Afleveringen
-
Trintech CFO Omar Choucair is increasingly turning to AI as a strategic advantageâbuilding teams, refining data âplumbing,â 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 companyâs then-President of Automotive, JĂ©rĂŽme Guillen, pulled her aside, whispering about a decision Elon Musk was leaning toward. Guillenâwho led the automakerâs push for production scale and supply chain agilityâbelieved a different path could better serve the company, but needed someone with operational and financial data at her fingertips. âLetâs go talk to himâjust you and me,â 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 Gantusâs rapid ascent from Teslaâs 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 AIâs efforts to secure large warehouse contracts and streamline supply chain workflows, forging growth paths. Sheâs determined to refine her new companyâs cost structures, champion a culture of close collaboration, and leverage every insight from the operational trenches. Itâs a philosophy built on pragmatism, strategic thinking, and unwavering perseveranceâone that began with a tap on the shoulder, data-driven vision, and a fearless willingness to challenge the status quo.
-
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
-
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 Bradâs 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 functionsânot 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. âI wanted to understand the business,â 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 clearâroutes 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 Rhodesâs 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 Rhodesâs leadership across multiple CFO roles. After earning his MBA at Babson Collegeâwhile working full-time and supporting a growing familyâhe 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 wonât soon forget. As OneStreamâs CFO, he was juggling the details of going public when a small AI startup called DataSense caught his attention. âWe didnât even have a formal corporate development function,â Koefoed explains, but he threw himself into researching the opportunity. There were skepticsâsome 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 DataSenseâs University of Michiganâtrained engineers describe predictive models that could supercharge OneStreamâs demand forecasting. âGetting that talent on board could pay huge dividends,â he recalls thinking. Even with the looming IPO, Koefoed pressed ahead, negotiating terms while appeasing wary investors.
For Koefoed, AI isnât a far-off gambleâitâs 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 couldnât 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 âbleeding-edge technology,â 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 Oregonâjust 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 experienceâwhere technology evolves at breakneck speedsâto guide Sabeyâs 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 âgood stewardshipâ 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 fatherâan accountant who had always championed her career. But this time, his words were tinged with a curious mixture of praise and amazement. He simply couldnât fathom how his daughter, who had taken only one accounting class, was now the CFO of the New York Stock Exchange. âFinance leadership is more than numbers,â 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 NYSEâs new leadership. âHowâd you like to be the CFO?â 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 yearsâhalf the time originally plannedâshe was leading the organizationâs 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 companyâs exit strategy. The conversation starts with an overview of Karenâs 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 âmustsâ 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 Karenâs time at Clari. She shares her priorities as well as her POV on global accounting processes given the companyâs international operations. Her number one piece of advice? Donât 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, Guptaâs 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. âWe assess every project based on scalability, efficiency, revenue impact, and strategic differentiation,â he tells us. This disciplined approach ensures that each AI investment not only delivers measurable ROI but also aligns with UiPathâs 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 companyâs 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, Guptaâs 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 Guptaâs 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 leadersâthe hidden costs that come with cloud consumption-based pricing.
At Tableau, Fletcher tells us, the companyâs 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 Caliperâs 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 enterprisesâa move that exposed him to an array of responsibilities, from fundraising, recruiting to crisis management. âWhen youâre in a small team,â Maza tells us, âyou end up doing everything, and thatâs where the agility mindset really takes root.â
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 measurementsâfocusing on recurring revenue, net retention, and churnâto manage a transition from traditional licensing to a SaaS model. âAgile finance leadership,â Maza tells us, âis about looking beyond immediate metrics and creating frameworks that drive long-term value.â
-
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 accountabilityâensuring 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 skillâitâs 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. âSomeone has to be the storyteller,â Collis tells us, emphasizing how framing financial data in relatable terms helps drive organizational alignment and decision-making.
Collisâ 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.
-
Arriving at a high school in Cape Town, South Africa, without speaking English, Cosmin Pitigoi faced an immediate communication challenge. Yet he refused to be deterred, immersing himself in language studies and expanding his vocabulary so he could thrive in the classroom. Years later, that same resolve reemerged in eBayâs IR function, where Pitigoi realized the companyâs available data was falling short in communicating the breadth of eBayâs story. This time, Pitigoi immersed himself in the data, adding and fine-tuning metrics that would allow him to better convey eBayâs message.
Before joining Flywire as CFO, Pitigoi spent two decades rotating through leadership roles at eBay and PayPal, building his finance acumen across treasury, investor relations, FP&A, and data analytics. âI never stayed in a single role for more than 18 months,â Pitigoi tells us, describing his drive to learn every facet of the business. By immersing himself in diverse functions, he honed both analytical and communication skillsâcritical for strategic decision-making.
At eBay, the lack of comprehensive data became a new language barrier, prompting Pitigoi to advocate for stronger data architecture. âNumbers alone canât tell a story unless theyâre accurate and well-organized,â he tells us, underscoring his belief that precise, actionable information fuels effective narratives. This mindset ultimately shaped his approach to finance leadership: be as fluent in data as in interpersonal communication.
Today, at Flywire, Pitigoi champions the idea that true value emerges when finance guides broader organizational goals. His journey from struggling to speak English in Cape Town to optimizing data-driven storytelling at a global fintech highlights a simple truth: conquering communication obstaclesâwhether linguistic or numericâcan spark remarkable career transformation.
-
Stacy Tumarkin unexpectedly found herself stepping into the CFO seatâtwiceâearning the moniker âThe Accidental CFO.â Early in her career, she worked at a hedge fund, diving headfirst into uncharted responsibilities when a mentor urged her to stretch beyond strict accounting roles. âI was only 26 when I first became CFO,â Tumarkin tells us, recalling how imposter syndrome quickly followed. Despite her misgivings, she soon realized the best way to grow was to embrace discomfort and learn on the fly.
A second twist came when she joined Kubecost as Chief of Staff, overseeing everything from support to finance. When the CEO asked her to serve as CFO yet again, she hesitatedâstill viewing herself as more of a people-first leader. But Tumarkin tells us that ownership of the finance function gave her a strategic seat at the table, allowing her to shape the companyâs trajectory while drawing on her passion for operations and culture.
-
Back in the mid 1990sâwhen Russ Keefe decided it was time for a career pivotâhe got behind the wheel. With a Jeep packed full of his belongings, he drove from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco, father riding shotgun, to explore fresh opportunities in Silicon Valley. He had just completed a stint at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, where he gained a deep respect for transparency and learned the importance of full disclosure.
Eager to drive business outcomes, Keefe immersed himself in tech, soon discovering a passion for FP&A and leadership. Early roles exposed him to sales operations, giving him a front-row seat to understand revenue streams and product strategies. âThat was when I realized finance is so much more than keeping scoreâitâs about guiding strategic decisions,â Keefe tells us.
Today, as CFO of cybersecurity innovator Corelight, Keefe applies a forward-looking mindset to navigate hypergrowth markets. His background at the SEC informs his ethos of communicating frequently and candidly with stakeholders. Meanwhile, his operational experience shapes his focus on customer satisfaction, product differentiation, and consistent value delivery.
Keefe tells us Corelightâs Net Promoter Score sits in the mid-60s, underscoring the companyâs commitment to serving high-stakes clients in government, finance, and critical infrastructure. He believes finance leaders should be business people firstâprofessionals who leverage financial expertise to power innovation and adaptability. His journeyâbeginning with a cross-country leap of faithâdemonstrates that calculated risks, paired with diligent career building and leadership insight can yield results.
-
It was shortly after Eugene Wong exited the banking world to advance into a senior operations role that he realized the importance of a holistic view. At one meeting, he uncovered a disconnect between product and sales teams that threatened a strategic initiative. By stepping in and aligning priorities, he emerged as a âquarterback,â bridging perspectives and clarifying responsibilities.
This revelation set the tone for Wongâs career journey. Originally honing his financial acumen at Silicon Valley Bank, he gained close exposure to startup ecosystems and leveraged finance transactions. Later, he pursued an MBA, joined Goldman Sachs to build on transactional capabilities, and returned to Silicon Valley Bank in a senior role. Ultimately, he stepped into the fast-paced realm of growth-stage companies, seeking to become a true financial operator.
Today, Wong serves as CFO of Clara Analytics, where he orchestrates data-driven decision-making and fosters cross-functional collaboration. âYou canât stay behind spreadsheets,â Wong tells us, âyou have to understand what each team does day in and day out.â By meeting regularly with department leads, he seeks to position finance as a trusted partner rather than a distant overseer.
Wong credits his âbig-pictureâ focus for sharpening his resource allocation. âAnytime you spend money or time in one place,â Wong tells us, âyouâre making a bet you canât place elsewhere.â
-
Four years into his 12-year career chapter at Amazon, Hetu Patel was appointed Finance Director for Primeâa role he credits with opening his eyes to strategic finance. In the days ahead Patel would be handed a milestone assignment, where he worked on a groundbreaking framework attributing the total value of Prime membership to each bundled benefit: video, music, books, and fast shipping. Collaborating with economics and business teams, he quantified how each offering affected purchase behavior and membership renewals, âPatel tells us.â This data-driven approach ultimately informed billions in investment decisions, illustrating how finance could reshape strategy, boost decision-making speed, and deliver transformative impact.
Patelâs nearly 12-year tenure at Amazon exposed him to operations, retail category development, and even a general manager role, sharpening his analytical skills and broadening his perspective on enterprise-wide connectivity. âImproving the quality and speed of decision-making is the most important role of finance,â Patel tells us. This belief guided him into his subsequent position as CFO at Imperfect Foods, where he further honed board relations, fundraising, and M&A capabilities.
Today, Patel channels these cross-functional experiences into his role as CFO of Thrive Market, combining rigorous long-term planning with a mission-driven focus on healthy, sustainable living. Drawing on lessons from Amazonâs culture of data-centricity, Patel emphasizes strategic foresight and clear performance metrics to guide decision-making.
-
When you think about accounting at growth stage companies, the word "artistry" might not immediately come to mind, but Desene Sterling makes a compelling case for it in this episode of Controllers Classified. As the Controller at Sourcegraph, Desene describes how crafting processes, like implementing procurement workflows or streamlining month-end close, feels like painting a masterpieceâexcept her medium is reconciliations and financial statements.
This episode takes a deep dive into what it takes to build an accounting function from scratch in a growth stage startup. Desene recounts the feeling of being the first in-house accounting hire, navigating "free-for-all" credit card policies and training teams to embrace structure in a way that doesnât stifle innovation. Her philosophy? Build processes that flex and grow alongside the company, even if that means starting with something imperfect.
But itâs not all about debits and creditsârelationships take center stage too. Desene explains how building credibility with colleagues and positioning finance as a partner (and not just an enforcer) are critical steps in successful change management. She also spends time on what she looks for in talent when building out her team, noting that nothing is more important than hiring people who can manage the details while keeping sight of the big picture.
From detailing the nuances of SaaS and on-prem revenue recognition to recounting an unforgettable typo on a 10-Q filing, this episode showcases how accountants at growth-stage companies tackle big challenges with grit, ingenuity, and the occasional dose of humor.
- Laat meer zien
