Alexander Shirai

Community and FinOps Professional

Professional Overview

Alexander Shirai is a seasoned community and FinOps professional with a demonstrated history of driving impactful initiatives across the technology industry. He currently serves as a Community lead at the FinOps Foundation, where he collaborates closely with cloud and finance stakeholders to advance the adoption and best practices of FinOps principles. Concurrently, he holds a FinOps role at Navy Federal Credit Union, leveraging his expertise to optimize cloud resource utilization and cost management.

Experience Summary

Current Roles

Community, FinOps Foundation (2024-09-01 to Present)

• Spearheads the growth and engagement of the FinOps Foundation's global community, fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing among cloud and finance professionals

• Develops and curates educational content, training programs, and community events to drive the advancement of FinOps disciplines

• Serves as a subject matter expert, advising organizations on the implementation and optimization of FinOps practices

FinOps, Navy Federal Credit Union (2024-09-01 to Present)

• Leads the FinOps function, ensuring effective cloud cost management and resource optimization for the organization

• Implements data-driven strategies to enhance cloud spend visibility, cost allocation, and predictive analytics

• Collaborates cross-functionally with engineering, finance, and procurement teams to drive cloud financial governance

Career Progression

FinOps, Vantage (2024-01-01 to 2024-08-01)

• Spearheaded the FinOps program, establishing cloud cost optimization processes and driving cultural change

• Delivered over 20% in cloud cost savings through strategic resource allocation and procurement initiatives

Cloud Sales, Cloudflare (2022-02-01 to 2023-06-01)

• Exceeded quarterly sales targets by 15% through consultative selling and deep understanding of cloud infrastructure and security solutions

• Collaborated closely with cross-functional teams to deliver tailored solutions that addressed customer's cloud transformation needs

Account Management, KeyLogic (2021-06-01 to 2022-02-01)

• Managed a portfolio of enterprise clients, ensuring exceptional customer experience and driving revenue growth

• Leveraged data analytics to identify optimization opportunities and implemented process improvements, resulting in a 12% increase in client retention

Academic Background

Alexander holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from the University of Washington, where he graduated with Honors.

Areas of Expertise

• FinOps and cloud cost optimization

• Community development and engagement

• Cloud infrastructure and security solutions

• Account management and customer relationship building

• Data-driven decision making and process improvement

Professional Impact

• Established the FinOps function at Vantage, delivering over 20% in cloud cost savings

• Contributed to the growth and advancement of the FinOps Foundation's global community

• Recognized as a subject matter expert in cloud financial management and optimization

Conclusion

With a proven track record of driving impactful initiatives and a deep understanding of the evolving cloud and finance landscape, Alexander Shirai is poised to continue making significant contributions to the FinOps community and the broader technology industry.