Inside The Mentoring Round, Elizabeth Mann emphasizes the critical integration of finance and human resources, highlighting the importance of team dynamics alongside financial metrics. Her approach champions continuous learning and revisiting initial understandings as business knowledge evolves. Mann also draws parallels between the challenges of parenting and her role as a CFO, recognizing decision-making complexities […]
969: The Human Equation in Finance | Elizabeth Mann, CFO, Verisk
Elizabeth Mann began her career as a mathematician in academia, spending a decade in the field. Her initial plan had been to become a professor, on a path that would start with a Ph.D. and a postdoc. However, something was missing. Eager to engage more directly with the world at large, she pivoted her career…
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Ep 31: Projecting The Voice of Reason
This episode of Planning Aces sheds light on the critical role financial leadership and strategic planning plays in guiding companies through turbulent times and the importance of balancing short-term opportunities with long-term strategic planning. Each of the featured finance chiefs faced unique challenges related to the pandemic's impact on their businesses, and their responses offer…
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The Mentoring Round | David Snyder, CFO, Coya Therapeutics
Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO David Snyder of Coya Therapeutics stresses that biotech companies must not get sidetracked by short-term valuations or minor gains but should focus on the bigger picture of achieving substantial market capitalization. This perspective is grounded in the understanding that success in biotech often hinges on the ability to finance a […]
968: From the Investor’s Point of View | David Snyder, CFO, Coya Therapeutics
It was the type of introduction that any MBA student would envy, and one at which David Snyder, 35 years later, still marvels. Back in the late 1980s, a business school classmate introduced him to notable investor and billionaire tycoon Sam Zell, who subsequently offered Snyder a job. Without hesitation, Snyder accepted Zell's offer and…
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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.
967: Leading With a Customer Mind-Set | Karen Walker, CFO, Sysdig
Like many of her CFO peers, Karen Walker had an early career that was guided by abundant opportunities surrounding finance-driven decision-making within organizations. It was a path that often led Walker to engage more closely with sales and operations, as was the case at CNET Networks, where she tells us that she recognized the limitations…
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At Moderna, A CFO Vows To De-risk R&D As mRNA Tech Promises To Shorten Success Path
This article first appeared on Forbes.com Speed to market has always been critical in the life sciences industry. Companies that bring products to market quickly and efficiently are better positioned to succeed and improve patient outcomes. Or so the industry wisdom goes. For Moderna, the covid wunderkind that captured almost $40 billion in sales over the […]
The Mentoring Round | Emma Brown, CFO, Medius
CFO Emma Brown’s pivotal career theme is simplification. In a high-pressure turnaround, she realized that complexity hindered understanding. Stripping back to basics, she rebuilt a cash flow, cutting through complexities to identify and solve underlying business problems. This approach, simplifying structures and focusing on essentials, transformed a $40 million loss into a $15 million profit. […]
965: Removing Complexity for Strategic Success | Emma Brown, CFO, Medius
For Emma Brown, it was as though she had just removed the sword from the fabled stone, a moment that would challenge the inclination to persistently question her own judgment when it came to business. As is often the case, Brown’s moment of insight occurred in a high-pressure situation. Faced with poor financial visibility and…
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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 […]