Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Salman Khan highlights the transformative strategy at Marathon Digital, shifting from renting data centers to acquiring operational capacity, driven by his experience in the heavy industry and M&A. He emphasizes the importance of articulating decisions methodically, especially when data is incomplete. Khan also discusses the similarities and differences between Bitcoin […]
1,027: Strategic Finance in the Digital Asset Industry: Lessons From a Bitcoin-Mining Leader | Salman Khan, CFO, Marathon Digital Holdings
When Salman Khan arrived in Dubai from the U.S. in the early 2000s, he was already a seasoned auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers, ready to narrow his focus to the oil and gas industry. If someone had told him then that he would one day be the CFO of the world’s largest bitcoin-mining company, he may have…
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The Mentoring Round | Karen Williams, CFO, American Express Global Business travel
Inside the Mentoring Round, CFO Karen Williams of American Express Global Business Travel showcases a growth mindset, turning career hurdles into invaluable learning experiences. Her journey from networking struggles at Mars to recognizing its significance underscores the power of building essential professional relationships. Williams’s emphasis on “connecting the dots” to glean insights from past missteps […]
1,014: Passion and Purpose: Building a Vibrant Finance Culture | Karen Williams, CFO, American Express Global Business Travel
Karen Williams's journey to becoming a successful CFO began with a crucial lesson learned early in her career at the UK headquarters of candy giant Mars. As a young professional, she tells us, she had failed to grasp the importance of relationship-building and expressing her passion for the business. At times, this void had kept…
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986: Blending Finance With Operational Ingenuity | Erin Sawyer, CFO, Certinia
Reflecting on her career choices, Erin Sawyer tells us that one pivotal point stands out—a decision that involved moving her family across the country. This step triggered not only a geographical shift but also a change in Sawyer's professional life, when her work alongside a CEO ultimately fueled her aspirations to become a chief financial…
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The Mentoring Round | Aaron Alt, CFO, Cardinal Health
Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Aaron Alt highlights Cardinal Health’s ongoing comprehensive review of its business portfolio, involving an assessment of healthcare trends, competitive strengths, and economic forecasts to determine the best ownership of assets. This process has led to strategic decisions about retaining, investing in, and potentially divesting certain business units to maximize shareholder […]
983: The CFO as Architect of Value | Aaron Alt, CFO, Cardinal Health
In the world of finance, where leadership roles await those who distinguish themselves along a select number of familiar paths, Aaron Alt's journey to becoming a CFO stands out for its breadth and depth, transcending conventional boundaries. Starting in law, Alt quickly found his groove inside the legal world's cornucopia of M&A advisory services. It…
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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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How an NFL Revenue Marker Gave Way to a New Strategic Plan | Chris Halpin, CFO, IAC
Halpin: The one that sticks with me was in 2017, they asked me to become Chief Strategy Officer and build a long term strategic plan at the NFL. And it was a recognition that, you know, the media landscape was changing so much social media was impacting every part of our business, for the good […]
890: Driving the Internet Sharetaker | Christopher Halpin, CFO, IAC
In 2011, after Chris Halpin had rejoined his colleagues back at Providence Equity Partners' New York offices at the completion of a 3-year stint in Hong Kong, he found himself being confronted by something he had rarely experienced before: boredom. “I had this kind of existential angst—that I didn't want to die and have my…
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Using AI to Help Drive the Investment Process | Ben Chrnelich, CFO, Symphony
CFO GUEST: Ben Chrnelich of Symphony CFOTL: Since the start of the year, chat GPT is everywhere, it seems, and it’s impacting everything. Can you tell us within your organization, whether it’s been part of the discussion whether whether people have come to you, and you’ve been surprised at the different conference tables, it’s been […]