Charles Atwood.

• Author: Heffes, Ellen M.
• Position: BalanceSheet - Persons profile

Chuck Atwood says he never envisioned himself working with a casino company. Indeed, when he was in college, there was no way to prepare for such a job; it wasn't yet legal for casinos to be owned by corporations. Having grown into his CFO role by virtually doing all the other finance jobs, he says he truly enjoys the interesting and smart people he works with, and values the learning that goes along with the job.

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Goes By: Chuck

Title: Senior Vice President and CFO

Company: Harrah's Entertainment Inc.

Born: Pascagoula, Miss., Dec. 29, 1948

Marital Status: Single

Education Summary: University of Southern Mississippi, BSBA, 1970; CPA 1971; Tulane University, MBA, 1973

Career Summary: Arthur Andersen, New Orleans, La., 1970-71, Auditor and Tax Preparer; NEI Corp., New Orleans, La., 1973-78, began as Controller, then Assistant to the Chairman; Canal Place Venture, New Orleans, La., 1978-79, Financial Controller; Harrah's Entertainment Inc. (then Holiday Inns Corp.), Las Vegas, Nev., 1979-Present, Senior Financial Analyst, M & A, Investor Relations, Treasurer, Senior Vice President and CFO

FEI Chapter: Las Vegas

Leisure Pursuits: "Gourmet dining, reading and travel. I'm an adventurous eater, so I can't say I have a favorite food, but I enjoy nicely prepared fresh food. I cook occasionally, mostly for entertaining. A great part of living in Las Vegas is that some of the best restaurants in the world are here, all within walking distance of each other. I enjoy world travel--particularly to Italy, my favorite place."

Time Management: "Delegate: Surround yourself with smart people and give them the responsibility and the authority to act."

Stress Management: "Do the job and move on--don't worry about it."

Favorite Book: Conservative Investors Sleep Well by Philip Fisher

I would like to spend 1 hour with: Franklin Roosevelt, because of his leadership skills. He was such a dynamic leader, and able to lead the country from a situation where there was despair to a point where there was victory in the war."

If you could change something, what would it be? "There would be a better understanding of the consequences of financial success/failure on society in general. Financially successful companies make the economy grow bigger and more robust, and create opportunities. They hire people, develop more products, etc. I don't think it's so widely recognized or appreciated, especially lately, with lots of media attention about those 'big...