Overview
Barbara Shrut is an independent board member, qualified financial expert, and business strategist with the vision to deliver results. She is recognized for leading board governance and strategic planning, with service on executive, audit, finance, cybersecurity & technology, and compensation committees. Ms. Shrut’s public company perspective, strong business and financial judgment, independent voice, and collaborative approach are hallmarks of her career.
Ms. Shrut is President of SLB Advisors and provides guidance to clients on strategy, finance, revenue enhancements, and brand management. Investment firms seek her counsel on opportunities to invest in companies to achieve organic growth or expansion through M&A.
In recognition of her professional expertise, Ms. Shrut has served in board leadership positions with high profile nonprofit organizations. She was Chair of the Board of Directors of Goodwill South Florida from 2020-2023, with annual revenue of $160M and 2,600 employees, providing a range of services including retail stores and apparel manufacturing. She spearheaded the restructuring of the Board by establishing a new committee framework to support Goodwill’s strategy while providing stronger oversight. Ms. Shrut continues on the Goodwill Board and on the executive, governance, compensation, cybersecurity & technology, and audit committees. Ms. Shrut is Chair of the Audit Committee of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation Board of Directors. Earlier she chaired the Audit Committee and the Community Investment Committee for United Way of Miami-Dade.
The majority of her finance career was with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL), as its revenue increased from $700M to $8B. She held numerous executive roles and served as the senior financial officer for Royal Caribbean International with $5B revenue. Ms. Shrut led international business including strategy, finance, technology, and marketing, driving international business growth from 30% to 50% of total RCL business. She directed the accounting and financial reporting for RCL’s initial public stock and debt offerings, and the company’s transition from a private to a public company. She led the integration (operational, financial and synergy capture) for RCL’s $1.3B acquisition of Celebrity Cruises, enabling Celebrity to operate more efficiently and become a profitable brand.
Previously, Ms. Shrut was Controller for Summit Communications and Assistant Controller for Cox Enterprises. Both of these companies doubled their size, through significant acquisitions, during her tenure. She began her career in public accounting with PwC.
Ms. Shrut holds a B.S. Accounting from the University of Virginia. She is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors, International Women’s Forum, The Venture Mentoring Team, and the Industry Advisory Board for Widener Global Leaders Program at Wichita State University.