporta una amplia experiencia como CFO, destacando una mejora en el EBITDA de 40 millones de dólares en CEMCO y un aumento de 45 millones de dólares en Universal Technical Institute, donde el precio de las acciones subió un 250%. Su paquete de compensación incluye 100,000 acciones restringidas y 300,000 opciones sobre acciones ejercitables a diferentes precios ($7, $10 y $12.50), con un período de adquisición de tres años.
B. Riley Financial (NASDAQ: RILY)은 2025년 6월 3일부터 신임 최고재무책임자(CFO)로 Scott Yessner를 임명했다고 발표했습니다. 지난 두 달간 전략 고문으로 활동해 온 Yessner는 다른 기회를 위해 떠나는 Phillip Ahn의 뒤를 잇게 됩니다.
Yessner는 CFO로서 상당한 경험을 갖추고 있으며, CEMCO에서 EBITDA를 4천만 달러 개선했고, Universal Technical Institute에서는 EBITDA를 4,500만 달러 향상시켜 주가가 250% 상승하는 성과를 냈습니다. 그의 보상 패키지에는 10만 주 제한 주식과 서로 다른 행사가격($7, $10, $12.50)으로 행사 가능한 30만 주 스톡옵션이 포함되며, 3년에 걸쳐 권리가 부여됩니다.
B. Riley Financial (NASDAQ: RILY) a annoncé la nomination de Scott Yessner en tant que nouveau directeur financier, à compter du 3 juin 2025. Yessner, qui a agi en tant que conseiller stratégique ces deux derniers mois, succédera à Phillip Ahn, qui part pour une autre opportunité.
Yessner possède une expérience significative en tant que CFO, ayant amélioré l'EBITDA de 40 millions de dollars chez CEMCO et augmenté l'EBITDA de 45 millions de dollars à l'Universal Technical Institute, où le cours de l'action a augmenté de 250 %. Son package de rémunération comprend 100 000 actions restreintes et 300 000 options d'achat d'actions exerçables à différents prix (7 $, 10 $ et 12,50 $), avec une acquisition des droits sur trois ans.
B. Riley Financial (NASDAQ: RILY) hat die Ernennung von Scott Yessner zum neuen Chief Financial Officer bekannt gegeben, die am 3. Juni 2025 wirksam wird. Yessner, der in den letzten zwei Monaten als strategischer Berater tätig war, wird Phillip Ahn nachfolgen, der das Unternehmen für eine andere Gelegenheit verlässt.
Yessner bringt umfangreiche Erfahrung als CFO mit, darunter eine EBITDA-Verbesserung von 40 Millionen US-Dollar bei CEMCO und eine Steigerung des EBITDA um 45 Millionen US-Dollar bei der Universal Technical Institute, wo der Aktienkurs um 250 % gestiegen ist. Sein Vergütungspaket umfasst 100.000 beschränkte Aktien und 300.000 Aktienoptionen, die zu unterschiedlichen Preisen ($7, $10 und $12,50) ausgeübt werden können und über drei Jahre vesten.
- Yessner has proven track record of successful business transformations, including $40M EBITDA improvement at CEMCO and $45M at Universal Technical Institute
- New CFO brings public company experience and expertise in managing complex audits
- Two-month advisory period enables smooth leadership transition
- Structured compensation package aligns with shareholder interests through performance-based stock options
- Departure of long-term CFO Phillip Ahn after more than a decade of service
- Potential disruption in financial leadership during transition period
Insights
B. Riley's new CFO Yessner brings transformation expertise with proven record of substantial EBITDA improvements and shareholder value creation.
B. Riley Financial's appointment of Scott Yessner as CFO represents a strategic leadership shift with potential positive implications. Yessner's background is particularly noteworthy - he has a demonstrated track record of driving significant financial improvements at previous companies. At CEMCO, he helped improve
The timing of this transition appears deliberate, as Yessner has already been working with B. Riley for two months as a strategic advisor, suggesting a thoughtful succession plan rather than an abrupt departure. The company specifically highlights his experience in "leading corporate transformations" - signaling that B. Riley may be positioning for strategic changes or operational improvements.
The compensation package structured for Yessner is particularly revealing. The equity awards include 100,000 restricted shares and options for 300,000 additional shares with tiered exercise prices (
The specific mention that Yessner will help "evolve our business" alongside his transformation expertise suggests B. Riley is likely planning significant operational or strategic changes. For a financial services firm that has been executing "strategic transactions" over the past year, bringing in a CFO with this specific skill set indicates the company may be preparing for a new phase of restructuring or growth initiatives.
Scott Yessner to Assume Chief Financial Officer Role, Succeeding Phillip Ahn
Mr. Yessner brings to B. Riley significant experience and a proven track record as the Chief Financial Officer of public and private companies, with a particular focus on leading corporate transformations. He previously served as CFO of California Expanded Metal Products Company (CEMCO), where he helped the company improve EBITDA by
Bryant Riley, Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of B. Riley Financial, commented: "We are excited to welcome Scott as our next CFO and believe B. Riley will benefit from his background as both a finance executive and operator. Scott brings substantial experience as a public company CFO, having led successful business transformations and managed complex audits. We are confident he has the right skillset for B. Riley as we evolve our business and deliver value for our clients and shareholders."
Mr. Yessner said, "B. Riley has tremendous talent and capital markets capabilities, successfully creating value for their clients and shareholders for decades. Working with the B. Riley team and Phil the past two months has been a great experience and should enable a seamless CFO transition. I'm very excited to join and partner with Bryant, Tom and the B. Riley leadership team to deliver great value and dynamic solutions to our valuable clients and drive shareholder value."
Mr. Riley added, "Phil has been an instrumental member of our executive team for more than a decade, and we thank him for his many contributions and dedication to B. Riley throughout his tenure, including the past year as we executed a number of strategic transactions. We are excited for what we expect to be a seamless transition from Phil to Scott, who has been serving as a strategic advisor over the past two months. We wish Phil much success in his future endeavors."
Tom Kelleher, Co-Chief Executive Officer of B. Riley Financial, commented: "On behalf of the entire B. Riley team, I want to thank Phil for his leadership and dedication to the Company. Phil has been an important member of our team, and we wish him the very best as he embarks on his next opportunity."
Mr. Ahn added, "I am proud to have been a part of the B. Riley team for over a decade and am confident that the Company will continue to deliver upon its outlined strategic initiatives. I look forward to supporting Scott and the rest of the organization in this transition."
B. Riley will file a Form 8-K with the SEC outlining the employment agreement entered into with Mr. Yessner. Under the terms of the agreement and as further detailed in the filing, the Compensation Committee of the B. Riley Board of Directors has granted Mr. Yessner the following equity awards: restricted stock of 100,000 shares of common stock upon start date; and restricted stock options exercisable for a total of 300,000 shares of common stock, of which a third are exercisable at
About Scott Yessner
Mr. Yessner has held broad executive roles in financial services and diverse industrial companies with a track record of successful transformations. Mr. Yessner served as CFO with broad executive responsibilities for CEMCO, a building materials and steel company in
About B. Riley Financial
B. Riley Financial (BRF) is a diversified financial services company that delivers tailored solutions to meet the strategic, operational, and capital needs of its clients and partners. BRF leverages cross-platform expertise to provide clients with full service, collaborative solutions at every stage of the business life cycle. Through its subsidiaries and affiliated entities, BRF provides end-to-end financial services across investment banking, institutional brokerage, private wealth and investment management, financial consulting, corporate restructuring, operations management, risk and compliance, due diligence, forensic accounting, litigation support, appraisal and valuation, auction, and liquidation services. BRF opportunistically invests to benefit its shareholders, and certain affiliates originate and underwrite senior secured loans for asset-rich companies. BRF refers to B. Riley Financial, Inc. and/or one or more of its subsidiaries or affiliates. For more information, please visit www.brileyfin.com.
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SOURCE B. Riley Financial
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