CFO Thought Leader

It was a pivotal moment Brian Robbins tells us he’ll never forget: stepping onto a makeshift stage to address some 400 employees just minutes before a key 8-K filing would publicly announce the potential sale of a major business unit. The room bristled with anxiety—people worried about their jobs and the future of the company. Robbins recalls that, instead of relying on scripted talking points, he spoke from the heart and vowed to keep everyone informed as events unfolded. By offering that openness, he reinforced his belief that finance isn’t just about numbers, but about building trust and forging a clear path forward. Today, that spirit of transparent communication fuels Robbins’s approach as CFO. Above all, he prioritizes strong relationships across every organizational function, from sales and marketing to product and engineering. This is why go-to-market execution, he explains, has become the centerpiece of his strategic leadership. Robbins embeds dedicated finance professionals alongside revenue-focused teams, helping to fine-tune territory splits, refine pricing, and calibrate product positioning based on real-time data. Now Listen

Tim Arndt still remembers the urgency in the air when AMB Property Corporation decided to merge with Prologis at the height of the financial crisis. It was, as he describes, “a merger of equals,” but Arndt tells us that, in the end, it was the legacy management of AMB that would lead the newly formed Prologis. The “equal” nature of the deal belied a deeper reshuffling of leadership, with AMB’s team rising to steer the new entity and Arndt finding himself on the CFO path. Fresh from this integration, Arndt tells us, he learned one of his most valuable lessons: staying agile and raising your hand for new opportunities is critical when your environment is in flux. He found himself immersed in evolving structures, from investor relations to strategic funding, honing a flexible leadership style that balanced risk management with forward-thinking vision. Today, as CFO of Prologis, Arndt credits this experience for shaping his strategic mindset. By leaning into the complexities of merging companies—where cultures, processes, and people collide—he discovered that strong financial leadership isn’t just about spreadsheets and metrics; it’s about stewarding a newly formed organization toward stability and growth. That early trial taught him to embrace change rather than fear it, which is precisely how he continues to guide Prologis into future opportunities.

It was a moment that would shape Erik Swenson’s approach to finance forever. As a co-op student at Northeastern University, he found himself in front of a room full of engineers, presenting financial metrics he had carefully compiled. When the meeting ended, one of the engineers approached him and said, “That was interesting, but it doesn’t mean anything to me. I make the product.” The comment struck a nerve. Driving home that evening, Swenson couldn’t shake the realization—numbers alone don’t drive a business; they need to connect to the people building it. That early lesson in financial storytelling set the foundation for a career built on bridging finance with operations. Swenson tells us his path wasn’t a straight line—he originally pursued computer science before pivoting to economics and then accounting. After early roles in financial analysis, he spent 15 years moving through finance leadership positions at Danaher, where he sharpened his ability to translate financial insights into business decisions. When IDT tapped him to be CFO in 2018, Swenson faced a challenge that tested his adaptability. As he tells us, the company had a strong accounting foundation but needed deeper financial analysis to support its innovation-driven growth. He immediately set to work embedding finance into IDT’s decision-making, ensuring the function wasn’t just reporting numbers but helping shape the company’s strategic direction. “It’s not just about getting the numbers right,” Swenson explains, “it’s about making sure those numbers mean something for the business.”

It was a moment of “shock and awe” that Jason Lee says shapes his strategic mindset. Soon after joining Square, he discovered a major partnership with Starbucks that was quietly bleeding millions of dollars and threatened Square’s financial runway. “We had to swarm the problem,” Lee tells us. The team renegotiated terms and preserved the company’s stability—a crucial lesson in vigilance and swift action. Lee’s path to that pivotal juncture began in investment banking and private equity, where he gained perspective on what makes companies thrive. Years later, as he moved from corporate development into investor relations and financial strategy at Square, he refined his approach to measuring ROI, understanding key business drivers, and aligning capital investment with sustainable growth. During Square’s IPO process, Lee learned how investor feedback refines product strategy and strengthens customer relationships. Today, as CFO of Faire, Lee keeps the same principle front and center: gain visibility first. “If you don’t know where your money goes, you can’t optimize the outcome,” he tells us. This insistence on clear metrics is part of a broader philosophy that financial leaders must do more than simply balance books. They must articulate how each investment—whether for short-term gains or long-term positioning—serves an overarching goal. That pragmatic yet visionary perspective is evident in Lee’s readiness to address risk head-on, allocate resources smartly, and engage stakeholders with clarity. In his view, a successful CFO not only safeguards the bottom line but fosters an

The moment 2X secured private equity backing in March 2023, CFO Brandon Sullivan knew expectations would shift overnight. “There’s gonna be a press release,” he remembers thinking. “Our new PE partners will open up a treasure chest of relationships for us—we need to be ready.” In anticipation, Sullivan and his team ramped up hiring, ensuring 2X had the supply of talent needed to meet the expected surge in demand. But in the six months spent navigating investment negotiations, pipeline oversight had faltered. Revenue didn’t spike as expected. Instead, churn crept up. “We had holes we hadn’t paid attention to,” Sullivan tells us. “And the benefits we thought would be immediate weren’t—they needed time to take root.” The result? A painful lesson in timing. They had staffed up, but business momentum had stalled, sending gross margin percentages downward month after month. The wake-up call came swiftly—a tough conversation with the PE board. “It was needed,” he admits. “The realization hit: Monthly reporting was too infrequent for a dynamic business like ours.”

Stuart Leung had occupied the CFO office at Flexport for only a few months when he realized the supply chain management company’s growing margin pressures stemmed not from a single root cause but from many. From pricing misalignment to invoice errors, Leung had compiled a lengthy list of snags. Along the way, he began empowering the people closest to each issue to drive the necessary improvements. By implementing more than 15 “big rock” initiatives—tracked through monthly reviews—Flexport rapidly identified, tested, and refined solutions. This cross-functional, data-centric effort not only began restoring margins but also created a replicable model of continuous improvement. That turnaround effort, Leung tells us, echoed lessons he learned earlier in his career. As a young analyst at an investment bank, he quickly discovered how fundamental analysis and modeling could uncover hidden risks. Later, private equity taught him the vital link between operational decisions and financial outcomes—a perspective he solidified while leading finance and supply chain for a small consumer brand. When he encountered Flexport as a paying customer, its tech platform so thoroughly simplified his logistics challenges that he became a believer in its end-to-end visibility.

Trintech CFO Omar Choucair is increasingly turning to AI as a strategic advantage—building teams, refining data “plumbing,” and automating time-consuming processes. His strategic mindset, honed by years of thriving in unpredictable environments, drives him to embrace AI as a catalyst for operational efficiency and transformative growth. Choucair tells us that his approach centers on leveraging AI to unlock competitive insights, streamline decision-making, and propel Trintech ahead in the rapidly evolving landscape of finance and technology.

It was an impromptu meeting Gantus will never forget. One day at Tesla, the company’s then-President of Automotive, Jérôme Guillen, pulled her aside, whispering about a decision Elon Musk was leaning toward. Guillen—who led the automaker’s push for production scale and supply chain agility—believed a different path could better serve the company, but needed someone with operational and financial data at her fingertips. “Let’s go talk to him—just you and me,” Guillen said. Standing before Musk, Gantus walked through cost impacts and strategic trade-offs, methodically highlighting why their plan would outperform the existing direction. She recounts feeling a rush of excitement when Musk ultimately changed course, calling it key to her growth. That moment encapsulates Gantus’s rapid ascent from Tesla’s first corporate FP&A hire to a finance leader shaping billion-dollar decisions. Her approach has always been about embedding finance in day-to-day operations, whether rethinking shift schedules, optimizing inventory, or forging data-driven paths for emerging initiatives. Sitting alongside engineers and factory managers, she became a trusted partner who refused to let finance stay locked in spreadsheets. Today, as CFO of Mytra AI, Gantus carries forward the mindset that made her indispensable at Tesla. She now steers Mytra AI’s efforts to secure large warehouse contracts and streamline supply chain workflows, forging growth paths. She’s determined to refine her new company’s cost structures, champion a culture of close collaboration, and leverage every insight from the operational trenches. It’s a philosophy built on pragmatism, strategic thinking, and unwavering perseverance—one that began with a tap on the shoulder, data-driven vision, and a fearless willingness to challenge the status quo.

On this episode of Controllers Classified, host Erik Zhou sits down with Brad Silicani, COO of Anrok, to talk about his journey from Big Four accounting to leading operations at a fast-growing tech company. The discussion begins by covering Brad’s transition from audit to client side, and highlights the myriad of roles he held at Dropbox. In his time there he was Controller, tasked with landing a sound revenue recognition method, Head of Tax, focused on developing the right international tax structure prior to IPO, and Treasurer, responsible for managing $2B in cash in a changing interest rate environment. In covering all this, Brad shares how these experiences set him up for success in his current role as COO at Anrok, highlighting why a background in accounting and finance makes him the operations leader he is today. And of course, no modern finance conversation would be complete without tackling the AI revolution. Erik and Brad dig into how automation and AI are reshaping accounting, tax, and treasury functions—not just making processes smoother but fundamentally redefining the role of finance leaders. Whether you're a CFO- OR COO-in-the-making, or just someone who loves hearing behind-the-scenes war stories from hyper-growth companies, this episode delivers sharp insights and great conversation.

Kevin Rhodes recalls one of the earliest lessons in his finance career. “I wanted to understand the business,” he tells us, describing his decision to ride along with a Waste Management truck crew. Clipboard in hand, he meticulously recorded stop distances, tonnage collected, and time spent at each location. By the end of the week, he had compiled a customer-by-customer profitability analysis. The results were clear—routes with clustered stops were highly profitable, while distant, scattered pickups drained resources. When he shared his findings, leadership encouraged him to gather more data. The insights led to an initiative that incentivized sales teams to densify routes, improving efficiency and making Rhodes’s business unit one of the most profitable in the region. The approach became a company-wide standard. This hands-on, data-driven mindset has shaped Rhodes’s leadership across multiple CFO roles. After earning his MBA at Babson College—while working full-time and supporting a growing family—he stepped into his first CFO position at age 32. Since then, he has focused on transforming finance functions beyond traditional reporting, using analytics to guide resource allocation, operational efficiency, and revenue growth. Now at Extreme Networks, Rhodes applies these principles to simplify complex networking solutions and optimize recurring revenue streams. His career illustrates how finance leaders can drive strategy by immersing themselves in operations, leveraging data insights, and aligning financial decisions with long-term business value.

It began with a tense stretch of weeks that Bill Koefoed tells us he won’t soon forget. As OneStream’s CFO, he was juggling the details of going public when a small AI startup called DataSense caught his attention. “We didn’t even have a formal corporate development function,” Koefoed explains, but he threw himself into researching the opportunity. There were skeptics—some board members questioned the timing, while others worried the acquisition might be too costly. Still, the numbers looked promising, and so did the technology. Sitting in late-night calls, Koefoed listened to DataSense’s University of Michigan–trained engineers describe predictive models that could supercharge OneStream’s demand forecasting. “Getting that talent on board could pay huge dividends,” he recalls thinking. Even with the looming IPO, Koefoed pressed ahead, negotiating terms while appeasing wary investors. For Koefoed, AI isn’t a far-off gamble—it’s an immediate strategic lever. By championing technology that marries predictive power with secure financial data, Koefoed tells us he helping steer OneStream toward a future where finance and AI seamlessly intertwine.

It was a puzzle that John Wilson simply couldn’t resist. Intel had long sold processors to the federal government on a commercial basis, but the rising importance of High Performance Computing (HPC) demanded a new approach. Undeterred by the maze of federal acquisition regulations, Wilson volunteered to stand up a dedicated government unit, a move that he tells us helped unlock cutting-edge HPC research. The work took him to the edges of “bleeding-edge technology,” even if it also meant navigating the detailed rigors of government compliance. That knack for transformation would serve Wilson well when he later encountered another pivotal moment: the day the moving truck arrived at his new home in Oregon—just as Intel announced the dissolution of the very business group he was joining. Rather than panic, he thrived, moving on to master complex FP&A and business development roles. It was the same mindset that guided him in standing up an entirely separate legal entity to better serve government contracts, broadening his view of finance from purely operational tasks to strategic decision-making. Today, as CFO of Sabey Data Centers, Wilson continues to fuse vision with pragmatism. He has drawn from his HPC experience—where technology evolves at breakneck speeds—to guide Sabey’s approach to data center design and expansion. Collaborating with teams to manage billion-dollar investments, he remains resolute on two fronts: balancing the need for innovation with disciplined capital allocation, and preserving a culture of “good stewardship” that ensures long-term stability for tenants ranging from tech giants to smaller enterprises.

It was a phone call Amy Butte tells us she will never forget. Lifting the receiver, she heard the familiar voice of her father—an accountant who had always championed her career. But this time, his words were tinged with a curious mixture of praise and amazement. He simply couldn’t fathom how his daughter, who had taken only one accounting class, was now the CFO of the New York Stock Exchange. “Finance leadership is more than numbers,” Butte reminds us, explaining that, for her, success hinges on weaving data into a strategic narrative that shapes decisions. That same flair for bold moves followed her into a pivotal meeting with the NYSE’s new leadership. “How’d you like to be the CFO?” she was asked on the spot, an offer so direct it felt surreal. Butte tells us she immediately saw an opportunity to modernize a centuries-old institution, and within two and a half years—half the time originally planned—she was leading the organization’s transition to a public company. The accelerated timeline tested her agility, forcing her to rethink legacy processes and overhaul entrenched systems. Through it all, she discovered that being an agent of change meant continuously blending operational discipline with forward-thinking ideas.

In this episode of Controllers Classified, Erik Zhou sits down with Karen Wu, the Chief Accounting Officer at Clari, to discuss the role of accounting in a company’s exit strategy. The conversation starts with an overview of Karen’s time in Transaction Services at PWC, where she helped a myriad of companies prepare for IPO - including Alibaba, the largest IPO in US history. Drawing on those experiences, Karen covers the reasons why a company may look for an exit, the types of exit strategies, and the role of the accounting team in those strategies. Specifically, Karen speaks to some ‘musts’ that accounting teams have to get right no matter the exit strategy - things like closing the books on time, ensuring precision and reliability in financial statements, and being able to comply with public company requirements. She speaks to the IPO readiness timeline, and how companies should approach it not just through the lens of accounting and finance, but across all functions. The conversation then pivots to Karen’s time at Clari. She shares her priorities as well as her POV on global accounting processes given the company’s international operations. Her number one piece of advice? Don’t be hesitant to outsource pieces of work to consultants who may have a better handle on local tax policies.

Ashim Gupta, who has evolved from a pre-IPO CFO to now serving as both CFO and COO, is busy redefining the role of finance in driving growth and innovation. Initially focused on strict financial discipline, Gupta’s responsibilities have expanded to integrate long-term growth initiatives with day-to-day operational execution. In our discussion, Gupta explains that funding AI projects at UiPath is guided by a rigorous evaluation framework. “We assess every project based on scalability, efficiency, revenue impact, and strategic differentiation,” he tells us. This disciplined approach ensures that each AI investment not only delivers measurable ROI but also aligns with UiPath’s broader vision of merging AI with automation. Transparent communication with the investment community has been key to this evolution. Gupta emphasizes that clearly articulating milestones and performance metrics is essential as the company’s narrative shifts from its RPA origins to becoming a leader in AI-driven automation, he tells us. This transparency builds trust and demonstrates the strategic value behind each investment decision. Moreover, Gupta’s dual role enables him to balance aggressive AI R&D investments with the demands of core operational priorities. By bridging finance and operations, he ensures that strategic initiatives are effectively executed while maintaining robust financial discipline. As UiPath continues to push the boundaries of automation, Ashim Gupta’s strategic mindset remains central to its sustained success and innovation in the evolving digital landscape.

Like many seasoned finance executives, Damon Fletcher saw Snowflake as a game-changer in cloud-based data management. While a senior finance executive at Tableau, he championed its adoption, recognizing its ability to scale analytics and streamline enterprise data operations. But he also discovered a challenge familiar to many finance leaders—the hidden costs that come with cloud consumption-based pricing. At Tableau, Fletcher tells us, the company’s Snowflake costs grew exponentially, mirroring a broader trend in tech where companies struggle to control cloud spend. This realization led Fletcher beyond the CFO office. In 2023, he co-founded Caliper, a company dedicated to bringing greater cost transparency and AI-powered efficiency to cloud spending. Fletcher tells us that AI is central to Caliper’s approach. The platform leverages machine learning forecasting to predict cloud usage trends and generative AI to surface actionable cost-saving recommendations. Unlike traditional cloud cost tools, Caliper provides deep insights across Snowflake, AWS, and Datadog, allowing finance and DevOps teams to pinpoint inefficiencies in real time.

Early in his career, Lior Maza chose to immerse himself in smaller, venture-backed startups instead of large enterprises—a move that exposed him to an array of responsibilities, from fundraising, recruiting to crisis management. “When you’re in a small team,” Maza tells us, “you end up doing everything, and that’s where the agility mindset really takes root.” Years later, after honing his skills in larger organizations, he joined Priority Software, an established yet agile cloud ERP firm. Under his guidance, the finance function embraced new performance measurements—focusing on recurring revenue, net retention, and churn—to manage a transition from traditional licensing to a SaaS model. “Agile finance leadership,” Maza tells us, “is about looking beyond immediate metrics and creating frameworks that drive long-term value.”

Bill Korn approaches board leadership with the same strategic, forward-thinking mindset that defined his CFO career. He believes a board member's role extends beyond governance to actively supporting company growth, shaping financial discipline, and guiding leadership teams through inflection points. Bill prioritizes long-term value creation over short-term gains, leveraging his M&A expertise, IPO experience, and global operations knowledge to help companies outmaneuver larger competitors. He advocates for hiring and retaining top talent, using technology as a competitive advantage, and fostering a culture of transparency and accountability—ensuring that businesses not only grow but sustain their success in evolving market conditions.

In this episode of Controllers Classified, host Erik Zhou sits down with Jeff Arensman, Controller at Bloomerang, to cover two important topics: building a finance function from scratch and the role of finance in acquisitions. For Jeff, the two are inextricably linked at Bloomerang. As the first finance hire at the company, his first task was supporting an acquisition that needed to close in just three weeks. He then quickly turned to building a strong foundation for the accounting and finance practice at the company through new processes, tools, and technology. Jeff covers how he spent his time in the first few years at Bloomerang, including how he approached team building, and then turns to his current priorities now four years in at the company (a big NetSuite implementation!). After sharing how he approached building a function, Jeff does a deep dive into considerations during acquisitions both on the buy and sell side. He details his extensive experience in acquisitions and highlights some of his best practices and learnings - including how important it is to add nuance and context to the models that bankers develop during the due diligence process. The episode closes with Jeff sharing the deep detective work he had to do to get to the bottom of one of his weirdest company expense moments early in his career.

For Matt Collis, CFO of PairSoft, storytelling is more than a skill—it’s a strategic tool for aligning teams and scaling businesses. Whether leading acquisitions or guiding cross-functional teams, Collis uses financial narratives to clarify priorities and inspire action. “Someone has to be the storyteller,” Collis tells us, emphasizing how framing financial data in relatable terms helps drive organizational alignment and decision-making. Collis’ career began in accounting, where he spent seven years honing technical expertise in public accounting. However, he recognized early on that his ambitions extended beyond the technical realm. His transition into leadership roles provided opportunities to engage directly with business leaders, crafting financial strategies that supported operational goals. A pivotal chapter in his career came at Transaction Data Systems (TDS), where he helped the company scale dramatically. Over five years, TDS tripled in size through seven acquisitions, Collis tells us, requiring him to integrate diverse cultures, systems, and processes while scaling the finance team from 10 to 30 members. At PairSoft, Collis leverages these experiences to prioritize purposeful integration. He sees cultural alignment as key to long-term success, noting that acquisitions can falter without proactive efforts to unite teams around a shared vision. His strategic mindset also focuses on transparency and scalability, ensuring that financial strategies align with operational goals and are clearly communicated across the organization.