Avalara names financial services expert David E. Rostov as CFO

Avalara announced on Tuesday that David E. Rostov has is joining the company as Chief Financial Officer. Rostov is a seasoned veteran in the technology industry, having held c-level positions at Lighthouse eDiscovery, Infospace, Apex Learning, Drugstore.com, and others. In addition to his proven financial leadership, Rostov brings international experience and extensive skills in all aspects of business including online technology, mergers and acquisitions, operations, and sales and marketing.

Avalara is a provider of sales tax and compliance automation services in the cloud, supporting businesses across the United States and in 85 countries in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific Rim. It serves tens of thousands of registered users globally and calculates VAT, sales and use taxes on one billion transactions annually. The company employs more than 400 professionals at its headquarters on Bainbridge Island, WA and offices in Seattle WA; Irvine, San Diego and Rocklin, CA; Falls Church, VA; Raleigh, NC; Harrisburg, PA; and Pune, India.

Avalara’s hiring of Rostov extends the company’s leadership position in the compliance industry. “We’re building a compliance cloud platform that combines the best available content with our industry-leading technology, allowing us to deliver a broad range of compliance solutions to businesses of all sizes,” said Avalara Founder and CEO Scott McFarlane. “David’s extensive business experience will go a long way as we continue to shape the company and set a new standard for compliance automation.”

Most recently, Rostov was managing partner and CEO of Lighthouse eDiscovery, where he led the company’s efforts to evolve its business, winning many Fortune 500 clients in the process. Prior to that he was CFO at Infospace, where he was part of a small management team that successfully restructured the company. Rostov has also served as acting COO and CFO of Apex Learning, a leading online high school education company.

“I’m excited to join a company with such a dynamic history, and one that has enjoyed such rapid growth since its founding,” said Rostov. “The market opportunity for Avalara’s sales tax and compliance automation services is enormous; I look forward to playing an active role in the company’s evolution.”

Avalara pioneered the service-based platform for sales tax automation and now offers the fastest, easiest, most accurate and affordable way to manage indirect taxes and other compliance related challenges. Its recent launch of an automated consumer use tax solution, and its acquisition of a leading provider of cloud-hosted sales tax exemption certificate management solutions are just two examples of the company’s drive to become the undisputed leader in every market it serves.

Additionally, Avalara’s recent purchase of the world’s largest product taxability database, as well as tens of thousands of fully researched and maintained product tax codes, illustrates Avalara’s commitment to be the industry leader in sales tax content.

The company was founded in 2004, offering a service-based platform for sales tax and compliance automation and has been recognized for years as one of America’s fastest growing technology firms. The company’s cloud solutions help thousands of customers stay focused on their core businesses by providing automated end to end compliance services including sales and use tax calculation, exemption certificate management, filing and remittance, and a broad array of related services.

Avalara built its technology platform and extensive user base using internal expertise and the strategic acquisition of industry leading organizations, technologies, and personnel. Operating behind the scenes via seamless integration with virtually any business management system, Avalara delivers fast, easy, accurate, and affordable solutions for companies of any size.