CFO THOUGHT LEADER

Back in 2009, with a law degree in hand along with some 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 would not only challenge and meet Loo's career ambitions head on, but give rise to an entire career path, bringing with it her education, distinct capabilities, and potential. Suddenly, her diverse background, bridging the analytical rigor of consulting with the strategic nuance of legal training, made her uniquely equipped for the challenges of shaping a nascent finance function in a fast-evolving company.Meanwhile, Loo tells us, she benefited from a CFO mentor who demonstrated faith in her potential to spearhead such a critical undertaking. In her ascent, CFO Loo proved that when you're ready to embrace your unique path, indeed, the road does rise to meet you.

In a special episode of CFO Thought Leader, host Jack Sweeney converses with Evan Goldberg, Founder and Executive Vice President of Oracle NetSuite, during this month's  SuiteConnect conference in NYC.  Goldberg reflects on the company's 25 year journey, emphasizing its foundational vision that championed a unified business management suite. Goldberg also sheds light on the invaluable mentorship from Larry Ellison, Oracle's co-founder, which uniquely positioned NetSuite for success. As the discussion unfolds, Goldberg candidly shares his evolution from a product-focused executive to a versatile leader, adapting to the multifaceted challenges of a growing company. Peering into the future, the conversation pivots to artificial intelligence (AI), highlighting its indispensable role across industries. Goldberg envisions AI not just as a tool for tech companies but as a democratized asset NetSuite provides to empower businesses of all types. The dialogue further explores the shifting landscape for finance professionals, underscoring the strategic importance of technology in driving collaboration and innovation within organizations. Through this engaging dialogue, Goldberg's insights offer a compelling glimpse into NetSuite's past achievements and its forward-looking embrace of AI to shape the future of business.

Erin Sawyer, CFO at Certinia, shares her journey from accounting to CFO, emphasizing the importance of mentors and operational excellence. She discusses leveraging data for business value, integrating AI for growth, and navigating challenges as a CFO. Sawyer also highlights personal growth, motivation for improvement, and prioritizing technology for success.

As Pactum AI embarks on a pivotal phase of commercialization, the arrival of Sarah Alper in the AI-driven company’s CFO office is by no means a coincidence.Having transitioned from structured finance roles at General Electric to the dynamic environment of UiPath, Alper now brings to the table a blend of experience in operational finance, strategic planning, and transformational technologies that arguably made her an optimal CFO candidate.Looking back, Alper tells us, her leap from GE to the high-velocity world of tech start-ups afforded her the opportunity to help to execute a finance transformation while participating in strategic decision-making and investor relations, culminating in a front-row seat at UiPath’s initial public offering (IPO).Alper is now channeling her expertise toward refining Pactum AI’s go-to-market strategy, which includes the critical task of pricing and packaging the AI company’s negotiation offerings to make certain that they appeal to a broad spectrum of enterprises seeking to enhance their negotiation capabilities.

In this episode of Controllers Classified, Brex CAO Eric Zhou is joined by Daniel Hilli, Head of Business Control at Alstom. Alstom is a multinational company that builds and services trains and signaling systems. In fact, millions of people everyday are transported by Alstom trains and systems. Given the size of the company, this episode focuses on how to implement and manage financial processes across different regions and systems at scale. This includes dialogue around when to centralize vs. decentralize reporting and budgeting processes, how to find efficiencies through digitalization and tool consolidation, and the best way to build lines of communication across global teams. Daniel also does a deep dive into Alstom’s acquisition of Bombardier and the integration implications that followed - including how to bring together disparate teams and technology and how to gain a holistic financial picture of the business and its spend in a post-acquisition environment.

Bob Purcell’s leap into the unknown wasn’t just a step; it was a giant stride toward his future as a CFO. Early in his career, Bob faced a daunting choice: join a distressed company teetering on the brink of failure or play it safe. Driven by an unshakeable belief in his abilities and a desire to test himself, he chose the former. This high-risk, high-return career step wasn’t just about salvaging a company; it was about proving to himself that he could navigate the stormiest of waters.From his initial misgivings about audit work at Deloitte to his transformative years at Amgen, where he thrived in a culture of leadership development and diversity, CFO Purcell’s journey was anything but linear. It was a patchwork of decisions and strategic moves, each building on the last.By stepping away from the comfort of well-trodden paths and embracing the unknown, CFO Purcell tells us he was able to test himself in different environments. His story encourages aspiring finance leaders to embrace challenges, trust their capabilities, and never shy away from opportunities to test themselves.As CFO of Billtrust, Purcell is today focused on creating the right set of metrics (KPIs) for the company, preparing for growth through acquisitions, ensuring efficient operations, and fostering a diverse talent bench within the finance team.Asked about the early career leap he today credits with landing him on the CFO path, Purcell tells us he recalls experiencing few butterflies.He adds: “I knew I was right. I knew I was ready.”

In the world of finance, where leadership roles await those who distinguish themselves along a select number of familiar paths, Aaron Alt’s journey to becoming a CFO stands out for its breadth and depth, transcending conventional boundaries.Starting in law, Alt quickly found his groove inside the legal world’s cornucopia of M&A advisory services. It was here where he would realize the potency of focusing beyond legal parameters—a habit that would spur a pivotal shift in his career from emphasizing legal details to prioritizing relationships and financial strategy.From the trenches of M&A advisory to the executive suites of public companies, Alt tells us, his foundational philosophy has always revolved around the relentless pursuit of shareholder value creation—a mission that involves uncovering hidden opportunities and fortifying against potential threats.“It’s allowed me to look under a lot of rocks,” Alt reflects, underscoring his commitment to safeguarding and nurturing corporate value. It’s just such devotion that 15 months ago led him to step into the CFO office at healthcare giant Cardinal Health.Alt joined the healthcare company shortly after Cardinal had welcomed a larger and more diverse board as the result of an agreement with an activist investor firm. As part of a broader turnaround plan, Alt’s expertise is now expected to be instrumental in navigating the challenges and opportunities ahead at Cardinal, underlining the company’s readiness to embrace change and foster growth for all stakeholders. To date, a comprehensive self-review of the healthcare giant’s business remains ongoing.“We’re very focused on making sure that we are generating cash flow everywhere that we can—and we believe that if we’re consistent in our strategy and clear on our metrics for success, we can get a lot of things done together,” comments Alt, who during our discussion also offers up a strategic lesson from his tenure at Target, specifically regarding the retailer’s decision to exit the Canadian market gracefully.Says Alt: “This was one of the hardest working experiences that I’ve had, and its message has stuck with me even as I’ve needed to think about other business problems: You really need to keep an eye on the fact that at the end of the day, even as CFO, it’s not just about the numbers.” –Jack Sweeney 

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 to fill in his itinerary with positions in both the automotive and alcohol industries—most recently, as the CFO at DRINKS, a company at the forefront of e-commerce solutions in the beverage alcohol space.According to Wolf, his career began on a foundation of data analytics at Economists Incorporated in Washington, D.C., where he navigated the complexities of antitrust matters. This early experience instilled in him a nuanced understanding of the financial world and fueled a trajectory that would seamlessly blend traditional finance with industry regulation.In the alcohol industry, this regulatory backdrop traces back to Prohibition, which resulted in varied state-by-state regulations. What’s more, Wolf points out, both the automotive and alcohol sectors feature tiered markets with distinct roles for retailers, distributors, and manufacturers, alongside legal frameworks deeply rooted in historical context.According to Wolf, these similarities have contributed to a slower adoption of digital retail solutions in both fields, as compared to others.When asked about his “drinking and driving,” Wolf smiles: “The humor is not lost on me, but I think that in fact there are a lot of parallels between the two sectors that enable me to leverage experience from one to the other.” –Jack Sweeney 

Jakson Peters's journey from humble beginnings to becoming a global CFO is a tale adaptability, and continuous learning. Born in Brazil, he had initial career expectations far removed from the finance world that had their roots in the start of his working life as part of the family's milk delivery business. This early experience, so remote from his eventual home in the c-suite, laid the foundation for his future success, he explains.. From 1998 to 2002, Peters worked for DaimlerChrysler in São Paulo, a stint that marked the beginning of a corporate finance trajectory that would eventually lead the young financial planner to embark on a journey of self-improvement that would include mastering English and pursuing an MBA from Wharton in United States. With the latter in hand, Peters returned to Brazil to serve as a member of Mondelēz International's FP&A team before stepping into a number of CFO roles with midsize firms. Transitioning from his established Brazilian CFO credentials, Peters next embraced the challenge of moving to Malaysia. This move represented not just a change of location but also a leap into a new cultural and business landscape. In Malaysia, tasked with navigating the complexities of merging two competing online businesses, Peters learned how to communicate and lead in a cultural setting where "yes" can mean different things. After 4 years in Malaysia, Peters resumed his journey by moving to Dubai, where he was appointed CFO of Property Finder, a leading online real estate marketplace. Here, he leveraged his online experience to drive the company forward in the vibrant expatriate community that characterizes Dubai's business landscape. Peters's time in Dubai was not about just professional growth, though—it was about contributing to a thriving business ecosystem and reinforcing to all that his path from Brazil to international shores was continuing to be a narrative of constant learning and leadership evolution.

On this episode of Controllers Classified, host Eric Zhou welcomes Sean Soper, the Head of Financial Operations and Accounting at Alchemy, to shed light on the disruptive technologies shaping the trajectory of accounting and finance. Alchemy provides the leading blockchain development platform and as such, much of the conversation narrows in on the possible applications of blockchain in accounting. Sean begins the discussion highlighting his experience working across companies that have revolutionized whole industries with new technology. He notes that a large part of his success at these companies has been from remaining curious and developing deep industry knowledge that guides how he approaches his accounting processes and procedures. Sean then outlines his priorities in his current role at Alchemy, which include optimizing the financial close process, fine tuning reporting and analytics, and managing cash.