Dr. Mark Frigo, professor and founding director of the Center for Strategy Execution and Valuation at DePaul University, discusses the importance of long-term value creation and the application of strategic life-cycle analysis, which characterizes businesses into one of four categories: high innovation, competitive fade, mature and failing. He highlights his collaboration with CFOs and executive teams to integrate strategy with performance measures, ensuring sustainable value creation. Dr. Frigo also covers brand valuation, the challenges of aligning finance and marketing, and the need for strategic leadership at the CFO level.