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As CFO of Protos Security, Anthony Escamilla oversees the financial infrastructure that supports one of the nation's largest security services networks. Its responsibilities go far beyond traditional accounting and reporting to include provider performance, operational management, and technology investments. Rather than directly employing all of its security personnel, Protos Security manages and coordinates thousands of local owner-operator security vendors, adding to the workforce volatility of a highly distributed workforce. In a conversation with CFO leadership, Escamilla discusses hidden cost drivers, the metrics that matter most in a third-party provider network, and how he thinks about Protos' financial readiness as it…

CEOs are being replaced on boards at a faster rate than at any time in the last 20 years, many of which can set off a chain reaction that can ripple through the C-suite for months or even years. CEO tenures continue to shrink, activist campaigns increasingly target top executives, and boards become less willing to wait for turnaround plans to bear fruit. What appears to be a single leadership change often begins a much larger reshuffle across the organization. Global CEO departures will reach 234 in 2025, the highest level Russell Reynolds has tracked in the index's past eight…

Every breakthrough creates byproducts. Consider artificial intelligence. Behind the chips, servers, and data centers, there is an entire invisible industrial ecosystem. As AI adoption proliferates, so does the need for the environmental infrastructure needed to responsibly support its growth. The same logic applies to innovations in areas such as GLP-1 therapeutics, energy infrastructure, and advanced chemical manufacturing. The drivers of this progress are also the drivers of responsibility. Factories, water treatment, chemical handling, and countless other industries generate complex (often hazardous) waste streams due to these breakthroughs. Every new wave of innovation creates new opportunities, but it also creates obligations…

Confidence is contagious. So is uncertainty. As more first-time CEOs step into the corner office, they're embracing the role with remarkable confidence. Many believe they are well-positioned to lead their organizations through the next wave of disruption and opportunity. But the board isn't so sure. Data from Korn Ferry's annual Board and CEO Risk Survey reveals a widening trust gap between new CEOs and the directors tasked with overseeing them, especially when it comes to technology, AI, and future risks. More than half of first-time CEOs feel prepared to manage the risks of AI and emerging technologies, and many are…

The CEO definitely had a great strategy. This reduces time to production by a third, solves supply chain problems, and gets products to market faster than competitors. He worked with his executive team to map everything out and everyone bought in. A large all-hands meeting was held and the strategy was announced. They also published gorgeous PowerPoint slides and a short animated video showing how the new pipeline works. After 6 months nothing happened. The strategy was brilliant. However, the death penalty was not carried out. There was a gap. What caused the stagnation? A fundamental principle I incorporate into…

Boards have governance continuity issues, and I've been watching how that plays out for 20 years. When board seats change, the background of directors is often forgotten: why strategies changed, how decisions were reached, and which problems have already been resolved. Incoming board members receive articles of incorporation, a strategic plan, and recent meeting minutes, but they do little to help them understand what is actually important. They may spend time listening in the first meeting and then raise questions that the board resolved months ago because the basis is buried in the record. Records may remain, but the context…

The finance team loves spreadsheets, so we didn't build a spreadsheet-heavy workflow. They built them because the systems they paid millions of dollars to buy couldn't answer the questions they needed answered. Over the past 20 years, corporate finance software has gotten very good at storing data. ERP, billing systems, financial planning platforms, and financial infrastructure tools serve as systems of record for nearly all financial transactions within a company. But much of the real work in finance is done elsewhere. When executives ask why revenue fell short of expectations, which customers caused churn, why margins were compressed, and whether…

Zane Rowe knows a thing or two about change. After a career in the airline industry, ultimately serving as the CFO of United Airlines, he not only switched industries, but roles entirely, taking on a sales leadership role at Apple. “A lot of people thought I was crazy, quite frankly,” says Rowe. “It goes back to getting outside your comfort zone and taking opportunities.” Now the CFO of Workday, Rowe is at the forefront of SaaS, staring down a new major opportunity: AI. In conversation with host Jack McCullough, Rowe shares how he’s approaching this new chapter of technology, how…

Leadership has always been a lonely endeavor, but in the AI era, that loneliness is at risk of getting worse—and when it does, the negative impact on CEOs and leaders jeopardizes the future of their organization. Leadership isolation degrades the product of leadership itself: the quality of decisions, the coherence of strategy, the ability to execute at scale. It takes much more than a wellness initiative to address it, requiring a careful strategic approach from the top—for the betterment of individual leaders, and the organizations, products and people depending on them. More than half of CEOs report experiencing isolation, and…

CEO turnover is increasing at an unprecedented pace. In the first four months of 2025 alone, 1,028 CEOs left the company, an increase of 19% year-on-year and a record high. Annual succession rates in the S&P 500 are projected to reach 10% to 13% in 2024, with external hires now accounting for nearly one-third of all appointments. Boards are making more leadership decisions under greater pressure than at any point in recent history. Systems that move this quickly often require a change in leadership. The problem is that decision-making is not improving. More and more patterns are starting to emerge.…