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1,038: Driving Financial Agility in a Global Tech Landscape | Joey Wong, CFO, Asia Pacific (PCSD), Lenovo

In the mid-2000s, the world's attention increasingly began to focus on Asia, attracted not just by the region’s rapid economic growth but also by the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It was within this atmosphere of excitement and potential that Joey Wong made a very pivotal career decision. Having grown up in Los Angeles after her family…
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The Mentoring Round | Daniel Welch, CFO, Kate Farms

Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Daniel Welch emphasizes the dual nature of Kate Farms as both a healthcare and consumer packaged goods (CPG) company, with long-term customers who rely on its plant-based medical nutrition products. He highlights the importance of understanding customer lifetime value relative to acquisition costs, particularly in the company’s e-commerce expansion. Welch also […]

1,034: From Earnings Growth to Long-Term Success: A CFO’s Strategic Shift | Deanna Strable, COO & president (CFO emerita), Principal Financial Group

When Deanna Strable was approached to take on the role of CFO at Principal Financial Group, she was taken by surprise. Having spent most of her 30-year career in leading business units rather than focusing on finance, Strable initially questioned whether she was the right fit for a position traditionally held by financial experts. “Ultimately,"…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:47:46)
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1,033: The “Buy and Build” Moment: Preserving Your Firm’s Entrepreneurial Spirit | Ben Averis, CFO, Yoto

Ben Averis’s journey toward becoming CFO of Yoto was shaped by many diverse experiences in finance, ranging from his early days at PwC in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to leading roles in private equity–backed businesses. His exposure to the "buy and build" strategy during M&A transactions taught him the challenges of scaling businesses while at…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:33:52)
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The Mentoring Round | Patrick Fleury, CFO, TeraWulf

Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Patrick Fleury shares key insights into TeraWulf’s approach to cash management and the company’s strategic pivot toward AI and high-power compute. Fleury emphasizes the importance of using a 13-week cash flow analysis, a tool he implemented during restructuring to stabilize operations and manage finances. This practice provided critical visibility into the […]

The Mentoring Round | Scott Blackley, CFO, Oscar Health

Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Scott Blackley emphasizes the transformative role of AI in healthcare, noting that Oscar Health continuously evolves AI capabilities to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and reduce costs. He underscores AI’s potential in automating tasks like call center operations and financial processes, allowing the finance team to focus on insights rather […]

1,031: Unlocking Operational Scale in Health Insurance Through AI and Data | Scott Blackley, CFO, Oscar Health

When Scott Blackley was asked in kindergarten what he wanted to be when he grew up, his answer was surprisingly clear: "I want to be an auditor." This early ambition was no coincidence; his father was a partner at KPMG, and young Blackley grew up around the firm’s offices, imagining himself one day sitting at…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:48:05)
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1,030: Leveraging Global Expertise to Shape ADP’s Financial Future | Don McGuire, CFO, ADP

In 2021, ADP's HR leader reached out to Don McGuire, then the company’s globe-trotting EMEA president, to gauge his interest in stepping into the firm's CFO role. McGuire was surprised, inasmuch as it had been nearly two decades since he had veered off the traditional finance career track. During this interim, McGuire had taken on…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:58:21)
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The Mentoring Round | Matt Steinfort, CFO, DigitalOcean

Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Matt Steinfort tells us how DigitalOcean is making AI more accessible to small tech companies by offering AI compute capacity in manageable, on-demand chunks. This allows smaller developers to integrate AI into their applications without needing extensive resources. Additionally, DigitalOcean is using AI to enhance its own services, making them easier […]

1,029: A Unique Advantage: When CEO Experience Informs CFO Leadership | Matt Steinfort, CFO, DigitalOcean

While most CFOs climb the ranks through finance-related roles, Matt Steinfort's path ended up taking quite a significant detour—which saw him lead a company as CEO and then unexpectedly step into a CFO role at his next company. Steinfort’s transition from CEO to CFO occurred when he was approached by Dan Caruso, a longtime mentor and successful…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:50:53)
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1,028: Shaping Finance Operations to Support Global Growth | Clemente Cohen, CFO, PG Forsta

Clemente Cohen’s finance career began in the early 1990s inside the Munich offices of Silicon Graphics, approximately 6,500 miles from the Silicon Valley company’s headquarters and some 7,500 miles from his birthplace in Argentina. This transcontinental start marked the beginning of a career defined by global problem-solving, adaptability, and generous helpings of M&A experience. Cohen,…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:56:58)
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The Mentoring Round | Salman Khan, CFO, Marathon Digital Holdings

Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Salman Khan highlights the transformative strategy at Marathon Digital, shifting from renting data centers to acquiring operational capacity, driven by his experience in the heavy industry and M&A. He emphasizes the importance of articulating decisions methodically, especially when data is incomplete. Khan also discusses the similarities and differences between Bitcoin […]