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Strong leadership shapes the future of finance, and Lauren Dillard, CFO of LiveRamp, knows exactly what it takes.In this conversation with Jack McCullough, she shares how her diverse career—working in various corporate functions, from investor relations to marketing—has influenced her approach to financial strategy and team building. Besides discussing how the CFO’s role goes beyond the numbers, Lauren reveals the key to fostering accountability, adapting to change and making bold career moves.To book a demo with Planful, click here.—Listen to the podcast hereWe have an awesome guest. Those who read regularly know that I don’t say that every single time.…
Today's organizations face a list of geopolitical headwinds, with the latest and perhaps the most powerful tariffs. Once the global trade framework is reworked, key economic relations are being redefined in a fluid and unpredictable way. Whether high tariffs with key trading partners are long-term supplies or temporary pressure points, one thing is clear. They influence business cost structure, consumer behavior and competitive positioning.CEOs are already dealing with supply chain and balance sheet disruptions, and face substantial uncertainty. There is also great concern about the long-term implications of the evolving trade framework. In these unsettling times, the board must intervene…
Board members and the general counsel have long enjoyed a close working relationship. The company’s highest-ranking legal officer provides expert legal counsel to directors to navigate complex risks. When these risks evolve into a tangled web of convoluted information, the board leans more on the GC, straining their close relationship.To flatten their learning curve on the strategic and operational risks caused by generative AI, cybersecurity and technology innovation, many boards have formed dedicated committees, task forces and ad hoc committees. As they conduct deep dives into these topics, directors are requesting voluminous business records and other documents from the GC.…
Earlier this year, the fierce battle proxy contest at Air Products ended with activist investor Mantle Ridge organizing the company's legendary CEO, Seifi Ghasemi. The results were impressive. It wasn't just for the change in leadership, but also for the way it unfolded. The 82-year-old Gasemi himself became CEO 10 years ago after Mantle Ridge founder Paul Hilal supported him in a previous proxy contest. This year, a campaign of thoughtful critique focused on addressing successive concerns resonating with shareholder bases, offering alternative strategic visions, different capital allocation priorities.The three takeaways for the board and management team are as follows:1.…
Does the current board configuration include members with the right level of artificial intelligence expertise? Does your board have members who can accurately assess the increased impact of AI on society, its risks and opportunities for operational efficiency and revenue growth? Heather Redman, director of PPL Corporation and venture capitalist specializing in trading, including AI startups, recently sat down Corporate Board Members Columnist Matthew Scott discusses why companies need to add AI expertise to their boards and how to do that. Below is an edited transcript of their conversation.Why is artificial intelligence becoming such a critical expertise that the Corporate…
After eight years of promotion within the Siemens Smart Infrastructure finance team, Saanchika Weerasinghe has a new challenge. It is the main finances of Brightly Software, a Siemens subsidiary. Bright is an acquisition, but it's not new. It was closed in 2022. However, integration into the infrastructure of corporate giants like Siemens is unfinished. Because Brightly is a smaller, more dynamic organization, the best practices and KPIs used in the Siemens smart infrastructure cannot be overlaid on top. Weerasinghe's work incorporates what he absorbed as Vice President of Financial and Financial Integration Lead in Smart Infrastructure, and applies it to…
I have known Brian Cornell for many years. He has taken big companies to the executive suites of Safeway, Michael's stores, PepsiCo and Sam's Club since we met. Today he is Target's CEO. He knows firsthand the benefits of being dedicated to excellence. Part of his process is learning to be comfortable as a teacher and student.Brian shared this story with me. “Mature leaders realize they are not perfect. I was criticized for wanting to be perfect early in my career. I wanted to make sure I was completely buttoned. One day my old boss sat me down and said,…
Every organization knows who the planet is. But who can't afford to lose? It's often someone else. They may not be the best salary or the most visible, but they will bring you the expertise that will make even more of your MVPs barely inexpensive. In sports, that person was Dennis Rodman. As one former NBA executive reportedly said about Dennis Rodman, he was not always loved in the locker room, whether he was the best scorer or leader. However, his team will not win the championship without him. In business, that person may be on your team now. Rodman's…
In June 2024, after an extensive review, CEO Julie Wood at QBE North America introduced the large commercial insurer’s revised strategy—to focus on core customers and segments where the company has meaningful market position, relevance and scale. “We were finding our way around our appetite and marketplace in the U.S.” Woods says. “Our new strategy shifts away from generalist, commodity-type business toward becoming a niche specialist.”The decision to strategically reposition QBE North America as a provider of niche insurance products to select commercial customers was a bold move. QBE North America, with $7.3 billion in gross written premium in 2024, is part of Australia’s…
Over the years of financial reporting, management and accounting, Adam Drew became CFO at software company Kyriba when his road to the CFO office was not getting much better now. Through his financial roles in technology companies, including Linux OS Company Suse and his early career at Deloitte, Drew has seen the evolution of skills essential to CFO sheets during the rapid changes in automation.”I spend a lot of time learning about all sorts of things that aren't characteristic of CFO roles 20 years ago,” Drew said.As the finance director for the Treasury Platform Provider, Drew discovers how current economic…