CFO Thought Leader

You read the numbers—but miss the decisions Marc Mehlman learned this running a ~$1B business: Numbers explain outcomes Decisions explain everything Miss the drivers → miss the future Modern CFO edge = pattern recognition

You can’t fix slowing growth with optimism alone At Twilio, Aidan Viggiano led a full reset: layoffs, comp redesign, leadership changes The rule: do what you said you would do

You track AI output—but miss its real value Marc Mehlman’s take: Code volume ≠ impact Efficiency + avoided work = impact Call abandonment > speed

You’re thinking finance—AI demands enterprise leadership Michael Perica (Rimini Street): CFO + CIO alignment is now critical AI isn’t a finance tool—it’s enterprise-wide The role has shifted to forward strategy A watershed moment for CFOs.

Tony MacDonald of Sama learned this inside large, high-performing organizations: Executives expect clarity—not agreement Facts matter more than opinions Listening matters as much as speaking He built credibility by delivering hard truths.

AI isn’t just IT anymore—it’s strategy. Akin Adekeye explains the shift: When AI shapes hiring decisions When it drives capital allocation When competitors are already using it That’s when the board needs visibility. Think cybersecurity: Ignored 10 years ago → core today

You can’t understand a business from spreadsheets alone.

What prepares someone to become a CFO? For Lucanet CFO Alistair Gurney, the answer traces back to an early career chapter inside Deloitte’s restructuring practice. cfoeq.substack.com

Why is consolidation still one of finance’s hardest problems? According to Lucanet CFO Alistair Gurney, the answer lies in the structure of modern companies.

Do CFOs still need to replace QuickBooks to prove growth? For many finance leaders, that moment has become something of an unofficial milestone—proof the company has reached its next stage of growth.

Revenue was growing. Sales quotas were being met. But something didn’t feel right. Early in his career, CFO Intekhab Nazeer of Lineaje noticed a troubling pattern—cash burn was rising even as revenue targets were being achieved.

Precision doesn’t change organizations—influence does.

Patience may be the most underrated CFO skill. In our latest CFO EQ, Tucker Marshall of The JM Smucker Company shares a story you’ll see immediately in the short “Fast Views” video — how he once tried to get a job cutting lawns at Smucker… and didn’t get it.

In finance, integrity requires more than just following the rules. Early in his journey, long before his leadership at C Spire, Derek Doyle entered a CEO's office after his company dethroned a 70-year incumbent auditor. #FinanceIntegrity #Leadership

Most executives confuse access with influence. CFO Sam Kemp reflects on how he shifted from being a Wall Street “mouthpiece” to becoming a trusted strategic sounding board.

Growth without economics is just drift. Earlier in his career at Ceres, Manu Diwakar faced a classic venture-backed temptation: scale what you’ve launched.

Curiosity may be a CFO’s most underused advantage. Early in her career—while leading strategic finance at MoneyLion—Sruthi Lanka realized something wasn’t working.

You don’t outgrow preparation—you compound it. Before leading finance at Calendly, John McCauley learned leadership in a far less obvious place: a high-school pool deck in San Diego. The rule was unforgiving: Win or lose, did you do everything possible to succeed?

You can’t demand results before designing the team.

How CFOs Turn Customer Insight Into Predictable Growth In this Finance Strategic Moment, Kevin Rubin looks back on a pivotal chapter from his time at Alteryx—when a shift in pricing strategy forced the finance team to rethink how growth really happens.