In the The Mentoring Round, Bill Korn, Strategic Board Advisor and CFO-Emeritus, shares his expertise on M&A strategy. With 24 acquisitions under his belt, Korn emphasizes that the key to long-term value isn’t just execution—it’s having the right strategic fit. He recounts bold moves, including acquiring companies larger than his own, and reveals how calculated […]
Ep 4: Bold Moves, Big Impact: Lessons in Leadership
What does it take to lead and grow a company in today’s fast-changing world? In this episode, three top finance leaders share the defining moments that shaped their careers and the bold decisions that drove business success. This Episode:🔹 Michael Sumruld reveals why stepping outside your comfort zone is key to leadership, sharing his experiences […]
1068: The CFO Advantage in the Boardroom: Strategy, M&A, and IPO Readiness | Bill Korn, Strategic Board Member & CFO-Emeritus
Bill Korn approaches board leadership with the same strategic, forward-thinking mindset that defined his CFO career. He believes a board member's role extends beyond governance to actively supporting company growth, shaping financial discipline, and guiding leadership teams through inflection points. Bill prioritizes long-term value creation over short-term gains, leveraging his M&A expertise, IPO experience, and…
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1066: How Language Barriers and Data Shortfalls Propelled a Life in Numbers | Cosmin Pitigoi, CFO, Flywire
Arriving at a high school in Cape Town, South Africa, without speaking English, Cosmin Pitigoi faced an immediate communication challenge. Yet he refused to be deterred, immersing himself in language studies and expanding his vocabulary so he could thrive in the classroom. Years later, that same resolve reemerged in eBay’s IR function, where Pitigoi realized…
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Strategic AI Adoption in Finance: CFO Hetu Patel at Thrive Market
Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Hetu Patel explains how Thrive Market leverages AI for a competitive edge. He highlights the success of AI-driven product recommendations that enhance new member experiences, the promising use of generative AI in member services, and AI’s powerful role in marketing creativity and operational efficiency. Patel emphasizes fast-follower strategies for adopting […]
1062: Scaling with Purpose and Profit | Hetu Patel, CFO, Thrive Market
Four years into his 12-year career chapter at Amazon, Hetu Patel was appointed Finance Director for Prime—a role he credits with opening his eyes to strategic finance. In the days ahead Patel would be handed a milestone assignment, where he worked on a groundbreaking framework attributing the total value of Prime membership to each bundled…
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Leading Through Windfalls: CFO Guidance on Secondary Transactions
Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Kfir Lippmann dives into the lesser-known yet critical impact of secondary transactions. While IPO preparation is high-stakes, these transactions can dramatically affect morale—especially when younger employees receive large sums quickly. Lippmann emphasizes coaching them on responsible spending and long-term thinking, rather than letting sudden wealth create divisions. Balancing transparency, fairness, […]
1061: Innovate, Scale, Repeat: A CFO’s Blueprint for Rapid Expansion | Kfir Lippmann, CFO, Salt Security
CFO Kfir Lippmann began his career at Ernst & Young in Tel Aviv, auditing high-growth tech clients and navigating the intricacies of IPO-bound businesses. The experience gave him a deep understanding of strategic finance early on, Lippmann tells us. Later, he joined Monday.com when it was still a small startup, helping scale the organization through…
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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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1057: Building Strategic Value: Inside the Finance Engine Room | Georgy Egorov, CFO, ZeroAvia
“Maybe it was a little bit of beginner’s luck,” Georgy Egorov tells us, reflecting on his first CFO appointment at a biotech startup. Although the life sciences firm’s blend of knowledge-driven resources and AI placed it at the forefront of drug discovery innovation, Egorov identified a critical vulnerability: the company’s model depended too heavily on…
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AI & Cloud Transitions: CFO Zack Johnson on Future-Ready Finance
1056: The Three Ps: A Data-Driven Approach to Sustainable Growth | Zach Johnson, CFO, Cribl
Ask any business manager about the “three Ps in business” and they will likely say People, Process, and Product. However, ask any finance team member at Cribl that question, and you’ll likely hear a different answer: Precision, Predictability, and Performance. These are the three Ps that guide CFO Zach Johnson’s data-driven approach to financial leadership.…
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