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Having done eight acquisitions in 10 years and grown Grote Company Family of Brands from a regional manufacturer to a global network with 11 locations, I can tell you this: Building market dominance through serial acquisitions isn’t about being the most aggressive buyer or having the deepest pockets. It’s about thinking in decades rather than quarters, and building something that compounds over time. Over the years, I’ve learned what actually works versus what just sounds good when it comes to acquisitions. Here are a few of those lessons. 1. Start Building Relationships Now, Not When You Need Them The biggest…

Finance executives are among the highest paid members of the C-suite and are often right behind operational executives. This competitive compensation position has been sustained by steady increases in CFO cash compensation since at least 2019, even through the economically volatile COVID-19 pandemic. But the just-released numbers suggest a deeper insight: Changes in CFO bonuses are the basis of this positive momentum. According to chief executiveAccording to the new U.S. Private Companies 2025-26 CEO and Senior Executive Compensation Report, the average annual change in CFO base pay and bonus from 2019 to 2026 is 3.6% and 6.0%, respectively. In layman's…

Amid constant change and uncertainty, it can be difficult to know which direction to take. But for François Nantel, president of Mitsubishi HC Capital Canada, a financial firm based in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, a time of crisis means it's time to stand your ground. This strategy was battle-tested for Nantel during the pandemic. “At a time when many companies were leaving, we redoubled our commitment to our customers and employees.” As a result, the company achieved double-digit growth during that period. In an interview, Nantel provided further insight into his leadership philosophy, why he always puts people first, and where the…

There are few names in the sporting world that command as much respect as Jonny Wilkinson. A rugby union giant, Wilkinson is best known for his iconic drop goal in the closing stages of the 2003 Rugby World Cup final, which gave England their first-ever world title. But his accomplishments go far beyond that singular moment. Wilkinson won 91 caps for England, scored over 1,100 international points, won two Heineken Cups, a Top 14 Championship and toured twice with the British & Irish Lions. Wilkinson's greatness lay not only in his statistics, but also in his relentless pursuit of excellence.…

The war for talent is no longer fought domestically. The battlefield has changed for CEOs. AI and technology skills shortages, wage inflation, and increasing regulatory pressure are reshaping the rules of the game. The government's latest mandate regarding H1-B visas has created new hurdles in attracting talent to the United States. CEOs who cling to the old strategy of importing talent to the United States will be beaten out not only in jobs but also in innovation and growth. Pebl surveyed more than 400 HR executives to find out how quickly the trends are changing. 71% of executives expect to…

If you want your business to truly create value through AI, you need to start with your people. Vaughn replaced 80% of the mid-cap software company's employees during its transition to AI, en route to dramatically improving every part of its operations. He says there's one thing that's essential to success, and that's “a person who believes in how existential it is. That's the difference.” Sonita LonteauDirector of Sunrun and TrueBlue. Sway Ventures Advisor. Former HP Technology Executive Rother agreed, saying, “We ended up spending 90 percent of our time on HR topics, from change management to upskilling to change…

Editor's note: Glenn Hopper, a regular contributor to the FATE eNewsletter, is one of the nation's top experts on the intersection of finance and technology (check out Glenn's articles) deep finance dispatch). He will be hosting our upcoming events AI in Finance Forum on November 12th the night before Financial Accounting Technology Exhibition (New York). Why not join us > If you lead a financial industry, you're going to get whiplash. Get more magical AI demos right in your inbox. Your team is addicted to the “quick fix” of AI. The audit partner asked how they manage prompts. Somewhere between…

The tragic assassination of UnitedHealthcare's CEO highlights how boards need to expand their view of executive protection. With 93% of executives' home addresses available online, the risks go far beyond a cyber breach, with digital breadcrumbs potentially leading to identity theft, stalking, harassment, and even targeted violence. Join the Corporate Board Member Network for a timely briefing with Matt Polak, human intelligence expert and CEO of VanishID, to learn how open source intelligence is being exploited by threat actors, why traditional security measures are often insufficient, and what boards need to know to protect executives and their families in today's…

Who plays perhaps the most important role in the C-suite? Research often mentions the CFO. But great CFOs aren't isolated in the financial world, says Razak Jallow, head of finance at Los Angeles-based FloQast. Mr. Jarreau previously held finance positions at Adobe Systems, Apple, and Google. In his four years at FloQast, he took the company to new heights, including last year's Series E funding round that valued FloQast at $1.6 billion. He spoke with CFO Leadership about what it takes to be a successful CFO, how to interact with an organization's CEO, and why great financial leaders think beyond…

When Nokia Bell Labs announced that it would move its research and development operations to a vast new innovation center in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 2023, the global technology company was looking to the future. “Ultimately, we aim to be a facility for the next 100 years of Nokia Bell Labs,” said Nishant Batra, Nokia's chief strategic and technology officer. It helped that the project was approved under a major tax credit program called Aspire, created under New Jersey's Economic Recovery Act of 2020. As a result, Nokia could receive up to $103.9 million in tax credits. But Nokia…