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 […]
Ep 37: Navigating Communication Challenges
This episode Jack an Brett discuss the commentary of the three Planning Aces, CFO Sandeep Aujla from Intuit, CFO Shelagh Glaser from Synopsys, and CFO Seth Wunder from Acorns. Each Planning Ace highlights their distinct approaches to strategic finance, organizational structure, communication, and business growth. Interestingly, while all three CFOs highlight the importance of strategic…
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The Mentoring Round | Michael O’Grady, CFO, Permutive
Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Michael O’Grady explains how he initially struggled to understand why he wasn’t succeeding despite positive feedback from colleagues. O’Grady explains how he developed strategies to block time for important tasks and manage daily operational duties more efficiently. O’Grady Highlights the importance of clear communication and education about key financial metrics […]
1,002: Transforming Retail: A Strategic Journey | Joan Hilson, CFO, Signet Jewelers
When David's Bridal, a New York City staple, filed for bankruptcy in 2018, Joan Hilson was at the helm as CFO. The experience was a crucible, teaching her invaluable lessons about crisis management and strategic pivoting. "Navigating the bankruptcy of David's Bridal forced me to re-evaluate our strategies and become more resilient," Hilson recalls. This…
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999: A Bias for Action | Jason Godley, CFO, Xactly
On a remote Wyoming cattle ranch, young Jason Godley faced a dire situation: The baler attached to his tractor had suddenly caught fire. Alone, with no immediate help and devoid of modern conveniences like a cell phones 12-year-old Godley had to think quickly and act decisively. His decision to drive to a neighbor’s house to…
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998: Margins, Metrics, and Payments | Lawrence Herman, CFO, Dwolla
Lawrence Herman's path to becoming a CFO unfolded through a series of experiences that changed his understanding of the finance world, beginning with his initial role at Goldman Sachs. Here, in the crucible of intense market dynamics, Herman cut his teeth on complex financial models, where the rigor of long hours refined his capacity to…
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Ep 34: From Rearview to Road Ahead
On our latest episode three forward looking Planning Aces shared deep insights into optimizing financial performance. The conversation highlighted the significance of predictive metrics and proactive financial planning, with a strong focus on leading indicators to guide business strategies. Detailed exploration of operational efficiencies, particularly in sales and marketing, was discussed as a method to improve…
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995: Embracing Change to Energize Your Career | Dan Murphy, CFO, Commercetools
The way that Dan Murphy sees it, the CFO position demands that leaders always be kept on high alert. This is a mindset that has led him to habitually monitor updates and alerts related to key vendors, including banking institutions. And so it was, in first quarter of 2023, that he spotted a vague tweet…
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The Mentoring Round | Jennifer Loo, CFO, Tala
Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Jennifer Loo explains why the metric of customer lifetime value (CLV) is her core indicator of business performance, emphasizing the importance of delivering value to customers and understanding their engagement and commitment. Loo emphasizes the importance of finance professionals keeping their “heads up” — engaging beyond spreadsheets to understand broader […]
987: May the Road Rise to Meet You | Jennifer Loo, CFO, Tala
Back in 2009, with a law degree in hand along with a smattering of frontline consulting experience, Jennifer Loo swung open the door at LegalZoom—where in short order she was tasked with architecting the fast-growing company's FP&A function from the ground up. For Loo, the responsibilities that would quickly surface at LegalZoom did not necessarily…
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898: Making Finance Proactively Persuasive | Russell Lester, CFO, Versapay
By the time Russell Lester landed inside Intuit’s department of analysis in 2009, the unremarkable career path on which he had first set out nearly 10 years earlier had become brimming with possibilities. Back in the early 2000s, Lester tells us, he was hired by the company Harland Clarke (now Vericast) as an analyst specializing…
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896: Why Context Trumps Playbooks | Aneal Vallurupalli, CFO, Airbase
Back in 2010, when the flow of hiring by investment banks had been reduced to a meager trickle of new faces in the wake of the economic downturn, Aneal Vallurupalli walked through the doors of San Francisco's Union Square Advisors. For Vallurupalli—a recent graduate of a Bay Area college not necessarily known as a…
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