Manny Korakis points to McGraw Hill’s growth and value plan as his defining finance moment, when portfolio management replaced pure accounting focus. Finance drove decisions on which assets to acquire or divest, shifting the function toward enterprise value creation and long-term growth rather than record-keeping alone. Now Watch the Complete Episode Featuring CFO Manny Korakis […]
From Decks to Decisions: Turning Strategy Into Execution | Roy Hefer, CFO, Perk
In late 2022, as funding markets collapsed, Roy Hefer reframed Perk’s choices: accept punitive, dilutive capital or pivot to profitability. By trading growth for faster profitability, finance preserved control, avoided a down round, and made the company “default alive”—showing how framing options can shape strategy without forcing decisions. Now Watch our Episode Featuring CFO Roy […]
When One Plus One Actually Equals Three | Matt Novick, CFO, TripleLift
At PlaceIQ, an unexpected acquisition inbound forced Matt Novick to deeply assess unit economics and true revenue and cost synergies. The experience reshaped his strategy: always be transaction-ready by understanding the business end-to-end, so finance can quickly evaluate opportunities, avoid misfits, and operate with strategic precision. Now Watch the Complete Episode Featuring CFO Matt Novick […]
From Motion to Progress: Rewriting the CFO’s Role in Data | Ed Hagan, CFO, Satisfi Labs
A flood of 15 million intercompany transactions in one month showed Ed Hagan that finance was drowning in data, not driving decisions. He realized the CFO must act as the true information leader, not the cleanup crew—prompting him to reorient his career toward fixing data quality and unifying finance and technology to create real strategic […]
From Data Roots to an AI Playbook | Zane Rowe, CFO, Workday
Rowe’s strategic moment came when he recognized Workday needed to lean harder into AI—both organically and through acquisitions. Instead of defaulting to cost cuts, he shifted focus to targeted investment, partnering across teams to identify the highest-return opportunities. The result: a smarter, faster AI strategy designed to outpace competitors and deliver long-term shareholder value. [ssp-player] […]
Building the Finance Engine for a Market in Motion | Cristina Kim, CFO, Octaura
CFO Cristina Kim’s second week brought a pivotal shift: she caught herself stress-testing the company’s aggressive targets like an outside investor, then realized her role had changed. As CFO, her job wasn’t to score the plan but to help build it—guiding the team toward ambitious goals with discipline and shared ownership. Now Listen to our […]
Turning Finance Into An Unlocker | Aneal Vallurupalli, CFO, Drata
By tracing retention through 200 customer calls, onboarding flows, and product gaps, Vallurupalli realized the breakthrough wasn’t a single metric but the journey itself. His holistic diagnosis reframed retention as a system problem—shaping Airbase’s cross-functional fixes and guiding its existing-revenue engine through scale. Now Watch Our complete Episode Featuring CFO Aneal Vallurupalli of Drata In […]
Crisis-Tested Finance In Volatile Markets | Michael Bourque, CFO, Convera
Kiavi’s pivot revealed two distinct customer segments—first-timers and high-volume professionals. Michael Bourque helped steer the company toward redesigning acquisition, service, and experience around each group using disciplined unit-economics. When the business remained unprofitable, he supported the move of operations from costly San Francisco to Pittsburgh. Now Watch the Complete Episode Featuring CFO Michael Bourque of […]
Pilot, Learn, Scale What Works | Troy Anderson, CFO, Kelly Services
Troy Anderson stepped into a troubled $2B Xerox unit and uncovered mispriced contracts, communication gaps, and failing operations. After renegotiating key agreements and restoring transparency, he recommended shutting down an unsalvageable business. His decisive analysis saved years of wasted investment, restored credibility, and allowed the company to plan with clarity and confidence. Now Watch the […]
The Power Behind Story-Driven Growth | David lee, CFO & COO, WEBTOON
During Best Buy’s Renew Blue turnaround, David Lee helped redirect over $1 billion in savings to reinvent stores as “omnichannel showrooms,” blending digital and in-store experiences. By aligning consumer insight with disciplined finance, the team defied predictions of retail decline—driving one of the fastest stock recoveries in the S&P 500. Now Watch the Complete Episode […]
Sequencing Growth For Scalable Outcomes | Erik Wissig, CFO, SureCo
Realizing his high-growth startup lacked the cash to fund earned bonuses, Erik Wissig shifted the leadership team toward long-horizon cash-flow planning. By aligning growth expectations with cash realities, he prevented future liquidity gaps and created a finance discipline that shaped SureCo’s scaling years. Now Watch our Complete Episode Featuring CFO Erik Wissig of SureCo Erik […]
When Finance Teaches Innovation How to Scale | Michael Levine, CFO, Fireblocks
Upon joining Fireblocks, Michael Levine discovered engineers building “$400,000 cars” without ROI discipline. He introduced a financial lens to product development—teaching teams to balance innovation with economic viability. By reframing decisions around capital allocation and scalability, he aligned engineering excellence with business outcomes, turning finance into a shared growth language. Now Watch the Complete Episode […]