CFO Tom Bock reflects on two pivotal experiences that shaped his mindset as a leader. The first is a lesson from his childhood in communist Hungary, where his grandmother taught him the importance of responsibility and learning from life’s challenges. This early lesson instilled in him a lasting sense of duty and resilience. Fast forward […]
The Mentoring Round | Doug Potvin, CFO, Trinity Logistics
Inside The Mentoring Round CFO Doug Potvin reflects back at his time at the National Marine Fishery Service, where Potvin had a pivotal moment that shaped his career aspirations. Frequently told to “talk to the owner” when discussing business and financial matters, Doug realized the importance of being deeply involved in all aspects of a […]
The Mentoring Round | Todd Patriacca, CFO, BVI Medical
Inside The Mentoring Round CFO Todd Patriacca emphasizes the strategic implementation of technology automation, focusing on areas that enhance efficiency and reduce internal costs. He advocates for leveraging automation to handle routine tasks, allowing teams to concentrate on strategic exceptions. Todd also champions Lean methodology, applying its principles of continuous improvement and waste elimination to […]
The Mentoring Round | Larry White, Commanding Officer (emeritus), U.S. Coast Guard Finance Center
Inside The Mentoring Round, Larry White looks back on his U.S. Coast days and spotlights the shift from a rigorous budget-focused approach to a more strategic, mission-oriented model. He empowered his team, decentralizing budget responsibilities and cutting excess spending by 70% to better align resources with actual needs. His philosophy fostered transparency and trust, emphasizing […]
The Mentoring Round | Seth Wunder, CFO, Acorns
Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Seth Wunder shares a finance strategic moment that explores an earlier career chpater where he was working for an underperforming mission-driven company in 2016-2017. He realized that a strong customer experience must align with financial sustainability. Through close collaboration with management, he learned the importance of balancing growth and profitability […]
The Mentoring Round | Steve Vintz, CFO, Tenable
Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Steve Vintz of Tenable shares key career insights, emphasizing his passion for growth companies and entrepreneurship. Early on, he realized the appeal of smaller, venture-backed companies over large corporations, leading him to a career focused on growth-oriented businesses. Vintz discusses a critical acquisition decision where he advocated against proceeding with […]
The Mentoring Round | Shelagh Glaser, CFO, Synopsys
Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Shelagh Glaser discusses how AI is transforming Synopsys Inc. at multiple levels, from accelerating engineering solutions to enhancing internal operations and forecasting. CFO Glaser also shares insights for new CFOs on how to navigate organizational dynamics in a remote work environment and preparing for market shifts.
The Mentoring Round | Eric Emans, CFO, Nintex
Inside the Mentoring Round, CFO Eric Emans emphasizes the importance of overcoming the fear of failure early in one’s career, as learning often comes from making mistakes. He fosters an expectation-based culture where finance professionals are encouraged to engage with the business, challenge assumptions, and drive insights. Emans believes this approach distinguishes great organizations from […]
The Mentoring Round | Sandeep Aujla, CFO, Intuit
Inside the Mentoring Round, CFO Sandeep Aujla explains why his eight-year investment at Intuit was driven by the continuous learning opportunities and professional growth the company offered. Although he could have become a CFO sooner elsewhere, Aujla tells us chose to stay at Intuit to deepen his expertise, gain more diverse experience to better prepare […]
The Mentoring Round | Mark Khavkin, CFO, MinIO
Inside the Mentoring Round, CFO Mark Khavkin of MinIO explains how as a CFO his interactions with customers in the past allowed him to detect discrepancies between how his prior company and its customers perceived pricing and value, leading him to refine the pricing strategy based on customer insights. When it comes to building relationships […]
The Mentoring Round | Karen Williams, CFO, American Express Global Business travel
Inside the Mentoring Round, CFO Karen Williams of American Express Global Business Travel showcases a growth mindset, turning career hurdles into invaluable learning experiences. Her journey from networking struggles at Mars to recognizing its significance underscores the power of building essential professional relationships. Williams’s emphasis on “connecting the dots” to glean insights from past missteps […]
The Mentoring Round | Mos Shahzad, CFO, Relativity Space
Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Mo Shahzad of Relativity Space highlights the company’s mission to revolutionize space launch with next-generation rockets, including a larger model set to launch in 2026. Emphasizing 3D printing technology, Shahzad detailed their impressive investor support and multi-billion dollar launch agreements backlog. Shahzad tells us his leadership philosophy centers on fostering […]