Location: San Diego, California · Dallas, Texas · USA

Type: Strategic Growth · Executive Team Building · HQ Relocation · M&A Execution

The Company

Solera Holdings (NYSE: SLH) was a technology company founded by serial entrepreneur Tony Aquilla, generating $540M in revenue at the time Gonzalez joined. The company was still paying off its initial private equity backers and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Headquartered in San Diego with significant European operations based in Zurich, Solera operated across multiple international markets.

The 90-Day Onboarding

Gonzalez negotiated a 90-day onboarding period — no operating decisions, pure observation and learning. It lasted less than a week.

At the end of his first week, as the sun set over the Pacific Ocean from Tony Aquilla's San Diego office, the two men began what became Solera's entire 5-year strategic plan — targeting $1.0 billion in revenue through 50% organic growth and 50% acquisitions. The faster the acquisition targets were reached, the easier the organic growth would compound.

The CFO was not in the room. The following morning, Gonzalez had to deliver the plan to him. The CFO — a highly regarded banking executive, trusted by investors and analysts — was deeply skeptical. That skepticism irritated Aquilla.

The CFO Transition

Within the same week, Aquilla decided the CFO needed to be replaced to execute the strategy. The CFO held a rich contract — the cost of termination would be significant and the market reaction unpredictable. The chosen successor was the company Controller — a Swiss executive who had never held a CFO title and had no US operating experience.

Gonzalez brought in Hill & Knowlton — a global PR firm he had used at PepsiCo — to manage the communication strategy. Over a Labor Day weekend, they drafted a complete external stakeholder communication plan.

The result: instead of the typical stock decline that follows an unexpected CFO departure, Solera's stock rose 5%. Gonzalez earned instant credibility with Aquilla, General Counsel, and the new CFO — Renato Giger — whose relationship with Gonzalez became a cornerstone of the company's growth execution.

The HQ Relocation

California's tax environment became untenable — the state sent Aquilla a substantial excess tax bill based on his prior year compensation. The conversation about relocation became urgent.

Gonzalez scouted states with no income tax, visiting both Florida and Texas with Aquilla. They came close to Boca Raton, Florida — near Gonzalez's family and three hours closer to European operations. But Aquilla's children would not leave California, and Texas offered stronger incentives.

South Lake, Texas — just 12 minutes from DFW Airport — was selected. The city, county, and state provided significant investment incentives. Gonzalez designed the full relocation policy for the San Diego and Zurich teams, managed the build-out of the new office space, and at the Board's request, personally purchased a home in Las Colinas — 20 minutes from the office, 10 minutes from the airport.

Building the Executive Team

With the strategic plan locked and the HQ relocated, the next challenge was building a leadership team capable of executing aggressive growth.

Gonzalez and Aquilla created the Office of the CEO — a new organizational structure housing 7 high-potential executives. Each was developed through multiple on-the-job missions across the business. As Solera grew, these executives progressively took over large parts of the organization.

Eventually Aquilla divided operating responsibilities into two COO roles:

• CFO Renato Giger — took over US operations and select international markets
• Gonzalez — took over all Solera operations outside the United States

This dual COO structure freed Aquilla to focus entirely on managing investor relations and executing the aggressive M&A agenda at the heart of the 5-year plan.

The Outcome

Solera Holdings reached $1.0 billion in revenue by the end of 2014 — one full year ahead of the strategic plan co-authored in Aquilla's San Diego office on Gonzalez's first week on the job.

Aquilla subsequently executed a public-to-private transaction, taking Solera off the NYSE. He served as Chairman for approximately one year following the privatization.

Key Results

$540M → $1.0B revenue · One year ahead of plan · CFO replaced — stock rose 5% · HQ relocated San Diego → Dallas with full incentive package · Office of the CEO built with 7 high-potential executives · Dual COO structure enabling aggressive M&A · Company successfully taken private

Management Insight

The most valuable strategic plans are not built in boardrooms over months — they are built in direct conversation between a CEO and a trusted advisor who has no agenda other than the company's success. Speed of strategic alignment at the top creates a compounding advantage at every level below. When the CEO and CHRO operate as true partners — sharing accountability for both people and performance — organizations move faster, decide better, and execute with far less friction.