Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Regi Vengalil reflects on his early days as a CFO, sharing the challenges of overcoming imposter syndrome and learning to trust his own voice. He advises his younger self to have confidence in his insights and not hesitate to share strong perspectives. Vengalil highlights a pivotal moment in his career at […]
1,019: The Rewards of Making an Early Exit | Josh Schenker, CFO, Aditude, Inc.
Josh Schenker may well be the only CFO we've interviewed who claims to have dropped out of high school—which he actually did, sort of. In order to accelerate his academic ascendance, Schenker passed the General Educational Development (GED) test, which in turn allowed him to enroll at college ahead of schedule. "I never received a…
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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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970: Growing in Good Company | Dennis Johnson, CFO, Qlik
It's an all-too-familiar tale among the ranks of senior finance executives: A private equity firm acquires a company, reshuffles the finance team, and reserves the top finance spot for one of its own portfolio CFOs. At Qlik, though, this story had a less familiar ending—or at least one that did not include a portfolio CFO.…
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969: The Human Equation in Finance | Elizabeth Mann, CFO, Verisk
Elizabeth Mann began her career as a mathematician in academia, spending a decade in the field. Her initial plan had been to become a professor, on a path that would start with a Ph.D. and a postdoc. However, something was missing. Eager to engage more directly with the world at large, she pivoted her career…
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The Mentoring Round | Emma Brown, CFO, Medius
CFO Emma Brown’s pivotal career theme is simplification. In a high-pressure turnaround, she realized that complexity hindered understanding. Stripping back to basics, she rebuilt a cash flow, cutting through complexities to identify and solve underlying business problems. This approach, simplifying structures and focusing on essentials, transformed a $40 million loss into a $15 million profit. […]
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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936: Where the Puck Is Headed | Michelle Hook, CFO, Portillo’s
It was late 2020 when Michelle Hook ended 17 years of fruitful career-building at Domino's to accept a CFO appointment at fast casual restaurant chain Portillo’s. “The two things that I was looking for were to be passionate about a new brand and to feel a culture fit,” recalls Hook, who adds that she…
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933: When Transparency Drives Profits | Charly Kevers, CFO, Carta
When Charly Kevers took his mentor’s advice and swapped a corporate development role at Hewlett-Packard for a tour of duty as a director of HP’s investor relations arm, he looked forward to tackling a variety of IR requisites, including crafting the messaging that follows a change at the top. Two years and four HP CEOs…
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885: Landing Your Career’s “Pivot Position” | Robert Mitchell, CFO, Zepz
Robert Mitchell had been sizing up new venture opportunities for PayPal for roughly 3 years when the door to an operations role swung open. Impressed by his financial modeling know-how, Mitchell tells us, PayPal’s credit bosses “handpicked” him to create a framework for launching and monitoring new credit offerings. For Mitchell, there was no turning…
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