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Sergio Maiworm, who was born and raised in Brazil, had no idea in college he’d wind up as a chief financial officer of a public company. He was too busy hating every minute of the computer engineering degree he initially started working through. But he was granted a six-month reprieve from school when his father requested his help. To stay compliant with Brazilian law, the small business Maiworm’s father started would need to provide a digital receipt of its records, and his dad didn’t know how to use a computer.
“After working through that process with my dad, I realized how interested I was in business administration, especially in finance and accounting,” Maiworm remembers. “When I went back to school, I changed my major as soon as possible.”
Maiworm went from dreading every day of his education to being asked to be the commencement speaker of his graduating class. The first in his family to graduate from college, Maiworm kick-started his finance career at organizations including Deloitte, Transocean, Shell, and Deutsche Bank. He developed a diverse set of international and domestic experiences in public accounting, corporate finance, and investment banking prior to coming to Talos Energy in 2018.
The future CFO was eager to join Talos because the company was planning to go public. Talos invited Maiworm to join the senior management team and run the entire corporate finance function. He became CFO last year.
Talos, founded in 2012, was initially a small company funded by private equity. When the company went public in 2018, it grew by 50 percent overnight. It’s doubled again since. While Maiworm says the infrastructure hasn’t necessarily needed to change, the size and scope of operations certainly have.
“We’ve rapidly grown in both scale and scope of operations, and we have outstanding people across our finance, accounting, and IT organizations. Our current internal focus is on maturing our processes and systems to not only maximize our efficiency today, but to provide the platform for even more growth in the future.”
Maiworm knows that ongoing evolution is on the horizon. Talos has a reputation for acquisitions and mergers and that of a consolidator in their space. There is a wide array of opportunities to double or potentially even triple the size of the business in the near future. The primarily domestic company is setting its eyes on the rest of the world and, with it, the myriad of financial and technological complexities therein.
“Completing the task of the day is always important, but developing the team, instituting the right processes, and fostering a successful organization has an exponential impact on the results you can generate as a leader.”
Sergio Maiworm
That means a likely ERP implementation and new data management possibilities. Maiworm and his teams have launched an internal review and scoping mission to examine what solutions make the most sense for a business that is sure to continue to grow at a very quick pace.
The CFO is putting a lot of pressure on himself to deliver.
“I want to build an organization that can flourish even while it’s expanding,” Maiworm says. “But as part of the leadership team, I also feel responsible for driving that growth. If my teams don’t have the opportunity to be tested by Talos continuing to expand, we’re already failing. Fortunately, I have great faith in the rest of this organization that we’ll be able to take on that challenge. That’s why we’re creating systems and processes in the right way—to grow with Talos.”
For those future CFOs, Maiworm says he had the benefit of mentors who had no problems having Maiworm check his overeagerness. Early on in his career, the CFO says he may not have been as quick to pick up on the fact that maybe he was speaking out of turn or too eager to make himself known.
“I was fortunate and blessed to have people alert me to these things,” Maiworm says. “I had great leaders who weren’t afraid to put me in my place when it needed to happen. That development ultimately helped me find my best leadership and communication style.”
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Maiworm got used to executing projects and initiatives himself. He says that learning to let others flourish and grow is a skill he’s worked hard to hone, and a lesson he continues to learn over and over again. At some point in one’s leadership journey, allowing others to take on roles and supporting them through the process is a much larger part of one’s day-to-day than taking on those jobs oneself.
“That honestly took a while for me to get my head around,” Maiworm says. “To this day, it’s something I have to check in with myself about periodically. Completing the task of the day is always important, but developing the team, instituting the right processes, and fostering a successful organization has an exponential impact on the results you can generate as a leader.”
Fortunately, Maiworm has always been welcoming of collaboration and bringing people into the conversation. The CFO understands the value that others with different areas of expertise and experience can bring to a decision-making table. Even at the highest levels, Maiworm says that if he makes his case and leadership decides to go in a different direction, he can quickly shift into doing what he believes needs to be done to make that different vision possible.
“Our environment is very collaborative, and everyone on the team is passionate about our success, despite approaching problems in different ways. Ultimately, in making key decisions, I have the opportunity to make my case, and both me and my team have a voice in the decision-making process,” Maiworm says. “That goes a long way. From that point, whatever path we choose, we’re all working toward the same goal.”
And for those who might be considering moving to the US to pursue their own American dream? It’s not going to be easy, but Maiworm says it can be done.
“Work your ass off,” the CFO says. “Be a problem solver. Be the one others can rely on. And try to connect with people on a personal level. That grit, resilience, and comradery will pay off. There will be challenges. Don’t be too prideful and learn from your mistakes. This is a country where you can make your dream happen and you can carve the path of your choosing. You can do it.”
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McGriff is proud to be a contributor to this edition of Hispanic Executive magazine in support of long-time client and friend Sergio Maiworm at Talos Energy. Our Houston-based Energy Division has provided the entire corporate insurance program for Talos since the public company was founded in 2012. We’ve grown with Talos to become the largest provider of insurance and risk management solutions in the Gulf of Mexico. With in-house experts in loss control, risk transfer, construction, risk financing and claims management, we have deep knowledge of the complex risks faced by offshore oil and gas companies. Never settle for less.
Mizuho Americas, the fastest growing region within one of the largest global financial institutions, is a leading provider of corporate and investment banking, capital markets, equity and fixed income sales & trading, derivatives, FX, custody, and research to corporate, private equity, and institutional clients. Through its acquisition of Greenhill, Mizuho provides M&A, restructuring, and private capital advisory capabilities. Mizuho congratulates our valued client Sergio Maiworm, CFO of Talos Energy, for his outstanding leadership and business acumen. Mizuho x Greenhill is proud to be a long-standing, trusted advisor and provider of capital supporting Talos in achieving its strategic goals.
Weaver is a national accounting and advisory firm that is built on an unwavering commitment to its clients’ success, acting with integrity and striving to transcend expectations. The firm has an established industry presence in energy, financial services, manufacturing and distribution, construction, technology, real estate, health care and government. Going beyond traditional assurance and tax, its services also include risk advisory, IT advisory, energy compliance and consulting, forensics and litigation, transaction advisory, valuation and specialty tax services such as international, state & local and personal tax. Weaver is proud to support Sergio Maiworm and Talos Energy. Learn more at weaver.com.
