Cfo Thought Leader

Recent Episodes

1. 1215: Building Finance for the Long Game | Jessica Somers, CFO, Aledade

   Sep 16, 2026

   Jessica Somers, CFO of Aledade, discusses how finance leaders can evaluate interconnected investments rather than ranking them in isolation. At the physician-led value-based care platform serving over 3,000 primary care practices and 3.6 million patients, Somers describes Aledade's long-term orientation and willingness to make larger AI investments by understanding how different bets compound on each other. Her perspective draws from investment banking, private equity, and corporate development experience before joining the healthcare sector.

2. 1214: The CFO Checklist Keeps Growing | Jack Gordon, CFO, Harri

   Sep 14, 2026

   Jack Gordon, CFO of Harri, discusses how AI is reshaping the unit economics and operational model of a workforce operating system for hospitality. With four years at Harri following leadership roles at Wiley, RBS, and IBM, Gordon reflects on navigating a failed Series B fundraise in 2023, building AI-powered features like autonomous scheduling and agentic chat, and the finance priorities of scaling an AI-first business without adding headcount.

3. 1213: When Constructive Tension Yields Sharper Decisions | Martin Uhrik, CFO, Third Bridge

   Sep 9, 2026

   Martin Uhrik, CFO of Third Bridge, reflects on a transformative moment at Technicolor's Creative Studios where he insisted on showing full project-level profitability to creative teams despite management resistance. Within 6-12 months, margins improved substantially and employee energy lifted—proving that transparency and constructive tension drive better outcomes. Uhrik discusses his 25-year career across technology-driven services organizations, the economics of Third Bridge's expert research and content platform, and his priorities around execution, AI enablement, and forward-looking finance leadership.

4. 1212: When Working Capital Rewrites the CFO Agenda | Dan Barzily, CFO, Tipalti

   Sep 7, 2026

   Dan Barzily, CFO of Tipalti, discusses how a go-to-market transformation unexpectedly reshaped the company's working capital profile, forcing him to confront finance fundamentals he hadn't considered since university. Coming from engineering, consulting, and business development backgrounds rather than accounting, Barzily explains how his non-traditional path prepared him for the CFO role and how he now balances strategic priorities with the operational realities of cash management. He also explores how Tipalti—a global finance automation platform for mid-market companies—is integrating AI agents into workflows while maintaining human control over critical approvals.

5. 1211: Mission, Means, and the Will to Grow | Jonathan Ma, CFO, Sutter Health

   Sep 2, 2026

   Jonathan Ma, CFO of Sutter Health, discusses his 15-year career at Morgan Stanley before transitioning to healthcare leadership. He reflects on how trust and credibility are built incrementally through demonstrated work ethic, ethics, and curiosity, and explores how nonprofit healthcare systems balance growth ambition with financial sustainability while navigating complex reimbursement models, regulatory changes, and emerging AI applications.

6. 1210: The Best Trade May Be the One You Don’t Make | Shiv Verma, CFO, Robinhood

   Aug 31, 2026

   Shiv Verma, CFO of Robinhood, discusses his unconventional path from the Oakland Athletics' data-driven baseball operations through investment banking and portfolio management to leading finance at a high-growth fintech company. Drawing on lessons from the 2008 financial crisis, Verma applies a disciplined capital allocation philosophy—"the best trade you ever make is often the trade you don't make"—to evaluate investments, acquisitions, and strategic spending at Robinhood, emphasizing the balance between business enablement and financial controllership.

7. 1209: Finding a Larger Voice in the Room | Ross Grainger, CFO, Nasuni

   Aug 26, 2026

   Ross Grainger, CFO of Nasuni, discusses his unconventional path to finance leadership, including owning a Maako auto-body franchise and learning to "act like an owner." He shares how being passed over for a CFO role at a healthcare software company accelerated his development under a mentor's guidance. Grainger discusses Nasuni's evolution from a storage-focused platform to an AI-powered data intelligence company, the challenges of measuring AI ROI internally, and his pricing transformation project that achieved a 22-23% ACV increase.

8. 1208: Quality, Trust, and Scale | Cal Brouilette, CFO, Flatiron Health

   Aug 24, 2026

   Cal Brouilette, CFO of Flatiron Health, discusses balancing speed and trust in scaling an oncology data and technology company owned by Roche. He shares his 20-year career arc from UK energy finance through Silicon Valley tech to health tech, and explores how AI is enabling massive expansion of Flatiron's patient datasets while maintaining the quality standards essential to cancer research. The conversation centers on the tension between rapid AI-driven growth and the judgment required to ensure trustworthy decision-making in healthcare.

9. 1287: Putting Guardrails Around Aggressive Growth | Jamie Schroeder, CFO, Premium Guard Inc.

   Aug 19, 2026

   Jamie Schroeder, newly appointed CFO of Premium Guard Inc., discusses his 25+ year finance career spanning Ford and Scotts Miracle-Gro, and how transformational roles shaped his leadership philosophy. He shares a pivotal moment at Scotts where finance moved beyond risk mitigation to enable aggressive growth through data-driven scenario planning, and explains how he's bringing that growth-oriented mindset to Premium Guard's integration of acquired FRAM, Autolight, and Trico brands alongside launch of its first domestic manufacturing facility.

10. 1206: The CFO as an Architect of Execution | Phil Fracassa, CFO, Magna International

    Aug 17, 2026

    Phil Fracassa, CFO of Magna International, reflects on a 30+ year career spanning PwC, General Motors, Visteon, and 20 years at Timken, where he led a major business separation. He discusses how leadership and execution matter as much as technical skills, the CFO's expanding role across strategy, operations, and capital allocation, and Magna's position as a top global automotive supplier navigating electrification, AI integration, and operational excellence.