Cédric Rittaud: Why I joined bunny.net – achieving remarkable efficiency together

Meet Cédric Rittaud, Vice President of Finance at bunny.net. With over 20 years of experience in the finance sector and a decade navigating the fast-moving world of startups, we followed Cédric's journey from aspiring football player (or soccer for you Americans) to finance leader, talked about his motivations for joining bunny.net, and learned about the unique challenges and opportunities of his current role.

In this interview, Cédric elaborates on his career change, the big differences between working at a massive company like Snyk and a growing startup like bunny.net, and how all his experiences have shaped his attitude towards leadership and financial strategy.

He also speaks about his passions, the importance of being able to maintain both work and private life, and what he sees in the future for bunny.net. The story of Cédric is one of resilience, adaptability, and an unsinkable drive to build and develop; hence, he becomes a valuable authority for the firm's ongoing success.

Q: Hi, Cédric, thank you for your time. It’s nice to have you here. Would you quickly introduce yourself and tell us how you got into finance? What do you like the most about it? How about your previous experience working in various startups?

– Hi! I would be lying if I said that working in Finance has always been my dream. My dream was to become a football player, but around 16 or 17 years old, it became obvious that I didn’t have all the prerequisites to become one. I was good with numbers, so I decided to study accounting. Fast-forward 20 years, and I have about 10 years of experience in startups, and here I am today, leading the finance department at bunny.net.

As in every organization in a company, there is often a huge spectrum of roles and responsibilities within a department, and I think this is what I like the most: being able to be involved in accounting, planning, and legal, working closely with the other heads of departments, and overall providing the business with key information to help make business decisions.

Q: Having spent over four years at Snyk, a leading name in internet security, transitioning from a Financial Controller to a Group Finance Director, what motivated your switch to bunny.net in January last year? What were the key factors that influenced your decision to move from a well-established company like Snyk to a smaller, emerging player like bunny.net?

– As Snyk was getting ready to become a public company, the core accounting and finance function had been shifted to the U.S., and eventually, so did my role. So, it was time for me to move on.

I am a builder, and as I got to know Dejan and bunny.net, it quickly became apparent that bunny.net needed someone to build their Finance department. Knowing what bunny.net had achieved with very little investment and such high efficiency was enough for me to decide.

Q: In comparing your role as VP of Finance at bunny.net with your previous position at Snyk, what are the most significant differences you've observed? How has the scope of your responsibilities shifted, and how have these changes impacted your approach to leadership and financial strategy?

– My role today at bunny.net is very similar to my role during my first 18 months at Snyk until the finance function became too big for one person to handle, and more muscles needed to be added to the team. The main shift here is that I report to the board of directors at bunny.net, while at Snyk, I was reporting to the CFO. I have also grown professionally.

Q: Reflecting on your experiences, how does working for a smaller company like bunny.net differ from working for a larger entity like Snyk in terms of culture, operations, and strategic decision-making?

– Ah, it differs a lot! When I left Snyk, we had 1.5k employees and operated like a public company. So, as you would imagine, there is a massive difference regarding the seniority of people and how the business operates. But sometimes bunny reminds me a little bit of Snyk in the beginning.

Q: You joined Snyk at the very beginning but in a lower position—now you’re doing it all over again at bunny.net, but this time as VP. What are some things that you saw at Snyk that you want to implement at bunny or do better than Snyk did?

– Though I joined both startups at an early stage, they are immensely different. At Snyk, things were moving a thousand miles an hour. The company was fundraising every six months, strategic acquisitions were also happening, and on average, 50 people joined Snyk every month. It was a very different type of beast. So the job itself was a lot different. However, there are still a few things that I have seen at Snyk that can benefit bunny.net.

So whenever I can, or it makes sense to do so, I reflect on how this was done at Snyk, as there is often no need to reinvent the wheel.

Q: What aspects of working at bunny.net do you enjoy the most? Can you share specific experiences or achievements that have been particularly rewarding for you in this role?

– What I cherish the most at bunny.net is having a seat at the table, sharing my opinions, and being involved in the decision-making. There is nothing specific that comes to mind, but often it doesn’t have to be a big thing. It’s about being able to ask, ’What do you think of this?’ or  ‘What’s your view on this?’ Just being able to share your perception or opinion makes you feel like you are part of the team.

Q: Given your reputation for hard work and dedication, how do you align your team's work ethic with your own? What expectations do you set for your team members, and how do you foster a culture of excellence and accountability?

– I am a strong believer that it doesn’t matter what you say; what matters is what you do and how you behave. I heavily rely on this with my team as I believe it sets the tone. I also try to hire driven individuals who want to make an impact, no matter what they do and where they work. Then, I give them the freedom to work their way, as long as they meet deadlines. It is important to trust your team members and empower them. Everyone wants to do well and be told they have done a good job. So with this in mind, I am rather laid-back and put a lot of trust in my team.

Q: What motivates you the most in your professional life? How do you maintain your drive and enthusiasm for your work, and how do you inspire your team to share your motivation?

– My drive comes from taking something in a certain shape and working hard to give it a much better shape. For me, this is something natural that I don’t need to force. I work on average about 12 hours a day and I often work on weekends, too. This means that half of my weekdays are dedicated to work. So it needs to count. I need to make it count; otherwise, I feel like I haven’t spent my time well.

I don’t expect my team members to work as much or to be as dedicated to work since we don’t all have the same motivations in life, but again by displaying such an attitude at work, I hope my team finds it inspiring. I also make sure that the team is aware and understands what we are working on and what the goal is, as it gives a lot more purpose to their work and can often also help them reflect on their impact.

Q: Balancing a demanding career with a personal life can be challenging. How do you manage to maintain this balance, and have you faced any particular struggles in doing so?

– This is an area where I still have a lot of room for progress and growth. I haven’t been very successful at establishing a healthy balance in the past. I think what helps me get through these struggles are my motivations (reminding myself why I am doing this), staying active every day, playing sports, and trying to stay healthy.

Q: bunny.net offers a variety of benefits to its employees. Which one do you value the most and why? How do these benefits contribute to your overall job satisfaction and engagement with the company?

– I personally don’t care, and I don’t choose a job for the benefits the company has to offer. I hardly use any of the benefits that bunny.net offers. However, I like joining companies that do offer great benefits because it makes a statement about how the company's employees are perceived and treated by its founder.

Q: At last November's team-building event in Barcelona, our CEO, Dejan, awarded you the 'Fitness Fanatic' Award. While the title is self-explanatory, could you share more about your passion for fitness and how it aligns with your professional life? Do you consider yourself as dedicated to fitness as Dejan suggests?

– I’m a firm believer that in order to perform well in your job, you need to have side hobbies. For me, it’s working out. It’s not something I particularly like doing, but it’s something I need to keep myself balanced. I especially like working out in the morning, so I get it out of the way. I usually wake up around 5 a.m. and start working out around 6 a.m. to be back in time for work. This helps me stay alert, full of energy for the day, and perform well in my daily work.

I’m also a foody, and all that exercise means I can also eat more.

Q: If you were to give yourself an award, what would it be and why? How does this recognition reflect your contributions to bunny.net or your personal achievements?

– This is a hard question to answer because if I were alone in the finance department, nothing would happen. Whatever we achieve is all thanks to the work that the team does on a daily basis. But if I were to really give an answer, I would probably go with “The Finance Foundation Builder.” Having been the first-ever finance person hired at bunny.net, I get to shape things from the ground up with the help of my team. This is very rewarding, especially if you manage to build something that gives significant insights into the business but also can evolve as the business is scaling.

Q: Having experienced the 'Bunny Awards,' do you have an award in mind that you would give to Dejan, our CEO? What would it symbolize in terms of his leadership and contribution to the company culture?

– The Efficiency Award. Getting bunny.net to where it is today with so little funding is a massive accomplishment. It is remarkable and could be a great story if Dejan were to consider writing a book on building a successful company with efficiency. 

He reads about 2 to 3 books a month, so this might already be in the making actually. Who knows?

Q: You are originally from France but currently reside in London. It's not often that one encounters someone as enthusiastic about their city as you are about London. What aspects of London do you enjoy the most?

– Ah, don’t get me started with London and the UK. I have been living in London for about 13 years now, and I consider London to be my home. I am also a big football fan. I love going to the stadium and watching games. London, like most capital cities, is buzzing. There is always something happening, somewhere to go, a place to visit, an event to attend, a park to chill in… I like the business of the city and the fact that London never sleeps. I like that I can almost eat any cuisine of the world whenever I want.

It also prevents me from doing crazy things like going to Italy for the weekend just because I was craving a real Neapolitan pizza.

Q: bunny.net’s headquarters are in Ljubljana, a city you've visited more than once. How did you find Slovenia?  And would you ever consider relocating there? How does the location impact your perception of the company and its culture?

– Indeed, I have visited Slovenia twice now, and next month will be my third time. I love coming to our office in Ljubljana mainly because we always feel so warmly welcomed every time we visit. You guys definitely know how to make guests feel at home, that’s for sure.

I am originally from the French Alps, from the valley down Chamonix where Mont Blanc is. I have seen very little of Slovenia, but from what I have seen, it reminds me a lot of where I come from—where I grew up. Regarding relocating there, despite the language barrier, maybe I would consider it once Slovenia has decent international direct flights.

Q: What are the top five items on your personal bucket list? These could be professional aspirations, travel destinations, personal milestones, or any other goals you're eager to achieve.

– Five items on my personal bucket list are:  

1. Helping bunny.net IPO.
2. Spending 6 months in South America across all the different countries there.
3. Visiting South Africa and going on a safari.
4. Visiting Japan.
5. Maybe a road trip through the US.

So, there is 1 professional aspiration, and then there is a lot to do with discovering the world and embracing different cultures.

Q: Looking ahead, where do you see bunny.net in the next five years, and how do you envision your role evolving within the company? What goals are you working towards to contribute to the company's long-term success?

– A shorter-term goal is for bunny.net to be qualified as a “Unicorn” by the end of 2025. My long-term goal is for bunny.net to reach the $100m revenue mark by 2028, which would put it in a position to IPO.

Being part of those two massive milestones would be a major accomplishment.