The Source for CFO Thought Leadership

people

982: Blending Alcohol and E-commerce | Matt Wolf, CFO, DRINKS

Twelve years ago, when Matt Wolf was an investment banker at Morgan Stanley, he likely would have been alarmed to learn that his future finance career would be largely impacted by drinking and driving. Such was his destiny, though, as after a 5-year stint with the investment bank in London and New York he began…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:37:51)
Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifyWhere to ListenSurveyLinkedInLinkedIn

The Mentoring Round | Chermaine Hu, CFO, Episode Six

Te Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Chermaine Hu tells us how her early uncertainty about entering the investment banking world led her to seek roles that allowed for perpetual growth and self-improvement. Moving to New York and not getting a promotion taught her two critical lessons: the indispensability of building strong relationships within the organization […]

979: The Changing Stripes of Finance Leadership | Chermaine Hu, CFO, Episode Six

At the very beginning of our talk with CFO Chermaine Hu, she revealed an irony about the CFO title that we rarely get to expose. To wit: The very title toward which any executive has invested so many illustrious career years conveys ownership of what might seem to be a less than illustrious role—or at…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:56:54)
Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifyWhere to ListenSurveyLinkedInLinkedIn

The Mentoring Round | Jeff Woolard, CFO, Velocity Global

Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Jeff Woolard shares an example from Intel where finance’s broad view helped realign the product roadmap with market demands, enhancing margins. Woolard advocates a structured decision-making process to navigate uncertainties effectively. He stresses the importance of not just operational efficiency but also actively seeking opportunities to enhance the firm’s value.

978: From Silicon Roots to Global Routes | Jeff Woolard, CFO, Velocity Global

Looking back at his 26 years at Intel Corp., Jeff Woolard has more than a few moments of important discernment from which to choose when we ask for a single finance strategic moment. Nevertheless, without hesitation, he takes us back in time to when the giant chipmaker was experiencing a recurring mismatch between the products…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:57:07)
Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifyWhere to ListenSurveyLinkedInLinkedIn

977: Unlocking Rep Performance for Sales Success in Tech | David Freeman, CFO, Starburst

Joining Intel Corp. in 1999 as a recent college graduate, David Freeman began his finance career as part of the tech giant’s plus-size finance team that supported various business groups. Looking back, Freeman finds that few aspects of the tech giant’s business were more influential in shaping his early career years than the company’s direct…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:47:55)
Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifyWhere to ListenSurveyLinkedInLinkedIn

Ep 32: Operating IN and ON the Business

Planning Aces co-hosts Brett Knowles and Jack Sweeney discuss the strategic efforts of two CFOs leading organizational turnarounds, and a third CFO, who offers key organizational insights from an earlier career chapter. Emphasizing simplification, strategic focus, and leveraging both human insight and technology, Marc Suidan of The Beachbody Company, Emma Brown of Medius and David…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:46:55)
1x
0:00
0:46:55
Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifyWhere to ListenSurveyLinkedInLinkedIn

The Mentoring Round | Marc Suidan, CFO, The Beachbody Company

Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Marc Suidan reflects on (1) his decision to join McKinsey & Company following business school, (2) a unique approach to stimulating demand in the semiconductor memory business, (3) and why after 17 years with PwC, he decided to join The Beachbody Company during a pivotal time of turnaround and transformation. […]

975: Turning the Tide at Beachbody | Marc Suidan, CFO, The Beachbody Company

When PwC partner and relentless champion of shareholder value Marc Suidan stepped into the CFO office at The Beachbody Company in April 2022, intrigue was bound to follow. Certainly, a struggling fitness and health company may not be viewed by many as the optimal door-of-entry to the operations side of things. However, for Suidan—a 17-year…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:49:47)
Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifyWhere to ListenSurveyLinkedInLinkedIn

974: Crafting Strategy in a Data-Driven World | Eric Jenny, CFO, SOCi

It's the type of story that we can't resist repeating, and one that without question underscores Eric Jenny's entrepreneurial spirit. Still, the entertainment value of his tale of zapping wasp nests with a homemade rubber band gun for a dollar a pop was at risk of eclipsing the more traditional milestones that populate a career…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:44:16)
Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifyWhere to ListenSurveyLinkedInLinkedIn

972: Recalibrating Your Strategic Lens | Rachel Stack, CFO, Cologix, Inc.

Not unlike that of many of her CFO peers, Rachel Stack's journey toward becoming a CFO has been punctuated by pivotal transactions. No single example of this turns out to have been more complicated or rich with lessons than what Stack refers to simply as "the take-private of Zayo." However, before the path forward for…
Listen to the Episode Below (0:42:47)
Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen in a New WindowDownloadSoundCloudStitcherSubscribe on AndroidSubscribe via RSSSpotifyWhere to ListenSurveyLinkedInLinkedIn

The Mentoring Round | Sam Kemp, CFO, Built

Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Sam Kemp emphasizes the importance of understanding the gap between a business’s formal operating model and the actual, informal ways it functions. Recognizing this gap is crucial for new leaders to gain leverage quickly within an organization or a new division. Looking forward, Sam outlined his top three priorities: ensuring […]