Inside The Mentoring Round, Alejandro Castro recalls his days in Mexico City, where as a new hire at Price Waterhouse, he traveled to various factories, including those in oil-producing states, providing a unique early career perspective. Engagement Across the Organization: Through the GE Workout methodology at Conagra, Alejandro engaged with various parts of the organization […]
The Mentoring Round | Karen Walker, CFO, Sysdig
Inside The Mentoring Round Karen Walker points to her experiences supporting deal flow and collaborating with sales and operations at CNET Networks as pivotal in preparing her for a CFO role. Additionally, her executive sponsorship of cross-functional teams equipped her with a customer-centric approach that has become central to her role as CFO at Sysdig.
964: Leveraging AI to Achieve Durable Growth | Luigi Testa, CFO, LinkSquares
Four years ago, when Luigi Testa first joined LinkSquares as CFO, the Boston-area tech firm employed roughly 40 people. Today, with nearly 400 employees, the company is concerned less with growth and more about achieving a balance between growth and efficiency. To achieve this, LinkSquares management has made automation and AI adoption a priority. According…
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The Mentoring Round | Jamey Mock, CFO, Moderna
Inside The Mentoring Round, Moderna CFO Jamey Mock stresses the importance of focusing on value creation as a CFO. He advises new CFOs to prioritize the enterprise’s value creation rather than getting bogged down in the details of various functions within the finance department. CFO Mock discusses his transition from a 20 year career with […]
963: How a Biotech Disrupter Is De-risking R&D | Jamey Mock, CFO, Moderna
It's no secret that Moderna's R&D efforts have expanded well beyond the realm of COVID-19. CFO Jamey Mock tells us that today the company has more than 40 drugs in its pipeline, with targets such as respiratory, latent, onocology and rare diseases. As he explains, this diversity means that the biotech innovator is reliant not…
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Ep 30: Seeding Organizational Ownership
Planning Aces co-hosts Brett Knowles and Jack Sweeney discuss how AI's integration into FP&A is still in early stages, with many teams 'dabbling' in AI rather than regularly employing it. However, its use has been significant, inspiring creativity and improving team performance. This episode's conversation emphasizes how FP&A is not just about financial numbers but…
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The Mentoring Round | Dallas Clement, CFO, Cox Enterprises
Inside The Mentoring Round, one of the more poignant moments of our 2023 Season was when CFO Dallas Clement of Cox Enterprises looked back to 1995 and offered his younger self some advice. Clement said: “Be patient and don’t be so anxious.” He emphasized the importance of patience, particularly in understanding the other person’s position […]
The Mentoring Round | Christine Chambers, CFO, PetMeds
Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Christine Chambers admits that the role of a CFO can be isolating, but it doesn’t have to be. Her advice? Surround yourself with good people and stay curious. CFO Chambers is currently reading “In Her Own Voice” by Jennifer McCullum. She believes in the power of authentic and determined leadership, […]
960: Understanding What Opportunity Looks Like | Christine Chambers, CFO, PetMeds
Our discussion with Christine Chambers has been going on for only a little more than 5 minutes when she tells us that she remembers sitting on the steps of a London flat years ago while contemplating life’s many twists and turns. It seems that the accommodation—which she had only recently acquired and unquestionably counted…
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The Mentoring Round | Mark Seidel, CFO, True Anomaly
Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Mark Seidel explains why he believes his controller and he need to have similar ways of thinking and be aligned on the type of information needed to provide effective insights across the business. He recognizes the controller’s role in ensuring timely and accurate data, considering it a key aspect of […]
959: A CFO Role as Broad as Space Is Wide | Mark Seidel, CFO, True Anomaly
If Mark Seidel had told us that he had spent many of his high school evenings peering through a telescope at the stars, we would have likely believed him. However, Seidel—CFO of space security start-up True Anomaly—swiftly short circuits the familiar narrative of a space-loving youth. Instead, he draws our attention to his early entrepreneurial…
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The Mentoring Round | Michael Kennedy, CFO, MDA
Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Michael Kennedy tells us that while he had anticipated a significant workload at MDA, the reality was far beyond his initial expectations. This is a common experience for many CFOs when they transition into roles that demand organizational transformation. Leaders tell us they often underestimate the scale of the tasks […]