The 6 a.m. CFO: How Medcor’s Mark Smolenski Starts His Day

Welcome to The 6 a.m. CFO, where finance chiefs share how they jump-start their days and engage with the tasks that are in front of them.Today, Medcor’s Mark Smolenski shares about how he takes early morning jaunts with his favorite walking companions, how his competitive nature led him to train ...

By CFO Editorial Staff • June 29, 2023

72% of Business Leaders Believe AI Will Improve Employee Productivity

Artificial Intelligence's scope of innovation, as tremendous as it has become in recent months, continues to raise questions around its impact on employee productivity. In conversations with finance leaders at recent events and discussions about where, when, and even how to approach the technolog...

By Adam Zaki • June 28, 2023

75% of C-Suite Leaders May Quit for a Job With Better Well-Being Support

Employee mental health and well-being improvements have gained focus since the evaporation of readily available quality talent post-pandemic. Although employee benefits have been underutilized, they stem from efforts to retain talent and maximize worker productivity.Despite efforts from managers ...

By CFO Editorial Staff • June 26, 2023

CFOs On the Move: Week Ending June 23

Mike LenzMike Lenz | FedEx Mike Lenz is retiring from FedEx on July 31. Lenz joined the company in 2005 as vice president of finance at FedEx Office and was named chief financial officer in March 2020. Before joining the company, Lenz worked at American Airlines and Boeing. FedEx has started the ...

By CFO Editorial Staff • June 23, 2023

AI in Finance and Talent Shortages: Chicago Transit System’s New CFO on Top Challenges

“I'm pro-AI coming into the workspace. And I think, you know, unfortunately, in government, we're a lot slower to adapt to those kinds of changes.” Six months ago, Kevin Bueso, CFO of Chicago's Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), took over his current position after working as CFO of McHenry...

By Adam Zaki • June 23, 2023

Slumping Productivity, Higher Wages Spur Automation Investment

U.S. businesses are in a productivity slump. Nonfarm business sector labor productivity fell quarterly and yearly in the first quarter of 2023, with the increase in hours worked surpassing growth in output. The nation’s problems with worker productivity have been longstanding, as the last real bo...

By Vincent Ryan • June 23, 2023

Sports and Leadership: From College Athlete to the C-Suite

While the skills needed to function as an executive come mostly from higher education and work, the ability to lead people through both good and bad moments is best developed before taking an executive position. But few leaders, before their C-suite role, have ever had to lead a group of people t...

By CFO Editorial Staff • June 22, 2023

Embrace the Grind: A Conversation With Skateboarding Execs

When CFO was offered the opportunity to speak to Bear Walker, CEO and founder of Bear Walker Industries, my first thought was, "We don't usually ever feature the executive leadership of skateboarding companies." My second thought was, "Maybe that isn't a good thing."  Because, what is now plainly...

By Andy Burt • June 21, 2023

Disney CFO Christine McCarthy Steps Down, Will Aid in Succession

Christine McCarthy, The Walt Disney Company's CFO and senior executive vice president, is stepping down from her current role in order to take family medical leave, the company said in a press release. McCarthy will remain with the company as a strategic advisor while also aiding in the eventual ...

By CFO Editorial Staff • June 16, 2023

CFOs On the Move: Week Ending June 16

JoAnn TanJoAnn Tan | Singapore AirlinesSingapore Airlines appointed JoAnn Tan as its first female finance chief. Tan, who is currently senior vice president of marketing planning of the airline, will take over on Sept. 10 for Tan Kai Ping, who will transition to the role of executive vice preside...

By CFO Editorial Staff • June 16, 2023

The Power of Partnerships: 6 Month Check-In With Chicago Transit System’s New CFO

"For any organization you are representing, there are tons of benefits from participating in outside organizations that maybe the naked eye doesn’t see a direct relationship between the two."New jobs can be a significant adjustment, regardless of where the role exists in the corporate hierarchy. ...

By Adam Zaki • June 16, 2023

The 6 a.m. CFO: How Cascade Energy’s Kristi Calderwood Starts Her Day

Welcome to The 6 a.m. CFO, where finance chiefs share how they jump-start their days and engage with the tasks that are in front of them.Today, Cascade Energy's Kristi Calderwood shares how she starts her day in her nomadic office with a gratitude meditation before logging in for some people-focu...

By CFO Editorial Staff • June 15, 2023

77% of Companies Are Currently Undertaking or Considering Layoffs

It’s no secret that CFOs and human resources leaders don’t always have the same motivations. But finance chiefs, especially those who oversee human resources (HR), might be interested to know there are also significant disconnects between HR leaders and employees. The misalignment ...

By David McCann • June 9, 2023

CFOs On the Move: Week Ending June 9

Guru RamamurthyGuru Ramamurthy | BayerBayer appointed Guru Ramamurthy as U.S. chief financial officer, effective July 1. Guru has worked at Bayer for 22 years, most recently as CFO of AskBio since 2021, an independently operated subsidiary of Bayer. Guru will continue to serve as AskBio CFO, work...

By CFO Editorial Staff • June 9, 2023

Reporter’s Journal: 7 Takeaways From the Latest CFO Events

Before my time at CFO, I covered cryptocurrency at its height. I attended banking and fintech conferences all over the U.S. in 2021, and the talk around blockchain technology in these sectors was extensive. Companies claimed to have never-before-seen products that were powered by the blockchain, ...

By Adam Zaki • June 9, 2023

3 Ways CFOs Can Drive a Cohesive Company Culture

The CFO has a large role to play in building a company’s vision and strategy — especially in times of economic uncertainty. That means stepping into roles that may not traditionally call for a “numbers person,” such as promoting a strong company culture.  Bryan Jones Successful leaders recogniz...

By Bryan Jones • June 8, 2023

70% of Employees Have Discussed Personal Salary With Co-Workers

Salary transparency, an issue that has taken political and legal strides in the workplace, is now making its way into conversations between co-workers. The frequency of these conversations has risen alongside the increase in negotiations in the hiring process, and laws mandating companies provide...

By Adam Zaki • June 7, 2023

Former SEC Chair Harvey Pitt Dies at 78

Former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Harvey Pitt, originally appointed by President George W. Bush in 2001, passed away earlier this week. Pitt was 78 at the time of his passing on May 30, according to a statement received by Reuters from the director of the SEC Historical Soci...

By Andy Burt • June 2, 2023

The 6 a.m. CFO: How Everphone’s Veronika von Heise-Rotenburg Starts Her Day

Welcome to The 6 a.m. CFO, where finance chiefs share how they jump-start their days and engage with the tasks that are in front of them.Today, Everphone's Dr. Veronika von Heise-Rotenburg shares her morning pet routine, where she gets the herbs for her daily homemade teas, and how a narrow focus...

By CFO Editorial Staff • June 1, 2023

Consumer Goods Giants Nestlé, Unilever Announce CFO Departures

Consumer product behemoths Unilever and Nestlé announced the departures of their veteran chief financial officers, Graeme Pitkethly and François-Xavier Roger, respectively, on Tuesday. Graeme PitkethlyPitkethly is retiring from Unilever, whose products include everything from bath soap to ice cre...

By Vincent Ryan • May 30, 2023

5 DE&I Strategies for Small Businesses

Since 2020, many organizations have invested in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) strategies to strengthen internal culture, cater to shifting global culture, and respond to political, social, and racial unrest. While there have been notable strides in recent years, DE&I is still a ...

By William P. Cooper • May 26, 2023

CFOs On the Move: Week Ending May 26

Zane RoweZane Rowe | WorkdayZane Rowe was appointed finance chief of HR software maker Workday, effective June 12. Since March 2016, Rowe has been CFO of VMware. He also stepped in as interim CEO of VMware for four months in 2021. Previously he was CFO of EMC, CFO of United Airlines, and led Nort...

By Lauren Muskett • May 26, 2023

CFOs On the Move: Week Ending May 19

Erin BrewerErin Brewer | LyftLyft hired Erin Brewer as the ride-sharing company’s new finance chief, effective July 10. Most recently, Brewer was managing director of enterprise finance at Charles Schwab. She was previously head of strategy and finance at Atlassian where and spent 13 years at McK...

By Lauren Muskett • May 19, 2023

Gauging Work Ethic in a Multigenerational Environment

Managing a multigenerational workforce, something that nearly all business leaders do, can be extremely challenging. Between constructing the ideal work environment, balancing the right amount of benefit offerings, and ensuring employee morale and productivity is high, CFOs and their fellow leade...

By Adam Zaki • May 19, 2023

The 6 a.m. CFO: How Pine Labs’ CFO Marc Mathenz Starts His Day

Welcome to The 6 a.m. CFO, where finance chiefs share how they jump-start their days and engage with the tasks that are in front of them.Today, Pine Labs' Marc Mathenz shares how he gets involved in anything in the company that he feels adds value — even if it's outside of a traditional finance r...

By CFO Editorial Staff • May 18, 2023