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With supply chains being destroyed and inflation continuing, many CFOs continue to hold the most pressing challenges of today, managing rising input costs while meeting customer price sensitivity. Many companies are caught up in these opposing forces and can't raise prices without risking customer churn, says Neil Markani, Managing Director of Main Points, managing director of private equity and industrial. The key to navigating this complex environment is to increase operational productivity across the board. Due to supply chain disruptions affecting all industries, implementing results-based pricing models tailored to customer demand and inventory levels can help improve margins and maintain…

What does it take to lead a mission-driven, fast-growing fintech company? In this episode, host Jack McCullough sits down with Jennifer Loo, CFO of Tala, a company revolutionizing access to financial services for the 52% of the world’s population that doesn’t have access to traditional banks. Jennifer shares her career path from LegalZoom to Reformation to Tala, revealing the lessons she learned from mission-focused businesses and how they have shaped her leadership style.She also discusses the evolving CFO role, how to balance social impact with financial sustainability, and why being a chief flexibility officer is the key to navigating an…

Every ten years, transformative technology wipes out the business world, threatens the incumbent, and creates great new opportunities for businesses that understand it first. In the 1990s, it was on the Internet. Today it is artificial intelligence.But like the high-tech bubble, AI produces big winners and big losers. No one expects corporate directors to fully understand how technology works or how it can be applied to businesses that are responsible for supervision. But they can ask the right questions. And the most important question at this point is, what is the return on investment?”One of the big challenges for directors…

The tide is probably turning. Many executives can finally move from the back to the front and start to look forward to it. Certainly, the outlook remains tenuous, but the CEO's confidence is growing. chief executive officer Reported by June CEO Consection Index. Still, I have heard and read a lot about the “belt emphasis” activity. Economic, geopolitical and social forces affect all businesses. No matter what they do, who they serve, how they are organized, wherever they are, an external context is important. And always, in good times and bad times – situations create benefits for some people and…

If your company's innovation efforts are not providing the results you want, you are not alone. Even with robust teams, innovation centers and heavy investments, most companies struggle to commercialize their ideas at scale. But there is another way: vertical innovation. This was the process of Brent Duersch, managing director of Cleveland's world-renowned Ey-Nottingham Spirk Innovation Hub, and John Nottingham, co-CEO of Nottingham Spirk, taught by participants at the recent Manufacturing Leadership Summit. Why listen to these people? This figure is only 5% of the approximately 12 million patents filed in the US, only 5% have reached commercialization. However, Nottingham…

Bill Gates once said, “Like humans, companies need to have an internal communication mechanism, the “neurological system,” to coordinate their behavior.” The unfortunate truth is that research shows that 70% of employees are unclear about their organization's strategic goals, leading to missurgeries and confusion about priorities. Furthermore, a study by HR expert Towers Watson found that companies with highly effective communication strategies had a 47% higher total return to shareholders over five years than those with effective practices. Poor communication can free employees who feel disconnected from the organization. Decreased communication creates fear and uncertainty among employees, increasing resistance to…

How does financial work at small tech companies differ from jobs at tech giants like Google, Twitter, eBay? How will CFO priorities be changed? What adjustments do CFOs need? At the spring CFO leadership conference held in the first week of June, the two CFOs (Slice Lauren St. Clair (pictured above) and Philo Juliana Hayes) peers into the audience how they were carried out in CFO work after a financial mission at the big-name technology organization. Stclair is the former CFO of StubHub International and Ebay North America. She published Nerdwallet in 2021 and moved to Pizza Tech Company Slice…

All healthcare organizations travel. But some just wander, others actually go somewhere. Too many leaders chase shiny objects, react to the latest crises, or develop strategies that have nothing to do with the reasons why an organization exists in the first place. Meanwhile, the best healthcare institutions make every decision through a clear mission, a focused vision, and a deep understanding of the people they serve. Five key principles align the strategy with your objectives. This provides actionable insights and real-world examples from key health systems that have transformed mission statements into mission-driven performance. 1. Know why you exist Strategies…

Agent AI can redefine how companies operate, compete and grow faster than many leaders expect. It gives you the most clear glimpse into what the future of work and business will look like. This is expected and exciting. New ecosystems are already emerging to support technology and redesign technology stacks and workflows. The opportunities are enormous and confusion too. So, what should leaders know now and what should they do?What is an agent? Like AI, there is no definition of consensus. Trying to force it really doesn't help. In general, “agents” are AI models designed to complete unprecedented complex multi-stage…

There's a bit of succession planning. From Warren Buffet in Berkshire Hathaway to Jamie Dimon at JPMorgan Chase, CEO transitions are on the homepage news. However, these carefully coordinated announcements hide an undeniable reality. Few organizations prioritize succession planning adequately.According to executive intelligence firm Equilar, the average tenure of S&P 500 CEOs has declined 34% since 2017, while CEO exits increased 20% in the second half of 2024.These exits often have large and negative organizational impacts, especially when unplanned or improperly managed. They can promote inconsistencies at the executive level, limit performance and outcomes, and erode trust and engagement among…