Inside The Mentoring Round, Navan CFO Amy Butte recalls the unexpected responsibilities she faced at the New York Stock Exchange, underscoring how the CFO role extends beyond accounting. She reveals the importance of connecting with people—whether on a trading floor or in a finance function—and highlights the power of vulnerability in leadership. Butte also stresses […]
1072: Numbers, Narratives, and Navigating Change | Amy Butte, CFO, Navan
It was a phone call Amy Butte tells us she will never forget. Lifting the receiver, she heard the familiar voice of her father—an accountant who had always championed her career. But this time, his words were tinged with a curious mixture of praise and amazement. He simply couldn’t fathom how his daughter, who had…
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1071: Empowering Finance: Lessons from the Automation Edge | Ashim Gupta, CFO, UiPath
Ashim Gupta, who has evolved from a pre-IPO CFO to now serving as both CFO and COO, is busy redefining the role of finance in driving growth and innovation. Initially focused on strict financial discipline, Gupta’s responsibilities have expanded to integrate long-term growth initiatives with day-to-day operational execution. In our discussion, Gupta explains that funding…
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1069: Driving Value Through Agile Finance Leadership | Lior Maza, CFO, Priority Software
Early in his career, Lior Maza chose to immerse himself in smaller, venture-backed startups rather than large enterprises—a move that exposed him to a range of responsibilities, from fundraising and recruiting to crisis management. “When you’re in a small team,” Maza tells us, “you end up doing everything, and that’s where the agility mindset really…
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The Art of Smart Acquisitions: Bill Korn on M&A Strategy
In the The Mentoring Round, Bill Korn, Strategic Board Advisor and CFO-Emeritus, shares his expertise on M&A strategy. With 24 acquisitions under his belt, Korn emphasizes that the key to long-term value isn’t just execution—it’s having the right strategic fit. He recounts bold moves, including acquiring companies larger than his own, and reveals how calculated […]
Ep 4: Bold Moves, Big Impact: Lessons in Leadership
What does it take to lead and grow a company in today’s fast-changing world? In this episode, three top finance leaders share the defining moments that shaped their careers and the bold decisions that drove business success. This Episode:🔹 Michael Sumruld reveals why stepping outside your comfort zone is key to leadership, sharing his experiences […]
1068: The CFO Advantage in the Boardroom: Strategy, M&A, and IPO Readiness | Bill Korn, Strategic Board Member & CFO-Emeritus
Bill Korn approaches board leadership with the same strategic, forward-thinking mindset that defined his CFO career. He believes a board member's role extends beyond governance to actively supporting company growth, shaping financial discipline, and guiding leadership teams through inflection points. Bill prioritizes long-term value creation over short-term gains, leveraging his M&A expertise, IPO experience, and…
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CFO Russ Keefe on Balancing Growth and Efficiency with Burn-to-NAR
Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Russ Keefe highlights the metrics and tools fueling Corelight’s growth. He underscores the significance of Net Promoter Score and gross dollar retention for tracking customer expansions, and explains “burn-to-NAR,” a metric blending growth with efficiency. Keefe also details how the company integrates AI—both in product development and internal processes—emphasizing that […]
1064: Cybersecurity, AI, and the Evolving Finance Frontier | Russ Keefe, CFO, Corelight
Back in the mid 1990s–when Russ Keefe decided it was time for a career pivot–he got behind the wheel. With a Jeep packed full of his belongings, he drove from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco, father riding shotgun, to explore fresh opportunities in Silicon Valley. He had just completed a stint at the U.S. Securities…
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Unicorn Strategy: CFO on Non-Traditional Funding
Inside the Mentoring Round, Emma Seymour of Deputy shares how shifting from traditional VC funding to strategic customer investments propelled the company to unicorn status. By partnering with major customers like ExpressPros and Xero, Deputy secured $50M in strategic investments, unlocking new distribution channels and fostering deeper customer relationships.
1060: Reaching Unicorn Status Through Innovation | Emma Seymour, CFO, Deputy
When Emma Seymour arrived at Deputy in early 2022, she became focused on strengthening the company’s financial foundation. In the three years since, Deputy has achieved a historic milestone—reaching unicorn status through strategic partnerships with major customers who not only become clients but also invest capital, thereby opening new distribution channels and co-creating additional value.…
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Achieving Efficiency, AI, and Growth in One Framework
Inside The Mentoring Round Eliran Glazer, CFO at Monday.com, emphasizes the importance of balancing growth with efficiency by using clear KPIs and metrics to measure business health and ROI from online marketing campaigns. He advocates for a streamlined dashboard approach to data analysis, using their BI system “big brain” to monitor four product lines. Glazer […]