CFO THOUGHT LEADER

When Emma Seymour arrived at Deputy in early 2022, she became focused on strengthening the company’s financial foundation. In the three years since, Deputy has achieved a historic milestone—reaching unicorn status through strategic partnerships with major customers who not only become clients but also invest capital, thereby opening new distribution channels and co-creating additional value.

Turning back the clock, Seymour tells us her initial focus was “runway optimization”—a disciplined approach to spending and resource allocation that helped the business thrive in uncertain market conditions.

Seymour’s path to the CFO office was paved by a broad advisory background, where she honed her ability to identify “leaky taps” and champion data-driven decisions. At Deputy, she has sought to refine revenue models, implement robust metrics, and guide the firm through a series of pivotal fundraising conversations.

The move to pursue strategic investments from major customers rather than relying solely on venture capital is now expected not only to deepen customer relationships but also to unlock new distribution channels for Deputy’s offerings.

Looking back, Seymour tells us she has consistently applied a “storytelling through numbers” philosophy.

Along the way, she understood that it was incumbent on finance leadership to make sense of raw data within companies—finance leaders must connect figures to overarching strategy in a way that resonates with board members, employees, and investors alike. This dual focus on clarity and collaboration allowed Deputy to pivot quickly when market conditions shifted, without sacrificing the company’s innovation agenda.

In our latest Planning Aces episode of CFO Thought Leader, Jack Sweeney teams with FP&A veteran Brett Knowles to spotlight three finance leaders tackling one of business’s most critical challenges: aligning sales, operations, and finance around a common goal.

First, Orion Innovation CFO Cyrus Lam recalls how transparent metrics and well-crafted incentives helped double profit margins by bridging the gap between sales and delivery teams. Then, Jellyfish CFO Joanne Cheng reveals the power of being a “connector”—a finance leader who unifies fast-scaling startups by integrating hires, systems, and processes from day one. Finally, Cribl CFO Zach Johnson shares his “three P’s” framework—precision, predictability, and performance—spotlighting how open communication and unit economics training can shape a company’s culture and boost long-term value.

Throughout, Brett Knowles offers revealing insights into how CFOs can develop organizational trust, adopt strategic compensation models, and champion cross-functional collaboration to drive sustainable growth.

It was late 2020 when Michelle Hook ended 17 years of fruitful career-building at Domino’s to accept a CFO appointment at fast casual restaurant chain Portillo’s.  

“The two things that I was looking for were to be passionate about a new brand and to feel a culture fit,” recalls Hook, who adds that she had long imagined someday leaving Domino’s to join a smaller company that she could help to grow.

“I just didn’t care about going to a bigger company or ‘X,’ ‘Y,’ or ‘Z,’” continues Hook, who tells us that she ultimately took a leap of faith with regard to there being a culture fit at Portillo’s.

“I actually never stepped into our headquarters until my first day on the job and had met in person only with the CEO, since this was during COVID times and the rest of the hiring process had been done on Zoom,” comments Hook.

Fast-forward 15 months to when the Omicron variant was still grabbing headlines and inflation had begun to rattle the economy—and Hook could not escape the notion that the traditional Portillo’s restaurant needed to change for the post-COVID world.

“I thought to myself, I think that we’re overbuilding our restaurants—we need to think about where the puck is going,” remembers Hook, who notes that Portillo’s dine-in customers in today’s post-COVID environment account for only roughly 35 percent of the chain’s volume.

“I had come from Domino’s, which didn’t have these big dining rooms and had built out a heavily digital business,” remarks Hook, who reports that Portillo’s digital business represents only 20 percent of overall sales.

This subject soon surfaced at an executive strategy session at which Portillo’s CEO, Michael Osanloo, tasked Hook and Portillo’s head of marketing with leading an initiative dubbed “Restaurant of the Future.”   

“I think that Michael knew that I’d take on the project by using a data-driven lens,” comments Hook, who points out that the project has involved “time and motion studies” involving specific restaurants and their conveyance activities within the kitchen.      

“Getting the engine right in the car is super important to us,” she says. “This will bring benefits not only on the cost side of things but also for our team members, who will find it easier to complete their work.” –Jack Sweeney

Among the learnings that Dev Ahuja has gleaned from his three-decade-long, globe-hopping finance career, perhaps none has delivered a more enduring instruction than that which followed his very first hop.

By his own account, after Ahuja had reached the summit of Novartis’s finance executive ranks in India, the drug giant invited him to occupy an office at its Basel, Switzerland, headquarters. Here, Ahuja was promised, he would be able to apply his flourishing financial acumen on a more global scale.  

“I thought that I knew what it took—I came with a lot of confidence rather than in a mode of humbleness and wanting to learn,” comments Ahuja, who let us know that his first years at headquarters did not always go as planned.

Ahuja reports: “The Swiss don’t mince words."

Confronted with his shortcomings, Ahuja set out to get things back on track—beginning with a hefty dose of self-scrutiny.  

“I had done a miserable job because I really had not made the effort to build relationships and take the time and make the effort to understand the cultural nuances,” remarks Ahuja, whose track change paid off with a Swiss stint in the roles of group controller and head of Basel’s finance operations that stretched to 5 years.

Still, Ahuja’s Swiss experiences would prove to grow even more valuable in the years ahead, as he would come to occupy the CFO offices of Novartis Korea (3 years) and Novartis Japan (2 years).

“Novartis was very active when it came to developing people across geographies, but my case—where I would end up living in five different countries—was not very normal,” observes Ahuja, whose fifth nation became the U.S. after the drugmaker’s $46 billion acquisition of Alcon opened the door to a number of opportunities for him.

Announced in 2010, the Alcon deal was to present post-merger integration challenges that in part led Novartis to relocate Ahuja from Korea to Japan, where the Alcon integration tasks were more pressing.

“We accomplished a lot in Japan in a short period of time, and it seems that Alcon U.S.—which was twice the size of Alcon Japan—was in need of some of what we had learned,” recalls Ahuja, who tells us that at the time, a son had recently relocated to the U.S. for studies.

With little delay, it seems, Ahuja was headed to Fort Worth, Texas, to serve as CFO North America for the drug giant’s Alcon division—a business that years later would nab business headlines when Novartis opted to spin it off.

According to Ahuja, he has been able to apply his Swiss “lessons” at each career move, including his change when he departed from Novartis in 2016 to accept the CFO position at aluminum products giant Novelis.

It seems that regardless of whether a move has involved geographies or industries, Ahuja has been able to apply the benefits of his time in Switzerland.

Says Ahuja: “When you fail, you must make up your mind to take every lesson from that failure and act on it.” –Jack Sweeney

In this special holiday episode of CFO Thought Leader, host Jack Sweeney shares three unique CFO beginnings that highlight the power of perseverance, determination, and meaningful connections. First, CFO Scott Healy recounts his father’s unwavering belief in trying and shares how his deaf brother’s relentless pursuit of success influenced his own leadership approach. Next, CFO Tracy Curley reveals how her path from West Point to motherhood in part shaped her trailblazing mindset. Curley’s experience as a non-traditional student underscores the value of supportive mentors and the importance of balancing professional commitments. Finally, CFO Svai Sanford describes his journey from war-torn Laos to the United States, overcoming formidable obstacles to achieve academic and professional success with the help of caring foster parents. Through these uplifting stories, the episode spotlights the human dimensions of leadership and reminds us how origins can profoundly inspire a CFO’s journey, inviting listeners to reflect on perseverance and gratitude.

monday.com CFO Eliran Glazer highlights three vital priorities for 2025. First, he stresses that long-term efficiency must guide strategy. Instead of focusing solely on near-term investor demands, CFOs must structure financial planning like a marathon—mapping out sustainable growth through transparent scenario planning that accounts for macro uncertainties. Second, Glazer emphasized that CFOs need to become tech experts. With remote and hybrid work creating a surge in disconnected software tools, CFOs must champion integrated systems, unify data, and eliminate costly redundancies. Finally, Glazer underscored the increased need for real-time, data-driven insights. In a volatile market defined by inflation and local pressures, CFOs can no longer rely on static reports. They must deliver on-demand analytics and immediate forecasting to guide decisions around profitability, cost management, and risk.

• Sustainably grow through scenario planning for evolving macro trends
• Align technology to unify data and reduce costs
• Provide real-time insights to inform profitable decisions

By embracing these three priorities, CFOs can keep their organizations nimble, resilient, and primed for success in 2025. He concluded that CFOs who truly embrace these principles will remain central to the organization’s innovation, stakeholder confidence, and long-term business performance throughout 2025 and beyond.

Brian Registe’s path to the future began in Dominica before relocating to Alaska with his industrious father. He launched his finance career in Alaska’s telecom sector, where a mentorship with a female CFO was pivotal. Serving eight years in the US Army, Brian specialized in finance, accounting, and procurement, including a tour in South Korea. Transitioning to the nonprofit sector with Heartland Alliance for a decade, he honed his leadership skills. He then led finance at Midhouse Engineering, a minority-owned firm in Chicago, before joining Questek. Brian’s diverse experiences across military, nonprofit, and engineering sectors uniquely shaped his path to the CFO role.

Beginning his career in audit at PwC Moscow, Georgy Egorov gained a foundation in finance’s finer details before transitioning into high-stakes investment banking. Across seventeen years with firms like Goldman Sachs and UBS, he navigated complex emerging markets and forged trusted relationships with mentors. This journey refined his ability to think both broadly and deeply. Later, he leapt into tech-enabled biotech and climate tech startups, where he learned to reshape strategies and build finance infrastructures from scratch. Today, at ZeroAvia, Egorov’s blend of traditional finance rigor, global perspective, and entrepreneurial spirit defines his unique path to the CFO office.

In this episode of Controllers Classified, host Erik Zhou, CAO at Brex, dives into the world of accounting and automation with Jake Jones, Controller at FinQuery. Jake shares his journey from a decade at Cherry Bekaert to his current role, detailing his transition approach from audit to client side. The conversation then explores Jake’s approach to finding efficiencies in the accounting process through automation tools, effective team building, and cross-functional relationship building.

Ask any business manager about the “three Ps in business” and they will likely say People, Process, and Product. However, ask any finance team member at Cribl that question, and you’ll likely hear a different answer: Precision, Predictability, and Performance. These are the three Ps that guide CFO Zach Johnson’s data-driven approach to financial leadership.

Johnson’s career journey provides the context for this unique framework. At Splunk, he witnessed firsthand how a company could grow from roughly $40 million in revenue and 130 employees to more than $1.5 billion and nearly 2,000 employees, he tells us. During this period, Splunk navigated a complex transition from on-premise software to cloud-based solutions, forcing the team to reevaluate pricing, infrastructure, and market strategies. That experience taught Johnson how to deconstruct challenges into measurable components that teams could understand and act upon.

Now, at Cribl, Johnson applies his three Ps to ensure a sustainable, value-driven path forward. “Precision” involves rigorous financial processes—clean audits, timely closes, and granular understanding of key metrics. “Predictability” means setting realistic forecasts, tightening pipeline management, and increasing confidence in decision-making. “Performance” emerges naturally once the first two Ps are in place—improved unit economics, stable revenue growth, and a roadmap toward greater shareholder value, he tells us.

But numbers alone don’t drive results. Johnson emphasizes building strong teams and fostering a learning culture. By ensuring every team member aligns with the broader vision, he creates an environment where the three Ps define not only what finance does, but helps others understand why it matters.