Early in his tenure at BNI Global, Andrew Bender found himself preparing the company’s financial package for the board. Something didn’t feel right. There were plenty of KPIs.But the connection between those metrics and financial performance was unclear. So he paused and asked a question many finance leaders hesitate to voice: Now Watch Our Complete […]
1169: Thinking Bigger on the Road to the CFO Role | Andrew Bender, CFO, BNI Global
Andrew Bender still remembers a moment from high school football practice when a coach challenged him with a simple question: “Do you want to be all conference or all state?” The comment surprised him. At the time, Bender tells us he wasn’t even sure he had the potential to reach the lower bar. Yet the…
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Shrink to Grow: The Hardest Call in Finance | Burt Chao, CFO, Nintex
Facing tighter capital and slower growth, Burt Chao led “shrink-to-grow” decisions—redirecting investment away from still-profitable product lines toward higher-ROI priorities. The shift required redefining asset allocation discipline while aligning stakeholders around long-term value creation in a constrained environment. Now Watch the Complete Episode Featuring CFO Burt Chao of Nintex In his first months at Nintex, […]
1160: Disciplined Bets in an Expensive-Capital World | Burt Chao, CFO, Nintex
As he nears the end of his first 100 days at Nintex, Burt Chao is doing something many new CFOs resist: listening more than talking. Understanding the business, its people, and its real growth potential comes before dashboards or directives, he tells us. Chao describes Nintex as a company with a “long and rich history”…
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1153: From Big-Company Discipline to Private-Equity Speed | Jorge Pliego, CFO, Improving
In his late 20s, Jorge Pliego found himself financing a major expansion in Mexico—not by calling corporate for cash, but by rethinking the entire structure. At Procter & Gamble, he was given the chance to fund a new paper products facility locally, navigating tax and financing incentives until the deal carried “zero” interest cost, Pliego…
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1145: Creative Capital, Tough Cuts, and the Power of “Why” | Jayme Brooks, CFO, Limbach
The email with the term sheet arrived first, then the bottle of champagne from the CEO, Jayme Brooks tells us. The lender had agreed to a nontraditional structure that allowed Capstone to borrow against intangible assets, creating a lifeline at a moment when revenue had dropped about 40% and market cap had fallen from roughly…
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Chronicling the Chapters of a CFO’s Rise | Lisa Cummins Dulchinos
During the pandemic, Lisa Cummins Dulchinos realized that doing tasks herself wasn’t the best use of her time as CFO. Encouraged by a peer, she began delegating, gaining strategic clarity. The shift allowed her to better engage with executives, boards, and investors by focusing on the bigger picture rather than day-to-day execution. When Lisa Cummins […]
1115: The Evolution of a Leader—One CFO Chapter at a Time | Lisa Cummins Dulchinos, CFO, Ayar Labs
When Lisa Cummins Dulchinos joined Ayar Labs, she knew translating deep tech into a business story would be central to her role. At a company where 85% of the nearly 200 employees hold PhDs, Dulchinos found herself among experts fluent in micro-ring resonators and laser physics. To explain what Ayar Labs does, she took a…
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How Long-Life Assets Shape a Growth Strategy | Kent Hoskins, CFO, Concord
A Finance Strategic Moment Kent Hoskins helped redirect Boosey & Hawkes’ focus from low-margin sheet music—50% of revenue but just 15% of EBITDA—to high-value IP. By outsourcing distribution and reallocating resources, the company increased profit margins and revenue, reinforcing Hoskins’ lasting belief: strategy must prioritize profitability, not just top-line growth. Now Watch our Complete Episode […]
Ep 43: The ROI Equation for AI Starts Here
In this episode of Planning Aces, three forward-looking finance leaders share how they’re transforming planning and forecasting inside their organizations. CFO Kevin Rhodes of Extreme Networks discusses the dual lens through which he evaluates AI—external monetization and internal productivity. Brandon Sullivan, CFO of 2X, reveals how a post-PE investment reality check led him to pioneer…
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Aligning Finance with Go-To-Market Strategy | Brian Robins, CFO, GitLab
During a turbulent market downturn, CFO Brian Robins led a critical divestiture of non-core assets. Now watch the complete episode In this discussion, CFO Brian Robins outlines GitLab’s strategic approach to leveraging AI across both product development and finance operations. He describes three key AI initiatives: duo Pro offers real-time code suggestions; duo Enterprise integrates […]
1073: AI, Agility & Ambition: The Making of a Data Center Powerhouse | John Wilson, CFO, Sabey Data Centers
It was a puzzle that John Wilson simply couldn’t resist. Intel had long sold processors to the federal government on a commercial basis, but the rising importance of High Performance Computing (HPC) demanded a new approach. Undeterred by the maze of federal acquisition regulations, Wilson volunteered to stand up a dedicated government unit, a move…
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