A Finance Strategic Moment On Friday the 13 of March 2020, Steven Miller closed Warby Parker’s 280 stores, scrapped the freshly approved budget, and launched PAR—Pause, Adjust, Redeploy. The framework shifted cash to safety and booming e-commerce (up 100 % YoY), granting leadership daily visibility and preserving liquidity until stores reopened two months later. Now […]
Debt Down, Opportunity Curve Upward | Jerome Upton, CFO, Genworth Financial
A Finance Strategic Moment Facing a liquidity crunch, Upton convened a cross‑functional team, ran downside‑focused scenario models on every business, and pinpointed one unit for divestiture. A swift minority IPO abroad raised capital at a premium valuation, cut leverage, strengthened Genworth’s balance sheet—and put Upton’s strategic acumen squarely on the CEO’s radar. Now Watch our […]
1090: Broadening the Field: Turning Risk into Reach | Jerome Upton, CFO, Genworth
Jerome Upton still remembers the silence that descends just before a game begins. As captain of a college team, he’d scan the huddle, gauge nerves, and ask, “What does winning look like today?” “That’s where I learned the power of shared goals,” Upton tells us. Years later, the Genworth Financial CFO opens staff meetings similarly—then gives…
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The 60 Seconds That Changed the Conversation
Faced with a complex tax strategy and an overwhelmed board, Tony Jarjoura cut through dense technical jargon and distilled thousands of hours of work into two simple sentences. The clarity shifted the conversation instantly—highlighting his belief that finance leaders must translate complexity into insight that moves decisions forward. Now watch our complete episode featuring CFO […]
1087: Why Finance Needs a Seat at Every Table | Tony Jarjoura, CFO, Gigamon
It was the kind of boardroom moment that separates finance professionals from finance leaders. Tony Jarjoura, now CFO of Gigamon, found himself surrounded by audit committee members as a dense, highly technical tax strategy unraveled before them. Despite having pored over legal memos and internal reviews, the room still looked puzzled—until Tony spoke. In just…
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1085: The Strategic Power of Curiosity | Erik Rothschild, CFO, Cin7
Fresh out of a hedge fund analyst role, Erik Rothschild walked into an interview at a Chicago-based trading firm and did something unexpected—he pitched actual trade ideas to the portfolio manager across the table. That bold move earned him a spot on the team, and eventually, a portfolio of his own. “That whole experience taught…
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1083: Navigating the Go-To-Market Roadmap with Precision | Brian Robins, CFO, GitLab
It was a pivotal moment Brian Robins tells us he’ll never forget: stepping onto a makeshift stage to address some 400 employees just minutes before a key 8-K filing would publicly announce the potential sale of a major business unit. The room bristled with anxiety—people worried about their jobs and the future of the company.…
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1082: Unlocking Value Through Real Estate Innovation | Tim Arndt, CFO, Prologis
Tim Arndt still remembers the urgency in the air when AMB Property Corporation decided to merge with Prologis at the height of the financial crisis. It was, as he describes, “a merger of equals,” but Arndt tells us that, in the end, it was the legacy management of AMB that would lead the newly formed…
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1081: The CFO’s Role in Innovation and Market Adaptation | Erik Swenson, CFO, IDT
It was a moment that would shape Erik Swenson’s approach to finance forever. As a co-op student at Northeastern University, he found himself in front of a room full of engineers, presenting financial metrics he had carefully compiled. When the meeting ended, one of the engineers approached him and said, “That was interesting, but it…
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Ep 5: Crisis, Clarity, and Command: CFOs in Action
This episode of CFO Journal 1 2 3! we bring you real-life insights from three remarkable CFOs who confronted crisis head-on. 🔹Sarah Spoja (Tipalti) recalls the intense moments when SVB’s collapse demanded rapid, decisive action, emphasizing the strength of strategic partnerships and proactive fund management.🔹Damon Fletcher (CEO, Caliper) shares his journey through a dramatic market […]
Questek’s Journey: From Projects to SaaS Innovation
Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Brian Registe of Questek discusses the integration of SaaS with traditional project-based work, highlighting how Questek balances both business models. He explains the key SaaS metrics they focus on, such as sales pipeline and cycle length, to drive growth. Brian also shares insights on Questek’s partnerships with industry leaders like […]
1058: Empowering Industry with SaaS-Driven Material Technologies | Brian Registe, CFO, QuesTek
It was only last October that the world witnessed SpaceX catching its super-heavy rocket booster as it emitted fiery bursts from the booster’s underside. Among those watching perhaps more attentively than ever was this episode’s CFO guest, Brian Registe, who today oversees the finance function of Questek—a company whose materials-by-design technologies are enabling SpaceX and…
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