Today’s CFOs are dealing with the changing demands of their role and a big shift in how companies define a finance team’s success.
How are the finance chiefs of some very well-known organizations handling all the change? In the following interviews, five CFOs discuss the current challenges in their industries. They also reflect on their career paths to finance chief, the steps in their professional skills development, and the experiences that helped form their leadership styles.
1. Red Sox CFO Tim Zue: A Home Run Career
The Boston Red Sox’s finance chief discusses his journey to the CFO role, his leadership style, and the future of fintech and artificial intelligence.
“On the baseball and business side, we pride ourselves in collaborative decision-making between the old school and new school ways of doing things.”
2. Kraft Heinz Global CFO Andre Maciel: Culture as a Competitive Advantage
Maciel discusses his recent 10-year anniversary with the company, the importance of culture, the future of technology, and more.
“We can’t treat employees like kindergartners. We need to share tough information with employees so they feel invested in helping to find solutions to challenges.”
3. Bally’s CFO Marcus G. Glover: High Stakes, High Rewards
Casino industry veteran Glover discusses managing risk, leveraging data, and driving an omnichannel strategy.
“The goal for us is to drive profitable revenue. As we create demand through compelling offers and incentives, it’s very easy to drive top-line revenues. The key, however, is to do so profitably.”
4. Dun & Bradstreet CFO Bryan Hipsher: Shoot for Growth
Bryan Hipsher discusses the parallels between sports and business, his leadership style, and what emerging technologies excite him most.
"Athletes develop a determined mindset and belief that they can achieve remarkable things in their game, and I have applied this mindset to the company’s targets and growth plan."
5. Rootstock’s CFO Geoff Brannon: From Controller to CFO
A pivotal and unexpected opportunity midway through his career led Brannon to a CFO position.
“Only when I shifted to the finance side ... did I start thinking about something beyond being a controller. That’s when I began growing my finance muscle, hoping to one day become a CFO.”