For our weekly Q&A’s, CFO has highlighted the career journeys and goals of finance chiefs leading the way in their industries. While laying out how the CFO approaches, company culture, technology, data, and more, these interviews offered insight into how they got to where they are and how they continue to execute.
Below are the top 5 CFO interviews we conducted this year.
1. Championing Data: CFO Jennifer Vanderveldt
Senior reporter Vincent Ryan’s interview with CFO Jennifer Vanderveldt of Mammoth Holdings identified an interesting opportunity that combines a legacy industry with data harnessing and utilization. As the company acquires car washes, Mammoth uses the data collected within a car wash transaction to centralize procurement, customer service, human resources, and back-office functions. The interview goes on to talk about how analytics should function as a tool for the CFO, a concept that any successful finance chief can get on board with.
2. President First: CFO Len Batcha
Contributor Sandra Beckwith’s interview with Len Batcha of freight forwarder Technical Transportation tells the story of a CFO who comes from an industrial technology, not a finance, background. After the passing of the previous CFO, Batcha stepped up and took over the role. By embracing risk, applying a simple process to his evaluations and improvements, and never turning down a challenge, Batcha has helped build a financially stable, independent company that is also profitable.
3. From Regulator to Executive: CFO Alison Staloch
My interview with Alison Staloch of Fundrise highlights a super interesting career change. A former chief accountant at the SEC, Staloch is nearly two years into her inaugural CFO position at the real estate investment platform. She offers a unique perspective on the challenges a former regular faces adapting to the CFO role.
4. Big Picture Thinking, Hands-On Balance: CFO Amanda Whalen
My interview with Amanda Whalen, CFO of marketing automation firm Klaviyo, is informative for anyone looking to see the career trajectory of an extremely well-rounded CFO. Whalen’s perspectives on the journey to the C-suite, the life of a CFO (which she compares to the life of a dolphin), and her take on technology implementation at scale are extremely valuable. A former CFO of Walmart International, Whalen had extensive things to say about AI, tech-infused forecasting, and machine learning.
5. Fine-Tuning Franchise Performance: CFO John Cappadona
Senior reporter Vincent Ryan’s conversation with School of Rock CFO John Cappadonna tells the story of a franchise music school that has invested heavily in technology and business development despite having to adjust its business during the pandemic. The company is now moving in the right direction and is using FP&A tools to teach franchisees how to be more profitable.