In this Planning Aces episode, Jack Sweeney and thought leader Brett Knowles explore FP&A lessons from three CFOs tackling AI’s promise and limits. Craig Foster (Pax8) sees AI as an efficiency engine, projecting “20% more with 20% less” via agentic tools across functions and for SMBs. David Obstler (Datadog) outlines monetization—AI-native demand, LLM-powered products, and […]
1133: Finance That Explains (and Scales) the Why | Kimberlee Duval, CFO, Cymbiotika
When Kimberlee Duval arrived at Cymbiotika, the wellness company was preparing a leap few bootstrapped brands attempt—moving from direct-to-consumer to retail shelves. “Our two owners, Charlene and Shahab, have done everything direct,” she tells us. “They wanted to build an organization for the long term.” That resolve led the company to take on debt rather…
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From Experiments to Engines: Scaling the Mid-Market | Steve Sutter CFO, Celigo
Within 72 hours of becoming CFO at Elance, Steve Sutter uncovered that thousands of customer account balances were commingled with corporate cash—an oversight with serious compliance risk. He immediately convened the board, secured nearly $20 million to correct the issue, and implemented proper segregation—restoring financial integrity and safeguarding the company’s future transactions. Now Watch the […]
1132: Infrastructure First: Where AI Actually Adds Up | Steve Sutter, CFO, Celigo
When Steve Sutter joined Celigo five years ago, he stepped into a company positioned not as another SaaS app but as what he calls “the infrastructure, the piping, the plumbing” of business automation. Celigo, he tells us, moves data between systems like Salesforce, NetSuite, and Snowflake so companies can “create very sophisticated business processes” without…
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Acquisitions As Customer Experience Strategy | Beth Gaspich, CFO, NiCE
Beth Gaspich recalls ringing the NYSE bell in 2008 as RiskMetrics went public amid extreme market volatility. After months of S-1 prep and roadshows, the decision to proceed came “down to the wire.” Executing successfully proved the value of preparation, decisive timing, and clear investor storytelling in uncertain markets. Now Watch our Complete Episode Featuring […]
1131: Building an AI-Ready Finance Engine | Beth Gaspich, CFO, NiCE
In 2008, Beth Gaspich stood on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, ringing the bell as RiskMetrics went public. What made the moment extraordinary was its timing—amid one of the most volatile markets in decades. The IPO decision, she tells us, came “down to the wire.” After months of preparing the S-1, long…
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When Data and AI Reshape Precision Medicine
Jim Rogers applied lessons from Groupon’s rapid growth by steering Tempus toward disciplined expansion. He prioritized oncology as the core focus, deferring broader disease or international moves until sustainable, long-term growth could be assured—ensuring strategy aligned with impact without disrupting day-to-day operations. Now Watch the Complete Episode Featuring CFO Jim Rogers of Tempus AI Jim […]
1123: From Accounting Rigor to Strategic Leadership | Jim Rogers, CFO Tempus AI
The pivot began when Jim Rogers raised his hand. Groupon was shifting from mobile daily deals to a goods business in Europe, and—still early in his career—he volunteered to help lead the finance work. That step, he tells us, bridged his path from technical accounting into FP&A and set a pattern: seek out the build…
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1122: Capital Allocation as a CFO’s North Star | Chris Miorin, CFO, apexanalytix
Chris Miorin’s path to the CFO office began in a crucible of leadership. At West Point, and later at Ranger School, he was forged in environments designed to test resolve. Commissioned shortly after 9/11, he knew combat was certain. Leading an infantry platoon in Iraq, he found himself working side-by-side with a colonel “30 years…
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1120: Navigating Growth, Crisis, and the AI Revolution | Eric Brown, CFO, Cohesity
Eric Brown vividly recalls his trial by fire at MicroStrategy. Joining a subsidiary, he expected to help deploy hundreds of millions from a planned secondary raise. Instead, “the parent company had a restatement…raised zero,” he tells us. Elevated to CFO, he faced layoffs of two-thirds of staff and operating margins at -40%. Over three years,…
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Balancing Profitability and Expansion in SaaS | Andrew Casey, CFO, Amplitude
At ServiceNow, Andrew Casey learned that transformation succeeds through disciplined change management, not speed. By focusing on three major initiatives—comp plans, territory design, and customer success—he drove customer‑centric growth while reinforcing the right behaviors. This “rule of three” approach now guides multi‑year transformations at Amplitude, aligning teams, processes, and metrics for sustainable ARR expansion. Andrew […]
1118: Partnering for Growth: Finance Meets Customer-Centricity | Andrew Casey, CFO, Amplitude
Andrew Casey remembers a moment when colleagues truly looked to finance for leadership. At ServiceNow, a then‑$400 million company with little go‑to‑market infrastructure, the team faced a long list of missing elements: no functioning comp plan, no partner ecosystem, and no clear strategy for scaling sales. “Whenever people said they didn’t know how,” Casey recalls, “I…
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