What's Rarely Measured Matters Most

CFO Leadership

1197: The CFO Who Learned Finance by Owning Sales | Sinohe Terrero, CFO, Envoy

Sinohe Terrero still remembers the timing. He joined Envoy in January, only to see the workplace transformed just two months later as offices around the world shut down because of COVID. The company had been building products for offices, but suddenly, almost no one was going to the office, Terrero tells us. That abrupt shift…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:45:27)
Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifySurveyLinkedInYouTube

1196: Your Next Finance Hire Should Think Like a Founder | Martino Cadoni, CFO, DeepL

When Martino Cadoni joined DeepL, he arrived with an unusual perspective—he already knew the company's product firsthand. Earlier in his career at Klarna, he had helped introduce DeepL as a translation solution, making the transition from customer to CFO especially meaningful. Today, DeepL is backed by investors including HV Capital, Benchmark, Index Ventures, ICONIQ, and…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:52:34)
Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifySurveyLinkedInYouTube

1194: Why Curiosity Creates Better Finance Leaders | Stacey Jenkins, CFO, Aerotek

Each day, Stacey Jenkins watches a different set of indicators than the quarterly financial results that eventually appear on a report. Candidate applications, recruiter activity, and other throughput measures help tell the story of where Aerotek's business may be headed. Financial results are "the lagging indicator," Jenkins tells us. That perspective reflects how she views…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:41:20)
Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifySurveyLinkedInYouTube

1193: Building Finance Functions That Shape Outcomes | Jesse Waldron, CFO, Thyme Care

When Jesse Waldron describes Thyme Care's work, he begins with the patient experience. Cancer patients, he explains, are often thrust into a healthcare system that can feel overwhelming both financially and emotionally. That reality sits at the center of Thyme Care's mission. As an oncology care navigation company, Thyme Care helps patients move through their…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:49:15)
Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifySurveyLinkedInYouTube

1192: Building Through Disruption | Christina Spade, CFO, Catalant

Five weeks into her role as CFO of Catalant, Christina Spade is helping guide a company that she believes is positioned for a different era of consulting. Catalant was founded out of Harvard Business School in 2013 and began as an independent consultant matchmaking company, Spade tells us. Today, she describes the firm as a…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:51:39)
Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifySurveyLinkedInYouTube

1191: From Complexity to Clarity: Building Operational Maturity | David Forlizzi, CFO, Salsify

When David Forlizzi describes Salsify, he begins with a simple observation: “We all use it every day.” Unlike some of the highly technical software businesses where he previously spent his career, Salsify's value proposition is visible to anyone who shops online. Product content sits at the center of the company's platform, Forlizzi tells us. Whether…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:38:33)
Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifySurveyLinkedInYouTube

1188: Testing Assumptions Before Burning Capital | Kevin Hettrich, CFO, QuantumScape

Kevin Hettrich walked into a conference room with a whiteboard full of numbers and a problem no one had fully articulated. QuantumScape’s leadership team was discussing how to scale an expensive R&D tool used to produce early battery materials. Hettrich had spent two weeks gathering data, talking with engineers, and analyzing manufacturing economics. Then he…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:55:02)
Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifySurveyLinkedInYouTube

1187: Pattern Recognition: How CFOs See Around Corners | Alex Chun, CFO, NEOGOV

Alex Chun already knew the management team at NEOGOV long before he became its CFO. As an investor at Warburg Pincus, he spent more than four years “in the trenches” with NEOGOV’s leadership team, flying to Los Angeles to work through operational challenges alongside them, Chun tells us. His path to finance leadership did not…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:43:21)
Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifySurveyLinkedInYouTube

1181: What AI Means for the Future of Finance Leadership | Yuval Atsmon, CFO & Sr Partner, McKinsey & Company

In the desert during military officer training, Yuval Atsmon entered one wrong number into a GPS device. Instead of reaching the intended destination, he and his team ended up in the wrong location, and the simulated mission failed. The mistake cost him the chance to finish at the top of his class, he tells us.…
Listen to the Episode Below (1:03:40)
Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifySurveyLinkedInYouTube

Strategy, Systems, And Smarter Finance | Alistair Gurney, CFO, Lucanet

Faced with weak marketing returns during rapid international expansion, Alistair Gurney resisted cutting spend. Instead, he integrated FP&A, revenue operations, and data engineering to analyze pipeline performance at a granular level. The cross-functional insight enabled targeted reallocations rather than blanket cuts, preserving growth momentum and helping Lucanet remain on bookings target. Now Watch the Complete […]

1168: How Smart Finance Looks Before It Leaps | Alistair Gurney, CFO, Lucanet

Early in Lucanet’s expansion, two Chinese employees working in Germany had a moment of insight. Seeing how configurable the consolidation software was, they believed it could succeed in their home market. Acting on that conviction, they traveled from Berlin back to China and built what would become Lucanet’s Chinese business. The story illustrates how a…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:53:49)
Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifySurveyLinkedInYouTube

AI on the Frontlines: Live Insights from Planful Perform25

On Location at Planful Perform 25 in Miami, CFO Thought Leader captures candid frontline views on AI’s sweeping impact. CEO Grant Halloran details how intelligent automation meets a crippling finance‑talent shortage, promising faster decision cycles without head‑count spikes. CFO Dan Fletcher spotlights daily reforecasting, agent‑driven data interrogation, and strict ROI tests before approving new hires. Both leaders emphasize […]