Shows / CFO THOUGHT LEADER
CFO THOUGHT LEADER
CFO THOUGHT LEADER is a podcast featuring firsthand accounts of finance leaders who are driving change within their organizations. We share the career journey of our spotlighted CFO guest: What do they struggle with? How do they persevere? What makes them successful CFOs? CFO THOUGHT LEADER is all about inspiring finance professionals to take a leadership leap. We know that by hearing about the successes — (and yes, also the failures) — of others, today’s CFOs can more confidently chart their…
Episodes
CFO THOUGHT LEADER951: Tomorrow’s Lessons Today | Frank Teruel, CFO, Arkose Labs
For a dozen years or more, Frank Teruel has been leading a double life professionally. When he stepped into the CFO slot at Arkose Labs last February, the…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER950: Championing the Customer Transformation | Mark McCaffrey, CFO, GoDaddy
When 21-year PwC veteran Mark McCaffrey decided that it was time to open his post-PwC career, he briefed the firm’s U.S leadership about his plans, diligently…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER949: Achieving a Learning Mind-Set | Davinder Athwal, CFO, Phenom
Phenom CFO Davinder Athwal tells us that he has a personal connection to his company’s mission. Near the beginning of our talk, he shares a touching story…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER948: Anticipating the Talent Headwinds | Christopher Crawley, CFO, Hofman Hospitality Group
This podcast episode features CFO Christopher Crawley of Hoffman Hospitality Group, discussing challenges related to managing labor in the restaurant industry…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER947: Finding Pathways to Innovation | Teresa Chia, CFO, Vertafore
The Three Phases of Teresa Chia’s Career: Teresa Chia’s journey to becoming a CFO is divided into three distinct phases. The first saw her honing her skills in…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER946: All of the Influence at Your Command | Natalie Laackman, CFO, Medspeed
For corporate finance executives, few professional experiences are as adeptly converted into social currency as those manifested inside the realm of mergers…
CFO THOUGHT LEADERHow Planning Aces Are Made - A Planning Aces Episode
This episode features insights and commentary from three finance leaders: CFO Michael Linford of Affirm, CFO Ana Chadwick of Pitney Bowse, and CFO Jason Leet…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER945: Achieving a Management Rapport | Doug Lindroth, CFO, Tealium
Doug Lindroth discusses the changing landscape of software company valuation, emphasizing the need for balanced growth, operational efficiency, free cash flow…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER944: Building Your Network | Ana M. Chadwick, CFO, Pitney Bowes
Ana Chadwick discusses her career journey and how her network of people from her early days on forward played a crucial role in her success. She highlights her…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER943: Finding The Path Forward | Donald McClure, CFO, Identity Digital
Back in 2017, Donald McClure had only recently been appointed vice president of FP&A at Brinks Home Security when the company’s CFO at the time decided that it…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER942: Building a Profitability Mindset | Sarah Spoja, CFO, Tipalti
It’s a question rooted in surprise headlines that has now become one of 2023’s favorite conversation starters for finance executives inside the tech realm…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER941: Mobilizing Your Team | Melissa Howatson, CFO, Vena
The corporate headquarters of Bend All Automotive may have been a mere 30-minute drive from KPMG’s offices in Waterloo, Ontario—but Melissa Howatson had to put…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER940: All the Moving Parts | Michael Linford, CFO, Affirm
For those executives residing inside the private equity and investment banking realm that aspire to someday occupy the CFO office, it’s not uncommon to seek…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER939: Creating a Narrative for Growth | Ralph Leung, CFO, Achieve
When Ralph Leung relocated to Hong Kong from Morgan Stanley’s New York offices, he was a newlywed eager to energize the financial world as one of the bank’s…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER938: The Art of the Possible | Jason Leet, CFO, Zylo
Of the different acquisitions with which Jason Leet became involved at ExactTarget of Indianapolis, Indiana, there’s little question that the seventh was the…
CFO THOUGHT LEADERHow Finance Leaders Are Adapting Their Teams - A Planning Aces Episode
Brett and Jack draw parallels between the challenges faced by our three featured Planning Aces as they seek to optimize the talent resources and processes in…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER937: Driving Decisions That Have Conviction | Neha Krishnamohan, CFO, Kinnate Biopharma
Roughly 20 years ago, Neha Krishnamohan arrived as a college freshman on Duke University’s Durham, N.C., campus, intent on pursuing a career that would someday…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER936: Where the Puck Is Headed | Michelle Hook, CFO, Portillo’s
It was late 2020 when Michelle Hook ended 17 years of fruitful career-building at Domino’s to accept a CFO appointment at fast casual restaurant chain…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER935: How People Became Finance's X-Factor | Derrek Gafford, CFO, TrueBlue
Not unlike that of many of his CFO peers, Derrek Gafford’s career path has been shaped in part by geography—specifically, by having its origins in a city that…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER934: You’ll Figure It Out | Svai Sanford, CFO, Rani Therapeutics
We are near the end of our discussion with CFO Svai Sanford when he permits us to unlock one last door to his past. Unbeknownst to us, 20 minutes earlier…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER933: When Transparency Drives Profits | Charly Kevers, CFO, Carta
When Charly Kevers took his mentor’s advice and swapped a corporate development role at Hewlett-Packard for a tour of duty as a director of HP’s investor…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER932: The Finance Leadership Paradox | Jeff Coulter, CFO, Cognite
Looking back, Jeff Coulter is not exactly certain how he landed a spot on a team tasked with designing and implementing the first-ever budgeting and reporting…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER931: Changing Swim Lanes | Jeff Laborde, CFO, JAGGAER
The year was 2015, but for Jeff Laborde, a seasoned finance leader kicking off his second C-suite tour of duty, it seemed as though the conference room that he…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER930: Where Leaders Are Made | Tony Boor, CFO, Blackbaud
While the leadership journeys of many of our CFO guests began on an upper floor of a glass-and-steel skyscraper affording a wide-angle view of a cosmopolitan…
CFO THOUGHT LEADERHoliday Replay: The People, the Mission & the Innovation | Evan Goldstein, CFO, Seismic
Evan Goldstein tells us that it was at the end of another long day—after a week of long days—as he was walking to the parking lot adjacent to Genentech’s…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER929: Counting the Journey's Rewards | Marco Torrente, CFO, WebBeds
Marco Torrente kicked off his finance career inside the Milan, Italy, offices of SC Johnson, the household cleaning products giant headquartered in Racine…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER928: Strategy Between the Slices | Steven Cirulis, CFO, Potbelly
Perhaps it would be fair to speculate that were it not for the changing dietary habits of Americans and surprise arrival of a global pandemic, Steven Cirulis…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER927: A Phone Call From One Who Mattered | Matt Gustke, CFO, WooCommerce
No matter how many phone calls Matt Gustke receives during the span of his finance career, none will likely be more memorable or important than one he received…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER926: Distinguishing “The What” From “The How” | Dallas Clement, CFO & President, Cox Enterprises
As listeners to our podcast well know, one of our favorite queries for finance executives who have had a lengthy tenure in one place is, “What kept you there?”…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER925: A.I. and the Hands of Time | Scott Bennion, CFO, Paystand
If Paystand CFO Scott Bennion were to break his three-decade-long finance career into different chapters, the software finance leader would likely agree that…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER924: Getting to "Yes" | Rob Goldenberg, CFO, 6sense
Of all of the career experiences that Robert Goldenberg has acquired on his way to the CFO office, you would think that his stint with a bankrupt landscaping…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER923: From Inside a Remote Address | Jim Caci, CFO, AvePoint
The big-city addresses that frequently prettify the office locations of esteemed accounting houses have continued to be a reliable draw for…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER922: The Lessons We Learn | Dev Ahuja, CFO, Novelis
Among the learnings that Dev Ahuja has gleaned from his three-decade-long, globe-hopping finance career, perhaps none has delivered a more enduring instruction…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER921: The Work Comes First | Niki Heim, CFO, LogicSource
It’s perhaps no secret that this podcast can be rather rigid when it comes to our policy for welcoming guests: Invitations are reserved for CFOs and CFOs…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER920: When Leadership Called | Erin Colgan, CFO, Sensei Bio
For many professionals, the period stretching roughly from March 2020 to December 2022 will forever be known simply as “COVID,” as in “I changed jobs during…
CFO THOUGHT LEADERImpact of Organization Design on FP&A | A Planning Aces Episode
This episode of Planning Aces features the FP&A insights and commentary of CFO Dev Ahuja of Novelis, CFO Alex Triplett of Appfire and CFO Rick Rosenthal of…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER919: Adopting a Broader View | Chris Kramer, CFO, Axonius
Among the different career highlights that Chris Kramer shares with us, perhaps none is as memorable as what might be called his “Indiana Jones moment.” Having…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER918: A Uniform Beginning | Ken Bowles, CFO, WilsonHCG
Back in 2001, the new finance recruits roaming the corridors of General Electric Company prodded themselves along as they confronted the everyday challenges of…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER917: Build Your Own Personal Balance Sheet | Joel Campbell, CFO, TreviPay
While the 2008 financial crash turned out to be a reliable source of career lessons for many of our finance leader guests, Joel Campbell may be the first CFO…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER916: Maximizing M&A Speed to Value | Michael Cox, CFO, IRIS Software Group
CFO Michael Cox says that it was near the end of 2022 when the IRIS Software Group began to realize that the guiding philosophy that had motivated and…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER915: Where Finance Always Comes First | David Parsons, CFO, Zuto
When David Parsons tells us that he remains concerned about the whereabouts of his 20-something-year-old self, we realize that our talk with Zuto’s CFO is…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER914: My Side of the Valley | Michael Bannon, CFO & President, Typeform
When OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, recently announced that it would be opening its first office outside the U.S., few who were roaming the tech corridors of…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER913: The Rewards of “Ruthless Transparency” | Jeff Noto, CFO, Zayo
When Jeff Noto is asked to reflect back on his 35 years with Verizon, he tells us that his earliest years with the company were spent scoring quick returns on…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER912: Designing Your Operating Profile | Sapna Kapur, CFO, Sensor Tower
Among global management consulting firms, Boston Consulting Group—long recognized as one of the world’s top three “strategy houses” (along with McKinsey and…
CFO THOUGHT LEADERStaying Small While Growing Big - A Planning Aces Episode
This episode our cohosts Brett Knowles and Jack Sweeney explore the insights and commentary from three finance leaders: CFO Michael Bannon of Typeform, CFO…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER911: Moving the Needle | Chuck Fisher, CFO, Turo
The meeting that Chuck Fisher brings to our attention began not unlike hundreds, if not thousands, of other meetings that he has sat in on during his 25-year…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER910: Getting in Close | Alex Triplett, CFO, Appfire
When Alex Triplett is asked to explain where and how he began acquiring his operations knowledge, he tells us that his ops focus began to sharpen as more and…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER909: Get It Done | Rex Jackson, CFO, ChargePoint
We often like to ask our CFO guests if they remember the first time that they presented to a board of directors. For many, this happened earlier than you might…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER908: Back to School | John Rex, Former CFO, Microsoft Corp. NA
As John Rex tells it, when he first arrived inside the finance function at Microsoft Corp. in 2007, one executive greeted him with “Hey, welcome to…
CFO THOUGHT LEADERON LOCATION: IMA 2023 with IMA CEO Mike DePrisco
Mike DePrisco is the new CEO of the IMA, taking over from Jeff Thompson who led the organization for nearly 15 years. The IMA recently celebrated its 100th…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER907: Leaning In to Operations | Rick Rosenthal, CFO, CLARA Analytics
Rick Rosenthal had been working as an investment analyst at Bear Stearns for some 3 years when the bank became a casualty of the subprime mortgage crisis. He…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER906: When Strategy and Profits Meet | Taryn Aronson, CFO, Tovala
Back in 2011, the buzz surrounding the launch of Redbox’s Blu-ray disc rental business was getting increasingly dour. For Taryn Aronson, who had been hired to…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER905: The Future CFO Among Us | Sruthi Lanka, CFO, Public.com
Sruthi Lanka is clearly not the only CFO who began her professional career at blue chip investment house Goldman Sachs. However, she may be one of the only…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER904: Becoming a Catalyst for Growth | Dayton Kellenberger, CFO, Vendavo
Even today, Dayton Kellenberger marvels at his good fortune in having landed inside the corporate finance department of The Coleman Company, Inc.. Of course…
CFO THOUGHT LEADERLeading Cross-Functional Teams - A Planning Aces Episode
Are you tired of sitting through unproductive monthly meetings that turn into show-and-tell sessions? Do you want to shift your focus to key metrics that…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER903: Making the Data Matter | Ryan Lockwood, CFO, CarParts.com
While April 2020 may forever bring to mind corporate corridors newly silenced by COVID 19’s arrival in the United States, CarParts.com CFO Ryan Lockwood will…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER902: Finding Your Fire | Celeste Ackert, CFO, Fairmarkit
Of all of the places future CFOs could have been employed in the late 1990s, the printing division of RR Donnelley might seem to have been among the least…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER901: The Welcome Box | Scott Healy, CFO, Fortera
It’s perhaps appropriate that Scott Healy’s finance career began at an airport. With recently displayed boarding pass in hand, Healy thought that he was ready…
CFO THOUGHT LEADER900: The Rewards of Rulemaking | Alison Staloch, CFO, Fundrise
While chief accountant for the SEC’s investment management division, Alison Staloch reports, she found herself being greeted by a degree of inclusive…