This story originally appeared on Forbes.com In 2021, ADP’s HR leader reached out to Don McGuire, then the company’s globe-trotting EMEA president, to gauge his interest in stepping into the CFO role. McGuire was surprised, as it had been nearly two decades since he had shifted away from the traditional finance track. In the intervening […]
1,038: Driving Financial Agility in a Global Tech Landscape | Joey Wong, CFO, Asia Pacific (PCSD), Lenovo
In the mid-2000s, the world's attention increasingly began to focus on Asia, attracted not just by the region’s rapid economic growth but also by the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It was within this atmosphere of excitement and potential that Joey Wong made a very pivotal career decision. Having grown up in Los Angeles after her family…
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Ep 39: Beneath the Surface: How to Manage Complexity and Achieve Greater Clarity
In this episode of Planning Episodes hosted by Jack Sweeney and Brett Knowles, three CFOs—Don McGuire of ADP, Scott Blackley of Oscar Health, and Patrick Fleury of TeraWulf—share their insights on financial planning and analysis (FP&A), with a focus on navigating complex business environments. Through their stories, listeners will gain a deeper understanding of how […]
The Mentoring Round | Regi Vengalil, CFO, Trax Retail
Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Regi Vengalil reflects on his early days as a CFO, sharing the challenges of overcoming imposter syndrome and learning to trust his own voice. He advises his younger self to have confidence in his insights and not hesitate to share strong perspectives. Vengalil highlights a pivotal moment in his career at […]
1,037: Optimizing Growth and Margins: A CFO’s Strategic Playbook | Regi Vengalil, CFO, Trax Retail
When the opportunity to help lead Expedia's corporate travel business arose, Regi Vengalil knew that this was exactly the role that he had been seeking in order to put his CFO career on a new and better track. Stepping into this CFO position meant overseeing a business unit with $600 million in revenue and $120…
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The Mentoring Round | Daniel Welch, CFO, Kate Farms
Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Daniel Welch emphasizes the dual nature of Kate Farms as both a healthcare and consumer packaged goods (CPG) company, with long-term customers who rely on its plant-based medical nutrition products. He highlights the importance of understanding customer lifetime value relative to acquisition costs, particularly in the company’s e-commerce expansion. Welch also […]
1,035: Balancing Growth and Sustainability: The Financial Strategy Behind Health Innovation | Daniel Welch, CFO, Kate Farms
In 2018, Daniel Welch made a life-altering decision when—after having spent a decade in investment banking working on high-profile IPOs and M&A deals at Morgan Stanley—he found himself at a crossroads. The birth of his daughter and a health scare involving his father led him to question the career path that he was on. “I…
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The Mentoring Round | Deanna Strable, COO & president (CFO emerita), Principal Financial Group
Inside The Mentoring Round, Deanna Strable revisits some pivotal moments that reshaped Principal Financial Group’s strategic direction. A key decision was exiting certain underperforming businesses, a result of a comprehensive strategic review conducted in collaboration with the board. Strable emphasizes the importance of focusing on a combination of metrics rather than a singular financial figure, noting […]
1,034: From Earnings Growth to Long-Term Success: A CFO’s Strategic Shift | Deanna Strable, COO & president (CFO emerita), Principal Financial Group
When Deanna Strable was approached to take on the role of CFO at Principal Financial Group, she was taken by surprise. Having spent most of her 30-year career in leading business units rather than focusing on finance, Strable initially questioned whether she was the right fit for a position traditionally held by financial experts. “Ultimately,"…
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1,033: The “Buy and Build” Moment: Preserving Your Firm’s Entrepreneurial Spirit | Ben Averis, CFO, Yoto
Ben Averis’s journey toward becoming CFO of Yoto was shaped by many diverse experiences in finance, ranging from his early days at PwC in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to leading roles in private equity–backed businesses. His exposure to the "buy and build" strategy during M&A transactions taught him the challenges of scaling businesses while at…
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The Mentoring Round | Scott Blackley, CFO, Oscar Health
Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Scott Blackley emphasizes the transformative role of AI in healthcare, noting that Oscar Health continuously evolves AI capabilities to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and reduce costs. He underscores AI’s potential in automating tasks like call center operations and financial processes, allowing the finance team to focus on insights rather […]
1,032: From Bitcoin to AI: How Financial Strategy Can Drive a Company’s Evolution | Patrick Fleury, CFO, TeraWulf
It was during the first half of 2024 that press reports first surfaced to suggest that Bitcoin pioneer TeraWulf was seeking to make a bold strategic pivot into AI and high-power compute. Along the front lines of this move stood Patrick Fleury, TeraWulf’s action-oriented CFO, whose short tenure at the firm thus far has been…
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