balance SHEET.

Ken Goldman is a pioneer of sorts who, at an early age, hitched his wagon to the budding technology industry. He moved west to partake in building -- along with other budding technology CFOs -- California's "Silicon Valley." For him, the Valley combined the global center of high technology, a great work ethic risk-taking culture and great weather for recreation. He's grown up in a maturing industry that he and many of his generation have helped shape. Following his father's footsteps and strength in math and science, he earned a degree in electrical engineering and then an MBA with a focus in finance. As CFO of multi-billion-dollar Siebel Systems, his sights are on helping management "get to the next level -- to reach $10 billion in revenues within the next two-three years."

Title: Senior Vice President and CFO

Company/Industry: Siebel Systems, Inc., an application software company in San Mateo, Calif.

Born: Washington, D.C., on June 20, 1949

Spouse: Susan

Children: Matilda (Mattie), 12; Michael, 10; Nick, 7

Education: BSEE, Cornell University; MBA, Harvard University

Career History: 1974-1977, financial analyst, then division controller for Fairchild Semiconductor, a progenitor of the semiconductor industry. Left with several others from the financial team, many of whom became other Valley financial chiefs; 1977-1981, controller, audio division and corporate budget manager at Memorex; 1981-1989, CFO and founder of VLSI Technology; 1989-1992, CFO of Cypress Semiconductor; 1992-1996, CFO of Sybase Systems; 1996-2000, CFO of Excite @Home; August 2000 to present, Siebel Systems.

FEI Chapter: SiliconValley, Calif.

Leisure Pursuits: "Windsurfing, skiing, taking up golf (currently a novice/beginner), reading and vacationing with my family."

Time Management Tip: "Keep a clean desk and make your job appear easy and simple."

Stress Management Advice: "I'm a big supporter of lots of exercise, both cardio and weights. Also I do a fair amount of reading; I find reading to be relaxing. Although I tend to read business-related material, it's primarily a passive exercise, taking in information and thinking about it, rather than taking action or making decisions."

Best/Worst Jobs: "By a long shot, my current job is my best job. We are a very disciplined and focused company and a leader in our space. We take customer satisfaction very seriously and have strong corporate management. Employees rate the company as a great place to work, and I'm pleased to play an integral role helping to manage it."

Favorite Deal: "Starting up VLSI -- creating a real company from a business plan was a fantastic opportunity -- and then virtually doing the same thing initially with @Home, which became Excite@Home, as we helped create broadband Internet and were early in the gestation of the Internet industry. VLSI was my first chance to be a CFO. I was relatively young when I began -- age 31 -- and enjoyed the industry, the family-oriented culture and the passion about the products and the people. We grew from nothing to become a billion-dollar company. Some say that many companies started in the recent past had one simple goal: to be a BPGP ("Business Plan Go Public"). In contrast, I was fortunate to help start and build two companies based on creating real fundamental businesses, products and investor value."

Other comments: "Becoming a CFO at a young age allowed me to expand my horizons and career objectives relatively early. I was an impact player working with a great group of passionate people. I have a competitive zeal and intensity to win. I aim to remain at the top of my game and continue to be motivated to be the best in my position. Although many colleagues have retired or transitioned to less stressful roles, I still enjoy the competitive challenge. But I like to remember life is similar to a three-legged stool, with each leg important for stability: work, family, exercise. However, it's tough to find adequate time to spend with family and other pursuits."