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 […]
Simplify, Measure, Accelerate | Jason Lee, CFO, Faire
FINANCE STRATEGIC MOMENT | CFO JASON LEE At Faire, Jason redefined how the company measured growth by simplifying customer behavior analytics. Initially, the company tracked broad volume and percentage-based growth metrics, but Jason shifted the focus to two core drivers: discovery volume (new product trials) and reorder rate (repeat purchases). Now Watch the Complete Episode […]
1080: Reframing Your Drivers of Growth | Jason Lee, CFO, Faire
It was a moment of “shock and awe” that Jason Lee says shapes his strategic mindset. Soon after joining Square, he discovered a major partnership with Starbucks that was quietly bleeding millions of dollars and threatened Square’s financial runway. “We had to swarm the problem,” Lee tells us. The team renegotiated terms and preserved the…
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1055: At the Intersection of Product Love and Financial Leadership | Joanne Cheng, CFO, Jellyfish
Joanne Cheng’s career had already carried her through multiple successful exits and finance leadership roles when an unexpected opportunity arose. Having proven her ability to guide companies to liquidity events and beyond, Cheng had established a new benchmark for any next move: she wanted to steer a firm toward an IPO while serving as its…
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1054: AI as a Game-Changer for Revenue and Operations | Chris Nagy, CFO, SalesLoft
In March 2020, as global lockdowns disrupted industries worldwide, Chris Nagy encountered a pivotal moment as CFO. Overnight, his company lost 25% of its revenue due to the closure of in-person focus group facilities. Responding swiftly, Nagy redirected resources to fast-track a shelved video conferencing product. By year-end, the initiative recovered half of the lost…
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Ep 41: The FP&A Spectrum: Technology, Culture, and Long-Term Value
In this episode of Planning Aces, Jack Sweeney and Brett Knowles share insights from CFOs Sandra Wallach (Amprius Technologies), David Morris (Guardian Pharmacy Services), and David Eckstein (Vanta). The discussion explores how these finance leaders are leveraging technology, data, and collaboration to drive decision-making and value creation. Highlights Sandra Wallach (Amprius Technologies): Focuses on weekly…
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Ep 40: From Constraints to Collaboration
In this episode of “Planning Aces,” finance leaders explore the evolving role of FP&A as a strategic partner emphasizing the importance of reliable data in aligning decision-making and resetting priorities. The CFOs discuss how setting clear constraints enhances strategic planning and drives more thoughtful decision-making. Leveraging AI emerges as a key theme for optimizing financial […]
1,046: Transforming Finance from Reactive to Proactive Leadership | David Eckstein, CFO, Vanta
When David Eckstein inherited a struggling business unit earlier in his career, there was little question he faced an uphill battle. The unit wasn’t one he had built, nor had he developed the frameworks or discounting policies in place. Who was responsible for the unit’s troubles? And shouldn’t this problem child belong to someone else?…
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