Jeffrey Westphal

Biography

After 30 years in the corporate tax software business, I have formed MeaningSphere, Inc., a platform and collection of tools and services designed to help anyone who wants to create greater meaning in their work life.

With the help of a remarkable array of mentors, coaches and authors over the breadth of my career, I came to see the larger meaning of tax software and of business itself. And, thanks to my courageous colleagues at Vertex, I was able to lead with a deep commitment to our shared value of respect, guiding us toward a collaborative approach in all aspects of the business, from governance to customer engagement.

For the past 26 years, I have seen business through the lens of meaning and interconnectedness, with all work ultimately devoted to the sustenance and advancement of humankind. We all work to ‘make a living’ while also contributing something, no matter how small or mundane (like tax software) to the betterment of the human condition.

If we take all of our efforts and join them together, what emerges is a sphere of meaning. I call that sphere of meaning, MeaningSphere and soon it will become a vehicle for anyone to create a career that truly matters and in so doing create a world inspired by the meaning of life.