Blog

Here are some books that have really stuck with me.


https://images.ctfassets.net/qlwtkx2vwca3/a8IUUyzpEHtLqLuMfFl1l/95228ea2a92db7d3a1f18a437211e3cf/IMG_5821.jpeg

Here are some books that have really stuck with me

Favorite books


Hiking in Tahoe is fun.  

The photo below is above Frog Lake, near Castle Pass, which is just north of I-80 at Donner Pass.


https://images.ctfassets.net/qlwtkx2vwca3/D1PIPWYywLITjuyrprB4L/dcc0cce6008f3f0a6910f5472e0f0253/Hiking_2020.jpg

Family in Tahoe

My family atop a ridge near Lake Tahoe

Carla has a drive to understand companies and how the inner workings of them propel the business. These qualities have led her to deep understanding of markets, people and outcomes. Her bedrock of knowledge is based on her nearly 20 years as a financial analyst at the Prudential Investment Corporation and Robert W. Baird & Co., where she covered technology stocks and her opinion was sought after and published in Barron’s and The Wall Street Journal. 

After building this base of knowledge, she took her perspective inside a company where she had two transformative experiences, joining quickly growing companies that went public and were later acquired in strategic transactions: Responsys, IPO 2011, and acquired by Oracle in 2014 for $1.6 billion; and Mulesoft, IPO 2017, and acquired by Salesforce in 2018 for $6.5 billion. At both of these companies she built and led the financial planning and investor relations.  After the acquisitions, she was on the leadership teams for a smooth integration into the larger organizations. She joined Contentful as CFO in March 2021.

She earned an MBA in finance and marketing from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and an AB in public and international relations from Princeton University. 

She is on the advisory board of Gappify, a provider of SaaS tools for corporate accountants, and served as trustee and chair of finance and audit committees of Live Oak School (her alma mater) from 2014 to 2021.  She served on the vestry and currently services on the finance committee at St. James Episcopal Church.

She is an avid runner and has completed six marathons and countless triathlons.  She and her husband, an architect, live in San Francisco and have a son who is attending college out of state and a daughter in high school in San Francisco.


This is a website about my work and me, built using Contentful

About Me

We are thrilled to announce that Carla Cooper has joined Contentful as our new Chief Financial Officer. To celebrate, we sat down to get to know her better, and how her experiences in the investment world and running finance for software companies has led her to bet on Contentful.

Make decisions from an investor’s perspective — and learn from your experiences   
We’re so happy that you’ve joined Contentful. Could you introduce yourself and share a bit about your career journey? 
I have a long history in the technology space — from multiple different vantage points. I spent nearly 20 years analyzing tech companies for investment firms, and then moved into the tech industry itself. I’ve driven financial decisions for multiple technology companies that were somewhere along the journey to going public, including guiding software company Responsys through its IPO in 2011 and sale to Oracle, and I led planning and investor relations for MuleSoft before its 2017 IPO and for the four quarters it was public. I joined the MuleSoft executive leadership team when Salesforce acquired it (March 2018) and ultimately became vice president of finance and strategy for Salesforce.

When I moved from a professional services firm to working for a software company, I got to be on the other side, and now I play a role in actually building the business — which I love. I am grateful for my earlier experience in investments, because it gave me the perspective of an investor and the ability to evaluate companies and opportunities. But I really like being inside a company, being part of the team and helping it grow and change.

How does your background in the investment world shape your role as a CFO?
I view all big decisions through the lens of an investor. Even though I’m not managing portfolios anymore, I still use many of the same factors to evaluate my choices. That means I look at everything from a perspective of risk vs. reward. Everything we do brings some level of each. 

In finance, in business and even in life, ask yourself, “Do I understand the risk and the reward of making this decision?” In the investment world, the reward is usually a stock going higher, while the risk is the price falling. But many decisions have elements of risk and return. 

When you’re inside a company, you can actually do a lot to change the equation of risk vs. reward. You can experiment, and then double down when something works really well. That’s a perfect way to preserve or even amplify the reward while minimizing the risk. If the experiment doesn’t work, you learn and adapt. 

What advice do you have for someone early in their career?
Learn all you can. One of Contentful’s company values is “having a growth mindset.” I love that. It speaks to the importance of showing up, listening and asking questions. When you put yourself in a variety of situations — including some that may be more risky — you are going to learn a lot.

There’s a lot of value in having varied experiences. This is particularly true in finance, but it applies to other fields as well. You’re that much more valuable to a potential employer when you’ve seen things from several angles, because you can bring those to the table and help solve problems.

My dad always said, “Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement.” And your experience, hopefully, nets out to wisdom. Another way I like to put it is “Experience is the best education — but the price is very high!” 

It’s also important to choose wisely where you work. When you join a company, you’re making a bet on the future of that company; its value will impact your own future value, as it were. The biggest investment you can make is that of your own time, so assess your options carefully. Go where you want to grow, and where you think has the most potential.

Leadership and teamwork in the digital-first era 
Why did you decide to go “all in” on Contentful?
Contentful is a high-growth SaaS business on an exciting path. I saw the potential the company had to change an entire market, and the impact I could have here. 

The people also showed me that Contentful was the right decision. I noticed how capable the people are and, more than that, how humble and supportive of one another they are. 

I also noticed that it’s a very different kind of company. 

Even before 2020, Contentful empowered teams to work remotely. With hubs across the globe instead of a single headquarters, people work asynchronously across time zones — but all as one team. I think this is the future of working. Because Contentful has been working this way for a while now, it’s well-positioned for the post-Covid world. 

Going to work with people I’ve actually never met in person might have seemed odd to me at one time, but I wasn’t nervous at all. This is a testament to not only the fact that “digital-first” has become the new norm for how business gets done, but how smoothly we all work together at Contentful, whether remotely or in person. 

What excites you most about the future of Contentful?
So much excites me about the future at Contentful! This year will be a time of growth and change for us — and for digital companies in general. Companies across every industry are moving more of their experiences into the digital world, which means there will be a wealth of opportunities for Contentful to help them meet their customers’ needs and exceed expectations. The potential for growth is really limitless.

Right now, I think we need to to think, act and behave like a public company. I’m glad I can bring my experience to the table as we become more publicly capable. 

This stage of the company is exhilarating. Contentful is driving the evolution of digital experiences with a modern approach to solving ubiquitous problems, developed with a strong base of dynamic customers. It just keeps increasing its momentum. This means there are so many opportunities for us as we grow — I’m really excited to be a part of that. 

Great to be CFO at Contentful!

Here's my interview with Steve Sloan about joining Contentful!

I am the CFO of Contentful and I'm building this website with Contentful.  


Hi, I'm Carla Cooper

I am learning how to use Contentful by building this website using Github, Stackbit, Netlify and, of course, Contentful!


About

Home

**This is a paragraph**. Pellentesque habitant morbi *tristique senectus et netus et malesuada* fames ac turpis egestas. Vestibulum [tortor quam](https://www.google.com), feugiat vitae, ultricies eget, tempor sit amet, ante. Donec eu libero sit amet quam egestas semper. Aenean ultricies mi vitae est. Mauris placerat eleifend leo. Quisque sit <mark>amet est et sapien ullamcorper</mark> pharetra. Vestibulum erat wisi, condimentum sed, commodo vitae, ornare sit amet, wisi.

# This is an H1

Quisque facilisis erat a dui. Nam malesuada ornare dolor. Cras gravida, this is marked text ornare, erat elit consectetuer erat, id egestas pede nibh eget odio. Proin tincidunt, velit vel porta elementum, magna diam molestie sapien, non aliquet massa pede eu diam. Aliquam iaculis. Fusce et ipsum et nulla tristique facilisis.

## This is an H2

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Morbi commodo, ipsum sed pharetra gravida, orci magna rhoncus neque, id pulvinar odio lorem non turpis. Nullam sit amet enim. Suspendisse id velit vitae ligula volutpat condimentum. Aliquam erat volutpat. Sed quis velit. Nulla facilisi. Nulla libero.

### This is an H3

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Morbi commodo, ipsum sed pharetra gravida, orci magna rhoncus neque, id pulvinar odio lorem non turpis. Nullam sit amet enim. Suspendisse id velit vitae ligula volutpat condimentum. Aliquam erat volutpat. Sed quis velit. Nulla facilisi. Nulla libero.

#### This is an H4

Quisque facilisis erat a dui. Nam malesuada ornare dolor. Cras gravida, diam sit amet rhoncus ornare, erat elit consectetuer erat, id egestas pede nibh eget odio. Proin tincidunt, velit vel porta elementum, magna diam molestie sapien, non aliquet massa pede eu diam. Aliquam iaculis.

## Quoting

>Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Design is knowing which ones to keep. <cite>Scott Adams</cite>

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Morbi commodo, ipsum sed pharetra gravida, orci magna rhoncus neque, id pulvinar odio lorem non turpis. Nullam sit amet enim. Suspendisse id velit vitae ligula volutpat condimentum. Aliquam erat volutpat. Sed quis velit. Nulla facilisi. Nulla libero.

<hr />

## Unordered Lists

+ Donec non tortor in arcu mollis feugiat
+ Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit
+ Donec id eros eget quam aliquam gravida
+ Vivamus convallis urna id felis
+ Nulla porta tempus sapien

## Ordered Lists

1. Donec non tortor in arcu mollis feugiat
2. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit
3. Donec id eros eget quam aliquam gravida
4. Vivamus convallis urna id felis
5. Nulla porta tempus sapien

## Code Blocks

Blocks of code are either fenced by lines with three back-ticks, or are indented with four spaces.

```

body {
  color: #333;
  font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
  line-height: 1.5;
}
```

## Tables

<div class="responsive-table">
  <table>
    <caption>Simple table with caption and header</caption>
    <thead>
      <tr>
        <th>Column 1</th>
        <th>Column 2</th>
        <th>Column 3</th>
      </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
      <tr>
        <td>Row 1, Cell 1</td>
        <td>Row 1, Cell 2</td>
        <td>Row 1, Cell 3</td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>Row 2, Cell 1</td>
        <td>Row 2, Cell 2</td>
        <td>Row 2, Cell 3</td>
      </tr>
    </tbody>
  </table>
</div>

The style guide provides you with a blueprint of default post and page styles. The style guide is also a great reference for suggested typographic treatment and styles for your content.

Style Guide


Thank you for contacting me! I will get back in touch with you soon.

**Have a great day!**

Thank You!


We are thrilled to announce that Carla Cooper has joined Contentful as our new Chief Financial Officer. To celebrate, we sat down to get to know her better, and how her experiences in the investment world and running finance for software companies has led her to bet on Contentful.

Make decisions from an investor’s perspective — and learn from your experiences   
We’re so happy that you’ve joined Contentful. Could you introduce yourself and share a bit about your career journey? 
I have a long history in the technology space — from multiple different vantage points. I spent nearly 20 years analyzing tech companies for investment firms, and then moved into the tech industry itself. I’ve driven financial decisions for multiple technology companies that were somewhere along the journey to going public, including guiding software company Responsys through its IPO in 2011 and sale to Oracle, and I led planning and investor relations for MuleSoft before its 2017 IPO and for the four quarters it was public. I joined the MuleSoft executive leadership team when Salesforce acquired it (March 2018) and ultimately became vice president of finance and strategy for Salesforce.

When I moved from a professional services firm to working for a software company, I got to be on the other side, and now I play a role in actually building the business — which I love. I am grateful for my earlier experience in investments, because it gave me the perspective of an investor and the ability to evaluate companies and opportunities. But I really like being inside a company, being part of the team and helping it grow and change.

How does your background in the investment world shape your role as a CFO?
I view all big decisions through the lens of an investor. Even though I’m not managing portfolios anymore, I still use many of the same factors to evaluate my choices. That means I look at everything from a perspective of risk vs. reward. Everything we do brings some level of each. 

In finance, in business and even in life, ask yourself, “Do I understand the risk and the reward of making this decision?” In the investment world, the reward is usually a stock going higher, while the risk is the price falling. But many decisions have elements of risk and return. 

When you’re inside a company, you can actually do a lot to change the equation of risk vs. reward. You can experiment, and then double down when something works really well. That’s a perfect way to preserve or even amplify the reward while minimizing the risk. If the experiment doesn’t work, you learn and adapt. 

What advice do you have for someone early in their career?
Learn all you can. One of Contentful’s company values is “having a growth mindset.” I love that. It speaks to the importance of showing up, listening and asking questions. When you put yourself in a variety of situations — including some that may be more risky — you are going to learn a lot.

There’s a lot of value in having varied experiences. This is particularly true in finance, but it applies to other fields as well. You’re that much more valuable to a potential employer when you’ve seen things from several angles, because you can bring those to the table and help solve problems.

My dad always said, “Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement.” And your experience, hopefully, nets out to wisdom. Another way I like to put it is “Experience is the best education — but the price is very high!” 

It’s also important to choose wisely where you work. When you join a company, you’re making a bet on the future of that company; its value will impact your own future value, as it were. The biggest investment you can make is that of your own time, so assess your options carefully. Go where you want to grow, and where you think has the most potential.

Leadership and teamwork in the digital-first era 
Why did you decide to go “all in” on Contentful?
Contentful is a high-growth SaaS business on an exciting path. I saw the potential the company had to change an entire market, and the impact I could have here. 

The people also showed me that Contentful was the right decision. I noticed how capable the people are and, more than that, how humble and supportive of one another they are. 

I also noticed that it’s a very different kind of company. 

Even before 2020, Contentful empowered teams to work remotely. With hubs across the globe instead of a single headquarters, people work asynchronously across time zones — but all as one team. I think this is the future of working. Because Contentful has been working this way for a while now, it’s well-positioned for the post-Covid world. 

Going to work with people I’ve actually never met in person might have seemed odd to me at one time, but I wasn’t nervous at all. This is a testament to not only the fact that “digital-first” has become the new norm for how business gets done, but how smoothly we all work together at Contentful, whether remotely or in person. 

What excites you most about the future of Contentful?
So much excites me about the future at Contentful! This year will be a time of growth and change for us — and for digital companies in general. Companies across every industry are moving more of their experiences into the digital world, which means there will be a wealth of opportunities for Contentful to help them meet their customers’ needs and exceed expectations. The potential for growth is really limitless.

Right now, I think we need to to think, act and behave like a public company. I’m glad I can bring my experience to the table as we become more publicly capable. 

This stage of the company is exhilarating. Contentful is driving the evolution of digital experiences with a modern approach to solving ubiquitous problems, developed with a strong base of dynamic customers. It just keeps increasing its momentum. This means there are so many opportunities for us as we grow — I’m really excited to be a part of that. 

A Q&A with Steve Sloan and Carla Cooper

I am excited to join Contentful as CFO!


Photo by [Galen Crout.](https://unsplash.com/photos/fItRJ7AHak8)

Vis accumsan feugiat adipiscing nisl amet adipiscing accumsan blandit accumsan sapien blandit ac amet faucibus aliquet placerat commodo. Interdum ante aliquet commodo accumsan vis phasellus adipiscing. Ornare a in lacinia. Vestibulum accumsan ac metus massa tempor. Accumsan in lacinia ornare massa amet. Ac interdum ac non praesent. Cubilia lacinia interdum massa faucibus blandit nullam. Accumsan phasellus nunc integer. Accumsan euismod nunc adipiscing lacinia erat ut sit. Arcu amet. Id massa aliquet arcu accumsan lorem amet accumsan.

## Long Distance Hiking

Amet nibh adipiscing adipiscing. Commodo ante vis placerat interdum massa massa primis. Tempus condimentum tempus non ac varius cubilia adipiscing placerat lorem turpis at. Aliquet lorem porttitor interdum. Amet lacus. Aliquam lobortis faucibus blandit ac phasellus. In amet magna non interdum volutpat porttitor metus a ante ac neque. Nisi turpis. Commodo col. Interdum adipiscing mollis ut aliquam id ante adipiscing commodo integer arcu amet Ac interdum ac non praesent. Cubilia lacinia interdum massa faucibus blandit nullam. Accumsan phasellus nunc integer. Accumsan euismod nunc adipiscing lacinia erat ut sit. Arcu amet. Id massa aliquet arcu accumsan lorem amet accumsan commodo odio cubilia ac eu interdum placerat placerat arcu commodo lobortis adipiscing semper ornare pellentesque.

Amet nibh adipiscing adipiscing. Commodo ante vis placerat interdum massa massa primis. Tempus condimentum tempus non ac varius cubilia adipiscing placerat lorem turpis at. Aliquet lorem porttitor interdum. Amet lacus. Aliquam lobortis faucibus blandit ac phasellus. In amet magna non interdum volutpat porttitor metus a ante ac neque. Nisi turpis. Commodo col. Interdum adipiscing mollis ut aliquam id ante adipiscing commodo integer arcu amet blandit adipiscing arcu ante.


https://images.ctfassets.net/qlwtkx2vwca3/1pu0pWdgLdd5lQwQrA4QO2/3801fd1ee3583e299d5d3ad1e1045071/8.jpg

Chicago Marathon, 1993


Photo by [Anders Jildén](https://unsplash.com/photos/uO4Au3LrCtk)

**Iceland** Enim nec dui nunc mattis enim ut tellus elementum sagittis. *Felis bibendum ut tristique et egestas quis ipsum suspendisse*. Est pellentesque elit ullamcorper dignissim cras tincidunt lobortis. Orci ac auctor augue mauris. Ut pharetra sit amet aliquam id diam. Lectus arcu bibendum at varius vel pharetra. Id nibh tortor id aliquet lectus proin nibh. Duis ut diam quam nulla porttitor massa id neque aliquam. Feugiat nibh sed pulvinar proin gravida. Dolor purus non enim praesent elementum. Pharetra convallis posuere morbi leo urna molestie. Vulputate enim nulla aliquet porttitor lacus luctus accumsan tortor posuere.

> Iceland, I'm in love with that country, the people are incredible. - Kit Harington

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Consectetur adipiscing elit ut aliquam purus sit. Massa placerat duis ultricies lacus sed. Ullamcorper dignissim cras tincidunt lobortis feugiat vivamus at. Pulvinar neque laoreet suspendisse interdum consectetur libero. Lacus viverra vitae congue eu consequat ac felis donec et. Imperdiet dui accumsan sit amet nulla facilisi. Faucibus turpis in eu mi bibendum neque. Magna etiam tempor orci eu. Cursus turpis massa tincidunt dui ut ornare. A condimentum vitae sapien pellentesque habitant. Ut porttitor leo a diam sollicitudin tempor id eu.

Pulvinar pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et. Suspendisse faucibus interdum posuere lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Erat nam at lectus urna duis. Lacinia quis vel eros donec ac odio. Eget nulla facilisi etiam dignissim diam quis. Arcu dictum varius duis at consectetur lorem donec massa. Egestas tellus rutrum tellus pellentesque eu. Egestas erat imperdiet sed euismod nisi porta. Nec feugiat in fermentum posuere urna. Viverra ipsum nunc aliquet bibendum enim. Fermentum odio eu feugiat pretium. Vestibulum rhoncus est pellentesque elit. Elit ut aliquam purus sit amet luctus venenatis. Donec ac odio tempor orci dapibus ultrices in. Vitae justo eget magna fermentum. At tellus at urna condimentum mattis pellentesque id nibh tortor. Arcu dictum varius duis at consectetur lorem donec massa. Malesuada proin libero nunc consequat interdum varius sit amet. Dui accumsan sit amet nulla facilisi. Ut venenatis tellus in metus vulputate.


https://images.ctfassets.net/qlwtkx2vwca3/7hqh6rExrqOyBUVWp9eISq/8118d88545684dc490aaec6d1716f610/7.jpg

Joined Contentful in March 2021


**Surfing** is a surface water sport in which the wave rider, referred to as a surfer, rides on the forward or deep face of a moving wave, which is usually carrying the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable for surfing are primarily found in the ocean, but can also be found in lakes or in rivers in the form of a standing wave or tidal bore. However, surfers can also utilize artificial waves such as those from boat wakes and the waves created in artificial wave pools.

>"Your surfing can get better on every turn, on every wave you catch. Learn to read the ocean better. A big part of my success has been wave knowledge." - Kelly Slater

Synchronised surfing, Manly Beach, New South Wales, 1938–46 The term surfing refers to the act of riding a wave, regardless of whether the wave is ridden with a board or without a board, and regardless of the stance used. The native peoples of the Pacific, for instance, surfed waves on alaia, paipo, and other such craft, and did so on their belly and knees. The modern-day definition of surfing, however, most often refers to a surfer riding a wave standing up on a surfboard; this is also referred to as stand-up surfing.

<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/31830780" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<a href="https://vimeo.com/31830780">Hey Ho Let&#039;s Go Surfing</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/nathanoldfield">Nathan Oldfield</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.

Another prominent form of surfing is body boarding, when a surfer rides a wave on a bodyboard, either lying on their belly, drop knee, or sometimes even standing up on a body board. Other types of surfing include knee boarding, surf matting (riding inflatable mats), and using foils. Body surfing, where the wave is surfed without a board, using the surfer's own body to catch and ride the wave, is very common and is considered by some to be the purest form of surfing.

Three major subdivisions within standing-up surfing are long boarding and short boarding and these two have several major differences, including the board design and length, the riding style, and the kind of wave that is ridden.

In tow-in surfing (most often, but not exclusively, associated with big wave surfing), a motorized water vehicle, such as a personal watercraft, tows the surfer into the wave front, helping the surfer match a large wave's speed, which is generally a higher speed than a self-propelled surfer can produce. Surfing-related sports such as paddle boarding and sea kayaking do not require waves, and other derivative sports such as kite surfing and windsurfing rely primarily on wind for power, yet all of these platforms may also be used to ride waves. Recently with the use of V-drive boats, Wakesurfing, in which one surfs on the wake of a boat, has emerged. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized a 78 feet (23.8 m) wave ride by Garrett McNamara at Nazaré, Portugal as the largest wave ever surfed, although this remains an issue of much contention amongst many surfers, given the difficulty of measuring a constantly changing mound of water


https://images.ctfassets.net/qlwtkx2vwca3/bdOHUQsFf0Rch3Cu45cbR/eebb0745d05322f60bf41f5516c52cdd/4.jpg